Rob Gray

Iowa State sits one win away from being bowl eligible for the sixth time in seven years, but faces a number of unique challenges this Saturday at BYU. Here are five players to watch.

Cyclones open season Monday night against Green Bay and will continue to focus on defense this season

Coach Matt Campbell happy with the way the team bounced back

No single play — whether late or early — served as an accurate representation of precisely how Kansas won at Iowa State for the first time since 2008.

Cedar Rapids Xavier saw a seven-game win streak snapped and played from behind the entire game. North Polk advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals with a 17-14 win over the defending champion Saints.

Crisp autumn air. Bright, shimmering lights. A meaningful football game between Kansas and Iowa State in November — and on national TV, no less. All of those elements and more make Saturday’s 6 p.m. Big 12 game between the Cyclones and the No. 21 Jayhawks a must-see matchup.

It’s been 15 years since a ranked Kansas football team rolled into Jack Trice Stadium and escaped with a narrow win, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for both teams this time around. Here are three keys for the Cyclones.

Iowa State’s offensive line leads the Big 12 in sacks allowed (six) and that group has paved the way for its tailbacks to average 4.6 yards per carry since the fateful “had enough” pronouncement. Meanwhile, Kansas features one of the league’s top tailbacks in Devin Neal.

David Carr finished second in the nation to rival Keegan O’Toole of Missouri last season. He’s seeking to finish his celebrated Iowa State wrestling career with a second title and has never finished outside of the top three.

Iowa State is plus-seven in turnover margin this season — a net gain of 14 in that all-important statistical measure. Their 13 interceptions are tied for the third nationally and their seven turnovers on offense are tied for 14th among FBS teams.

The outcome of Saturday’s 6 p.m. matchup with No. 22 Kansas will go a long way toward determining if Iowa State can remain in contention for the league title. With all that drama in mind, here are five Kansas players to keep an eye on in Saturday’s nationally televised (ESPN) clash at Jack Trice Stadium.

Rocco Becht has thrown at least one touchdown pass in his first eight starts as Iowa State’s quarterback — a feat matched only by Kyle Kempt in 2017. But even tough Becht helped guide the Cyclones to a convincing, 30-18, win at Baylor on Saturday, the redshirt freshman provided a blunt assessment of what he found lacking in his performance.

“It wasn’t perfect.” That’s what Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said after his team’s 30-18 win over Baylor to spoil Homecoming in Waco Saturday afternoon.

The Bears have been blown out in their two conference losses to Texas and Texas Tech. So there’s discontent there and if Iowa State can start strong, it will be interesting to see if Baylor’s resilient enough to punch back. Here are three keys.

Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins smiles effortlessly because he knows something no foe seems to recognize: He can’t be stopped when enough throws are launched into his orbit.