The Iowa State Cyclones are set to head on the road for the second straight game, playing against the Arizona Wildcats under the lights in Tucson in Week 8.
Iowa State is back on the field after a bye week, looking to bounce back from a tough game against the BYU Cougars on Oct. 7 in Provo, Utah, on a Friday night. The Cyclones lost to what is now the No. 2-ranked team in the country.
Arizona is the fourth-ranked opponent that Iowa State will be facing off against this season, coming in at No. 25 in the latest AP Poll. Will they be able to keep that ranking after facing the Cyclones?
Here are three bold predictions for the contest.
Noah Fifita Has Big Game
One of the areas that Iowa State has struggled this season is getting after the quarterback. Their pass rush has been virtually nonexistent this season, producing only 9.0 sacks as a team. Isaac Terrell had three sacks in the opener against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and has not recorded another since.
He remains the only player on the team with more than one sack this season. An inability to create pressure is certainly not good when going up against a quarterback as talented as Noah Fifita.
Fifita currently leads the Big 12 with 140 completions and completing 73.3% of his passes. He is going to be able to pick apart the Cyclones secondary with how much they have allowed opposing quarterbacks to operate from the pocket.
The talented signal caller will complete 75% of his passes in this game, surpassing the 250-yard mark and throwing two touchdowns.
Iowa State Sets Tone With Ground Game
The best way for the Cyclones to keep Fifita off the field is controlling the clock. A strong run game is key to that, and expect offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl to lean into that after a week of practice.
Iowa State has not been able to move the ball consistently against ranked teams this season. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor has struggled, but they are going to feed running back Aiden Flora time and time again to stay on schedule.
He is going to lead the way with 150 all-purpose yards, but he won’t be alone. Freshman Caleb Francois will be worked into the mix more after the bye and add 30 yards in the ground to help keep drives moving.
Cyclones Get Major Upset
With a 3-3 record, the Cyclones have exceeded expectations in some regard. They are halfway to being bowl-eligible, something not many people thought possible. They will move one step closer to that, pulling off the upset and giving Jimmy Rogers his first statement win as head coach.
Iowa State will knock Arizona out of the top 25 with a hard-fought 24-20 victory. They will do just enough on the defensive side of the ball, turning the Wildcats into a one-dimensional offense that becomes over-reliant on Fifita.
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