Matt Campbell breaks down Iowa State football's game plan against Oklahoma State's quarterbacks
AMES — Iowa State football (1-2) begins Big 12 Conference play on Saturday when Oklahoma State (2-1) travels to Jack Trice Stadium.
Last season, it was the Cowboys who came out on top, beating the Cyclones, 20-14, at Boone Pickens Stadium. Oklahoma State holds the all-time series advantage (34-20-3), and the Cowboys have won 11 of the last 14 matchups — including four of the past five matchups in Ames.
The Cyclones enter Saturday’s matchup off a 10-7 loss to Ohio in the final non-conference game of the season. Iowa State looks to move on from that loss and get back to .500 when they take on the Cowboys.
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“You can’t just sit there and pound away at the lack of result,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday. “You have to see where are you doing well, where are the areas (where) we have to grow…and then you have to demand that it happens.”
How do the Cyclones prepare for an ever-rotating Oklahoma State offense?
The Cowboys' offense centers around three quarterbacks: Alan Bowman, Gunnar Gundy and Garret Rangel. All three players have split time in each of Oklahoma State’s first three games, and they have recorded similar numbers.
Bowman has thrown for 235 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns. Gundy has thrown for 202 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. Rangel is a combination of the other two quarterbacks, throwing for 172 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“The one thing about (Oklahoma State coach Mike) Gundy’s offense, he has certainly had a pretty consistent theme of what he’s tried to do,” Campbell said. “They’ve got great wide receivers, they’ve always had great tailbacks and really all three of the quarterbacks have got experience.
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“I think you’re more prepping for the scheme and who is running the scheme than certain personnel. …It’ll be a really great challenge for us on defense.”
If the challenge of matching up against three quarterbacks wasn’t enough, Oklahoma State has spread the love between three running backs, as well.
Ollie Gordon II has recorded 109 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Elijah Collins has 106 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Jaden Nixon has picked up 98 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts.
Will Gerry Vaughn return to the field against Oklahoma State?
The Cyclones senior linebacker recorded two tackles against UNI in the season opener but hasn’t played in the last two games.
His absence hit the team especially hard on Saturday when several other players played through or were out with what Campbell described as a “24-hour bug.”
Campbell acknowledged that Vaughn’s injury was frustrating, but that there was no one more upset than Vaughn himself.
Iowa State’s coach shared that Vaughn has spent a lot of time in the training room and that the staff would love to have him out on the field, but because of the nature of his position — and the violence that comes with being a linebacker — the coaches are hesitant to put him back out if he isn’t at full strength.
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“To have one of your kingpins not being able to be on the field, my heart hurts for Gerry,” Campbell said. “I feel like he’s continuing to progress forward. It’s not something that any of us can expedite.
“We certainly hope he’ll be back out there. He’s moving around, he’s out at practice but also, you’ve got to look out for the betterment of him.
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: Hear what ISU's Matt Campbell said about Oklahoma State's quarterbacks
