Iowa State football's Matt Campbell discusses defense, responding to loss ahead of Ohio matchup
AMES — Iowa State football will hit the road for the first time this season for a Saturday morning matchup against Ohio (2-1).
The Cyclones (1-1) have faced off against the Bobcats eight times and ISU has won all eight games. In 2022, the most recent contest, Iowa State beat Ohio, 43-10, in Jack Trice Stadium.
For head coach Matt Campbell, Saturday’s non-conference matchup marks a bit of a homecoming. Campbell grew up about 155 miles northeast of Athens, Ohio, and this will be his second trip back to his home state to coach since taking over at Iowa State.
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“I think my emotions have gone into our football team responding to Saturday,” Campbell said on Tuesday.“The thing that really all of us have been super focused on is what’s the urgency for this young football team to correct what we didn’t do well Saturday (in a loss to Iowa) and understand why we didn’t win the football game and get ourselves ready to go against a great opponent.”
Will a dominant defense be enough for Iowa State?
The Cyclones' defensive unit has allowed an average of just 4.2 yards per play through the first two games of the season, and Iowa State has held opponents to fewer than 400 yards of total offense for 17 straight games.
That’s the longest streak in the nation.
ISU has only allowed four plays of 20 yards or more this season, which is the lowest in the Big 12. To top it all off, Jeremiah Cooper has three interceptions — including a pick-six — which is tied for first in the nation. Cooper is the only Big 12 player with a defensive touchdown in the young season.
But it might not be smooth sailing for the Cyclones' defense, especially against Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
Rourke played in two of the Bobcats’ three games, recording 278 yards and one touchdown on 26 completions.
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“They’ve got a great quarterback,” Campbell said. “It’ll be the best quarterback we’ve played against so far this football season and one of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen in a long time. It’s a great challenge.”
A well-timed road game for Iowa State
Campbell has emphasized that his roster is young this season and, with two games played, this is the best-case scenario for his team to go on the road.
“You’re going on the road, you’re traveling for the first time, I think it’s huge,” Campbell said. “As we looked at the schedule…it’s a must-have, especially before you get into the conference.”
Campbell’s squad will also get this season’s first experience bouncing back from a loss. The Cyclones lost, 20-13, to Iowa last Saturday.
“How do we respond to a loss?” Campbell said. “How do you go on the road and handle yourself?”
Injury update on Gerry Vaughn
While he remained in pads on the sidelines during last week’s game, linebacker Gerry Vaughn didn’t play. His injury is undisclosed, but Campbell shared that Vaughn was progressing in his recovery and hopes that the linebacker will be back on the field against Ohio.
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“Gerry was practicing today, back on the field,” Campbell said. “I would probably still tell you that he’s not 100%. I think we’ll know a lot more by Thursday but I think it’s a lot more questionable than doubtful.
“Like I told you, he warmed up Saturday, just was not ready to go. So, my hope is that he will be playing on Saturday.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Matt Campbell discusses Iowa State football’s matchup against Ohio
