Rob Gray

Beating Iowa for the first time since 2014 would give Iowa State considerable juice to continue a strong push to start the season. Here are three keys for the Cyclones in Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game.

Iowa State cruised to a season-opening, 42-10, win last Saturday over an average FCS foe. Iowa sweated out a defense-driven, 7-3, win a couple hours earlier over one of the best FCS teams. But as ISU defensive coordinator Jon Heacock said, “none of that stuff matters” in Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game.

John Steppe and Rob Gray break down the key matchups and storylines in Saturday’s Iowa State-Iowa football game on this week’s Hawk Off The Press podcast.

However strong the connection between Hunter Dekkers and Xavier Hutchinson may be, it’s the supporting players, not the headliners, who likely will determine whether Iowa State can cart the Cy-Hawk trophy off the field for the first time in head coach Matt Campbell’s six-plus season tenure.

One mind-boggling and troubling stat looms over Iowa State’s current five-game losing streak to Iowa. The Hawkeyes have enjoyed a 9-0 turnover margin that the Cyclones hope to start to reverse Saturday.

Here are five memorable Iowa State wins in the Cy-Hawk football series against Iowa.

Consider Hunter Dekkers’ performance in Iowa State’s 42-10 season-opening triumph over Southeast Missouri State a rousing success. But now the level of competition ratchets up sharply.

Iowa State’s new starting tailback Jirehl Brock spun through, trampled, and broke free from several would-be tacklers. He rushed for 99 of his career-high 104 yards and a touchdown in the second half of the Cyclones’ 42-10 win over Southeast Missouri State.

Heavily-favored Iowa State had a fireworks-filled 42-10 season-opening win over FCS Southeast Missouri State. Hunter Dekkers and Xavier Hutchinson linked up for the Cyclones’ first three touchdowns in their first full game as fellow starters.

Here are three keys to victory for Iowa State against Southeast Missouri State in Saturday’s season opener at Jack Trice Stadium.

Iowa State already had acquired a quarterback commitment for their 2020 recruiting class, but the young man Matt Campbell saw throwing impressive passes while showing playmaking ability with his feet couldn’t be ignored. Now, that prospect is the Cyclones’ starter: Hunter Dekkers.

Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell pitched Anthony Johnson’s move from cornerback to safety as a “win-win” gambit — and that’s proven to be a prescient observation.

Junior running back Jirehl Brock is the Iowa State Cyclones’ Week 1 starter Saturday against Southeast Missouri State, but nothing else about his demeanor has changed.

Here are five players to watch for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks against the Iowa State Cyclones in Saturday’s season opener.

Iowa State first-team all-Big 12 receiver Xavier Hutchinson headlines a position group that saw Jaylin Noel emerge as a reliable threat as a true freshman last season, and also returns experience in Daniel Jackson, Sean Shaw Jr. and Darren Wilson Jr.