GAME DAY: Iowa State vs. Arizona
Playing under the lights at Jack Trice Stadium, and at night in general, has been a recipe for Iowa State’s success recently and it will get another opportunity on Saturday with a home contest against Arizona. The Cyclones won all four night games they played in during last season’s historic 11-win campaign and have come out on top in nine straight played in the evening. They’ll put another streak on the line on Saturday, as well, as they’re looking to start 5-0 for the second-straight season and ninth time in school history. It’s been a remarkable 13-month run for head coach Matt Campbell’s program, which has won 15 of 18 games for an .833 winning percentage that ranks among the nation’s top 10. Going back even further, Iowa State has won 24 of its past 32 games played in Ames. The Cyclones are back in action following a much-needed bye week that followed a difficult four-game stretch to open 2025. It included an overseas trip to Dublin, Ireland, to begin the season one week early and was followed by three consecutive Saturdays of play, including another rivalry matchup with Iowa. At least record-wise, ISU got through all unscathed and a perfect 4-0, but this was a team that was battered, bruised and limping into the first of three bye weeks. The good news is the Cyclones got some time to heal and will return several key players back for the resumption of Big 12 play. They also got some time to get back to the drawing board in all three facets of play and, as Campbell would say, sharpen up on the ‘precision and detail’. That’ll get put to the rest this weekend, as Iowa State encounters another newish member of the conference in Arizona. It has fared well during the regular season against those newcomers, toppling Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, UCF and Utah, and only dropped the Big 12 title game against Arizona State last December.
Arizona is in the midst of its second season in a new conference and seeking to rebound from a 4-8 finish in 2024 and take another step with head coach Brent Brennan, who took over in Tucson last year as the program ushered in a new era in the Big 12. The Wildcats have opened this season with a perfect 3-0 record but had also gotten off to a good start with wins in three of four to open 2024 before slumping to a 2-7 in league play. Brennan, hired from San José State before the 2024 season, has compiled just a 41-56 career record, including a 34-48 stretch over a seven-year stretch at his previous stop before landing his first P4 head coaching gig. In need of upgrades across the board, Arizona added 27 transfers who had combined to start 403 games and play 25,467 snaps at their previous stops. Brennan also brought in some fresh eyes on his coaching staff last offseason, hiring a new offensive coordinator (Seth Doege), defensive coordinator (Danny Gonzales) and special teams coordinator (Craig Naivar). The early returns have been favorable, especially for Gonzales’ unit, where the Wildcats rank second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in scoring defense (8.7 points per game). They’re also second in the conference and seventh nationally in total defense (222.3 yards per game). This has been an effective group on third down and is forcing turnovers at a high rate. Arizona currently leads the nation with a plus-two turnover margin through its three wins. Offensively, although quarterback Noah Fifita is back behind center, the Wildcats have faced the challenge of replacing skill players in the depth chart and rebuilding an offensive line hampered by injuries. The Wildcats have relied on a mix of transfers and underclassmen to fill gaps at receiver and running back. Saturday marks the seventh all-time meeting between Iowa State and Arizona, with the last meeting coming in 1968 when the Wildcats prevailed 21-12. Let’s start the breakdown of all five phases of Saturday’s matchup.
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