When Utah’s Big 12 schedule was released for this season, the consensus was that the Utes’ opening trip to Iowa State was the easiest game on their conference schedule.
Longtime Cyclones coach Matt Campbell built Iowa State’s program from an afterthought to a winner, notching the school’s first-ever 10-plus-win season in 2024 when it went 11-3 with a Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over Miami.
Two years after the high-water mark for the Cyclones though, Iowa State was staring at a full-on rebuild.
After Penn State fired coach James Franklin and couldn’t obtain the services of BYU coach Kalani Sitake or a number of other high-profile options such as Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, the Nittany Lions turned to Campbell.
Iowa State was essentially gutted. Twenty-three players followed Campbell to Happy Valley, including starting quarterback Rocco Becht and tight end Ben Brahmer, and most of the ones who didn’t go to Penn State found the transfer portal anyway.
Just 22 scholarship players, per 247Sports’ Alec Busse, remained for coach Jimmy Rogers, who replaced Campbell after a season leading Washington State.
The Cyclones were projected to be the worst team in the conference, but as is now common with the advent of the transfer portal, they may be ahead of what used to often be a yearslong schedule in their rebuild thanks to being able to quickly overhaul their roster.
Iowa State blew out Southeast Missouri State and Bowling Green, then in its road rivalry game at Iowa, it played the heavily-favored and then-No. 21 Hawkeyes close, with Iowa needing a last-second field goal to escape with a 16-13 win.
How have the Cyclones been able to get off to a good start to the season?
They’ve been led by a defense that has been excellent for the most part. Iowa State ranks in the top 21 nationally in both passing and rushing yards allowed, giving up just 151.3 yards through the air and just 83.3 yards on the ground per game.
The Cyclones held the Hawkeyes to just 284 total yards.
Iowa State is led defensively by cornerback David Coffey, who is one of the few returners from last season, as well as linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen, safety Drew Surges and defensive end Isaac Terrell.
Terrell leads the team in sacks with three, while Schlimgen leads it in tackles with 23 and has also forced a fumble.
The Cyclone defense will be the toughest that Utah has faced this season, and making matters worse is the rainy forecast for Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. MDT contest on Jack Trice Stadium’s grass field.
While the Utes are no strangers to playing in the rain (see last year’s West Virginia and Arizona State games), will the rain change things at all?
Utah has found success through the air to start the season, and while run blocking has been a work in progress, the Utes have still rushed for 698 yards through their first three games.
Utah coach Morgan Scalley says the rain won’t impact his team’s game plan. Offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven has shown a propensity for trick plays, motions and unique formations, and the show will go on, rain or shine.
“Not worried about it,” Scalley said. “We got to continue to be who we are, and ultimately it comes down to wearing the right cleats, good footing. We got grass that we practice on, practice with the wet ball, do everything we can to prepare for that situation. Ultimately it’s guys understanding the surface and we’ll be prepared.”
If the Utes do have to run more than planned, can the offensive line create better rushing lanes for the running backs?
“This is a physical football team on the road, potentially in the rain, so preparing for all that, got to be able to stop the run, got to be able to run the ball, so those are going to be big keys in this game,” Scalley said.
Offensively, Iowa State’s strength is running the ball.
The Cyclones boast the nation’s No. 40 rushing offense with 203.7 yards per game, led by Aiden Flora, who is another returning player from last year’s team. He’s off to an efficient start to the season with 328 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries for an 8.6 yards-per-carry average.
Jaylen Raynor, an Arkansas State transfer, is a dual-threat quarterback and has rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns this season, so containing the Cyclones’ rushing attack will be paramount.
Raynor has completed just 55.8% of his passes this year and has thrown for 434 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. When he does drop back, Iowa State’s offensive line has been excellent in pass blocking to start the season, providing the Utes’ new-look defensive line with perhaps its biggest challenge of the young season.
Utah’s Big 12 opener is looking a lot tougher than it did in the preseason. Saturday’s game will provide a test for the Utes, who are favored by just 7.5 points, to open conference play.
”They’re very stout, very tough on the defensive side of the ball. They run the heck out of the football on the offense with a dynamic quarterback as well," Scalley said. “This is going to be a really good test for our guys.”
