Game To Watch: Kansas State at #17 Iowa State: November 21, 2020

Kansas State and Iowa State will square off this Saturday at 3:30 in a key game in the Big 12. The Wildcats are 4 – 3 overall and 4 – 2 in the conference, they lost their last game to Oklahoma State 20 – 18 before a bye last weekend. Iowa State is 5 – 2 and 5 – 1 in conference, they beat Baylor 38 – 31 before also having a bye last weekend. Both teams control their own destiny in the Big 12, and will make the Big 12 title game, of course one of them will lose this weekend.

Recent History

Kansas State has won 11 of their last 12 games against Iowa State. The Cyclones one win came in 2018 when they outscored the Wildcats 42 – 38 at home. Kansas State won the game last year 27 – 17, but Iowa State did have a 17 – 14 lead midway through the third quarter before the Wildcats scored 13 unanswered points.

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What To Watch For…

Will the Wildcats be able to slow down Breece Hall?

Iowa State’s Breece Hall leads the country in rushing yards this season. Through seven games he has run for 1,034 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hall has gone over 100 yards and found the end zone in every game this season. He has a good combination of vision, burst and power that allows him to get into the second level often and pick up yardage in chunks. No one has been able to slow down the talented running back this season. Kansas State has the seventh ranked run defense in the Big 12, allowing 161 yards per game. The last two games they played the Wildcats have allowed a 100 yard rusher in both games. The Wildcats have a fiery defense that will be prepared, but stopping Hall is a tall task for any defense. Expect Hall to have another 100 yard game on Saturday and be a workhorse for the Cyclones.

Can Deuce Vaughn get loose?

Deuce Vaughn has had an excellent season as a versatile weapon for the Kansas State offense. He is the most dynamic weapon for the Kansas State offense and is explosive as a ball carrier, or as a receiver out of the backfield. Vaughn has 371 yards rushing and 366 yards receiving on the season with five total touchdowns. In Kansas State’s last games (both losses) West Virginia and Oklahoma State were intent on stopping Vaughn and the strategy paid off. Vaughn was held to 23 and 45 yards of offense in the two games and the Wildcats were held to 10 and 18 points in those two games. For Kansas State’s offense to be successful on Saturday they will have to find ways to get Vaughn in space where he can put his athleticism to work. If Iowa State bottles up Vaughn, it will be difficult for Kansas State to score and an easy win for the Cyclones.

Will Kansas State be able to disrupt Brock Purdy’s rhythm?

The quarterback is the most important player on the field. That statement rings even truer for Iowa State. When Brock Purdy has a passer rating over 135 the Cyclones are 5 – 0 this year, when his passer rating is below 100 the Cyclones are 0 – 2. Purdy was terrible in both of Iowa State’s losses, averaging less than five yards per pass attempt in both games. Outside of those two games, he has played pretty well this season and the team benefits from his strong play. Kansas State will attempt to disrupt Brock Purdy in the passing game and force the quarterback to rush his mechanics and make mistakes. The Wildcats were able to accomplish this late in the game against Oklahoma and were able to disrupt Spencer Rattler and force mistakes in the comeback win. Kansas State’s gameplan will be to get after the Iowa State quarterback and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. If Brock Purdy plays poorly, there’s a good chance Iowa State will lose.

Prediction

Iowa State is a 10.5 point favorite against Kansas State. Kansas State has lost two games and the season is absolutely on the line. The team will be fired up and true freshman quarterback Will Howard has had time to reset during the bye. The Wildcats offense will play well and make this game closer than the line would indicate. Iowa State will score as well, Breece Hall will have a productive day and Brock Purdy will be good enough to pull out a tight win against the Wildcats in a game that could go either way. Iowa State 28 Kansas State 27.

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ISU vs OSU 2019-10-26 Image taken by Daniel Hartwig is licensed under CC BY 2.0.