Beat Iowa State: Texas must be wary of Cyclones’ passing attack
The No. 7 Texas Longhorns (9-1) face the Iowa State Cyclones (6-4) this week in Ames, Iowa. There is reason for unease as we approach the matchup.
The lack of confidence in Texas’ ability to handle business is more about the Longhorns than the Cyclones. Texas has made several quarterbacks look better than expected.
Here’s a look at a few quarterbacks lit up the Longhorn defense in the last four weeks.
Josh Hoover: 24-for-36, 302 yards, two touchdowns, one interception.
Will Howard: 26-for-41, 327 yards, four touchdowns, one interception.
Donovan Smith: 32-for-46, 378 yards, three touchdowns, one interception.
The above quarterbacks are not often mentioned among the most prolific passers in college football. Texas has made them appear to be so.
Enter Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht who leads an underrated Cyclone offense. Becht has 2,121 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. You can expect the Iowa State signal caller to have a big game this week.
Texas is No. 12 in the Big 12 in pass defense surrendering 247 yards per game through the air. Many of those yards come in what defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski might deem as garbage time, but those totals have certainly aided opponents in making games close.
How does Texas avoid a letdown this week? Its defense would be wise to treat each defensive sequence as if the game were locked in a 0-0 tie. If we don’t see that from the defense, expect Iowa State to take the game down to the final seconds.
The Longhorns must improve in pass defense this week. They are capable. Saturday will reveal if the unit can maintain a championship level of play for four quarters.
Texas will take on the Iowa State Cyclones at 7 p.m. CT on Fox.
