Iowa State Cyclones aren’t nearly the ‘Sooner-killer’ as people think

Iowa State is a tough football team, but they aren’t as much of a “Sooner-killer” as people might think.

I have a great amount of respect for Matt Campbell. He’s built a very good thing in Ames. Iowa State should be throwing the dollars they have to keep him in-house.

That being said, the narrative that Iowa State plays the Sooners better than the rest of the Big 12 is just false. Since Matt Campbell was hired in 2016, the Cyclones have beaten the Sooners twice. Once in Ames and once in Norman.

Bob Stoops never lost to Iowa State. Barry Switzer never lost to Iowa State. The Sooners have lost to the Cyclones seven times. Ever.

Yes, the Cyclones do play tough against the Sooners. All but two of their matchups against OU in the Matt Campbell era have been decided by a score. At the same time, every team in the Big 12 typically gives the Sooners their best game. That just comes with being Oklahoma. It’s similar to what Alabama deals with. They get their opponents’ best games.

While the Cyclones have been a tough out, they aren’t nearly as much of a thorn in the side of the Sooners as the Kansas State Wildcats have been.

K-State has won four of their last ten matchups against the Sooners. Three of those wins were in Norman. From 1993-1997, the Wildcats beat the Sooners five straight times. The Cyclones have only had consecutive wins against OU once, in 1960 and 1961.

This isn’t as competitive historically or in recent years as people think. Boasting the best defense in the Big 12, Iowa State will provide a test. But they’re far from the best team the Sooners have played in 2022.

The Sooners have won four of their last five against Iowa State. I’m expecting the Sooners to make it five of the last six on Saturday.

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Twitter prepares for the matchup against Iowa State

Texas travels to face Iowa State in a huge game for the Longhorns. Here is how Twitter is preparing for this afternoon’s matchup vs ISU.

Texas has a huge game this afternoon as they travel to Ames, Iowa to face Iowa State. Today is a must-win for the Longhorns as they must win out to make it to the Big 12 championship game. Coming in as underdogs, Texas has a lot to prove against the Cyclones.

Here is how Twitter is preparing for the matchup against Iowa State:

Texas faces Iowa State at 2:30 P.M. on FS1.

Texas’ series history against Iowa State

Only meeting 16 times, Texas has dominated Iowa State. With ISU only winning twice, the stakes have been raised the past two years.

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Texas plays a crucial road game against Iowa State and must win if they want to stay alive in the Big 12 championship picture. These two teams have a short history as they have only met a total of 16 times. The Longhorns dominated the begging of the series, winning seven straight. Even after an Iowa State win in 2010, Texas continued to win, beating the Cyclones seven out of the last eight.

Here is the series record between the Longhorns and Cyclones:

All-time series record: Texas leads 14-2-0

Largest wins: Texas 56-3 in 2007, Iowa State 24-0 in 2015

Latest Texas win: Nov. 17, 2018

Last season’s matchup with Iowa State was a ranked matchup as No. 13 Texas played host to the 18th ranked Cyclones. This was a strange game for the Longhorns, as both Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele got snaps.

Ehlinger was only able to play in the first half as he picked up a shoulder injury. Before he was forced to leave the game, he was able to get the Longhorns off to a strong start, scoring 17 points on five drives. He went 12-15 with 137 yards and a touchdown. He was also effective on the ground, having 32 yards and a touchdown.

Without Ehlinger, the Longhorns struggled, punting on four out of their six second-half drives. The other two ended with a Daniel Young fumble and a Shane Buechele 27 yards touchdown to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. On the other hand, the Texas defense was outstanding, stopping an Iowa State offense that was averaging 427.2 yards over their five-game winning streak, to 210 yards. David Montgomery only ran for 33 yards as the Cyclones struggled running the ball.

The 24-10 win ended up being huge for the Longhorns as it was the reason they made it into the Big 12 championship game. Had Iowa State won the game, the Cyclones’ win against Kansas State the next week would have propelled them into the title game. Instead, Texas went on to beat Kansas and played in its first Big 12 championship game since 2009.

Latest Iowa State win: Oct. 31, 2015

2015 was a miserable year for the Longhorns and the matchup against Iowa State was no different. Going into the game, the Cyclones were 2-5, on a three-game losing streak, and allowing nearly 34 points a game on that streak.

Naturally, a Texas offense being led by Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard at quarterback put up a goose egg. Swoopes and Heard threw for 85 yards on 12-22 passing. The running game was not much better, as they averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Swoopes led the team in that category, rushing for 58 yards on 10 carries.

Iowa State’s offense pounded the ball on the ground, as they had 54 rushing attempts. They got 238 yards on those 54 attempts and added on two touchdowns. Running back Mike Warren had a career-high 32 carries with 157 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Joel Lanning was a mediocre 19-37 with 188 yards and a touchdown.

After defeating the Cyclones four years in a row, Texas shut out on the road, 24-0. It was their second time being shut out in two years after going a decade without it. Texas ended the season at 5-7, the first of back to back Charlie Strong 5-7 seasons.

Texas will play Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30 PM CST on FS1.

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