GAME DAY: Iowa State vs. Arizona State
Circumstances are much different than the last time the Cyclones and Sun Devils met in the conference championship game last December, as even a Big 12 title seems out of reach for both heading into Saturday’s rematch at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa State is battling through its first three-game losing streak since 2022 and hopes to get over the hump and start what it hopes will be a November run to a solid regular season finish and respectable bowl bid next month. Losing by more than a one-score margin doesn’t happen often to Matt Campbell-led teams, much less at Jack Trice Stadium, but that’s exactly what the Cyclones did last Saturday to BYU. The visitors closed things out by scoring 31 of the game’s final 34 points to remain undefeated. In doing so, the Cougars remained in pole position to earn a trip to the conference title game, while ISU’s hopes were mostly dashed. Iowa State was driving for what it hoped would be a 24-7 lead before quarterback Rocco Becht threw the first of three interceptions. Still, the home team recovered to take a 14-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. But that’s when things unraveled for the hosts. It was just the second loss the Cyclones have endured over the past 11 games played in Ames and dropped their conference record to 2-3 following losses to Colorado and Cincinnati prior to the second bye week of the season. Untimely mistakes continue to cripple this year’s Iowa State team. Becht throw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. A special teams mishap also occurred when Beni Ngoyi came in contact with a live ball on a punt and BYU recovered. ISU racked up nearly 500 total yards of offense but ended up a minus-four in the turnover margin and ended up with just 27 points to show for it. Critical errors on offense and special teams put the defense in bad spots. BYU’s scoring drives during the 31-3 run were for 60, 57, 79 and 33 yards, plus the interception return for 40. When Iowa State is at its best, it’s playing complementary football and winning in all three phases, which hasn’t happened since the win over Arizona more than one month ago. It’ll get another shot this Saturday facing an opponent that it’s likely had circled on the calendar since last December’s defeat in Arlington.
Much has also changed about Arizona State, since it rolled to a conference title and nearly toppled Texas in a thrilling College Football Playoff quarterfinal round matchup. There were some personnel losses, as running back Cam Skattebo graduated and was drafted by the New York Giants, but this was still considered a veteran group headed into 2025. After two offseasons of flipping his roster via the transfer portal and recruiting freshmen which saw head coach Kenny Dillingham sign a combined 138 newcomers, the third-year leader of the program settled in after 2025’s run. The Sun Devils welcomed back 16 players who started at least six games a year ago. In fact, eight of those started all 14 games last season. Just one defensive starter departed. This is very much a veteran team which returned 80-percent of its lineup from a year ago. ASU has 23 players in the final year of their eligibility. Still, it’s not led to the results Dillingham’s squad enjoyed last fall. Similarly to the Cyclones, mostly all was well through the month of September, as the Sun Devils opened with wins in four of their first five games, including toppling Baylor and TCU by identical 27-24 margins. But the wheels came off throughout a 42-10 shellacking at Utah, and although it recovered to beat Texas Tech the following Saturday, ASU slumped to a 24-16 defeat at home to Houston. While the defense is mostly holding its own, the offense has seen injuries mount and production suffer. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, one of the heroes from last December’s blowout win over the Cyclones, is out for this week’s game. His top wide receiver, Jordyn Tyson, is also likely to be shelved and was listed as doubtful in this week’s first player availability report. Arizona State enters this week ranked 13th in the Big 12, averaging 24.8 points per game. The Sun Devils haven’t played well away from home this season, either, dropping two of three games. Let’s start the breakdown of all five phases of Saturday’s rematch of last year’s Big 12 Championship Game.
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