Cyclones’ Montgomery has to sit out first half

A MES, OWA » No. 18 Iowa State

I will be without junior David Montgomery, one of its best players, for the first half of one of the bigger games in school history.

How the Cyclones (6-3, 5-2 Big 12) fare for 30 minutes without their star running back could decide whether they stay alive in the Big 12 title game chase.

Montgomery, the Big 12’s second-leading rusher, will miss the first two quarters of Saturday’s showdown at No. 13 Texas (7-3, 5-2) after being ejected for throwing a punch during last week’s win over Baylor. Iowa State didn’t even bother to appeal Montgomery’s suspension, instead chalking it up to a lesson learned and a chance for his backups to respond.

The Cyclones own the headto-head tiebreaker over No. 7 West Virginia. But they need to win out and hope for a Mountaineers loss to make it to the championship game for the first time.

“We’re really fortunate to have a really talented backfield,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “All those guys bring a lot of different qualities to the table.”

Montgomery’s numbers — 765 yards and six touchdowns on 4.5 yards a carry — at times belie his ability, as the thirdyear back often runs behind a line that has struggled to spring him. But Montgomery is undoubtedly a difference maker, and the kind of player who could easily leave for the NFL draft next spring.