Steve Sarkisian details what Iowa State does well

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are pining to get into the College Football Playoff, and a victory over Iowa State this weekend is paramount to the goal.

In Ames, Iowa in Week 12, Sarkisian and company are hoping to escape the Cyclones unscathed, with some big dreams on their mind. Ahead of the Big 12 showdown, Sarkisian took some time to elaborate on what Iowa State does well, while speaking with the media.

“I think first of all, just look at the ball. Especially here in the second half of the season,” Sarkisian started. “They take care of the ball really well offensively, and they create turnovers. The ball, as I’ve touched on now, I don’t know how many times, is the number one stat in turnover that pertains to winning and losing football games. That turnover margin is so critical. I think they do a great job of capitalizing on turnovers when they get them. They do a good job of possessing the ball on offense. They do a good job of scoring, when they get into the red area, of putting points on the board. So that’s the big picture of the style of play, but I respect the heck out of Matt [Campbell] and his staff, of just their coaching, and how they coach the game.

“They know who they are on defense. They know who they are offensively. They do a nice job on special teams. You need to play all three phases of football when you play them, and you need to make sure that the ball is at the forefront of what you do.”

Regardless of Texas being a favorite over the Cyclones, the Longhorns have to be careful with Iowa State, and Sarkisian recognizes that. On3’s J.D. PicKell believes the atmosphere can play some kind of factor for the Cyclones, no matter how much of an advantage Texas may have on paper.

“I think [Iowa State] can [get a win],” PicKell said during Tuesday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “Just for the sheer fact that it’s Ames. It’s one of those things where you’re trying to break the game down.

“We’re looking a matchups, looking at scheme — and you’re just like ‘Well, this is in Ames, IA. It may not matter at all.’”

Each game is a Playoff game for Texas and Steve Sarkisian over the next couple of weeks. We’ll see if the Longhorns can survive and advance.