Looking to get back on track
AUSTIN — This isn’t exactly the matchup Texas and Iowa State expected back before the season began.
Both had Big 12 title aspirations, and the Cyclones, ranked No. 7 in the preseason Associated Press poll, had even loftier goals. But with just a month remaining in the regular season, Texas (4-4, 2-3) and Iowa State (5-3, 3-2) rank among the nation’s most disappointing teams.
Texas has dropped three straight in excruciating fashion. Iowa State just lost to a middling West Virginia team. Both seasons are in disarray as Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, approaches.
Iowa State has won nine straight games over Big 12 opponents at Jack Trice Stadium. That streak began with a last-second 23-20 win over Texas on Nov. 16, 2019. Texas is just 1-3 in road and neutral-site games this season and currently is on a three-game losing streak.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
Can Texas stop Breece Hall? 1 There aren’t many college halfbacks better than Hall.
His 985 rushing yards rank sixth in the nation, and he’s averaging a healthy 5.5 yards per carry. He’s also active in the passing game with 26 catches for 208 yards.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior has enjoyed his past matchups with Texas. In two career games against the Longhorns, he’s carried the ball 44 times for 192 yards with one touchdown.
So Hall should be salivating over his third matchup with a weak Texas defense that has allowed 206.5 rushing yards per game this season.
“He’s a very versatile guy,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. “I think he gets the hard yards in between the tackles. When he gets on the edge or into the secondary, he can create those explosive plays. We know he’s the focal point of what they do.”
Can Iowa State stop Bijan Robinson?
2 Robinson, Texas’ sophomore tailback, is one of the few who might be more talented than Hall.
Robinson has rumbled for 967 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground this season. He’s also added 211 yards and three touchdowns on 15 receptions.
But Baylor last week found a way to slow the former Heisman candidate in its 31-24 win over Texas, stacking the box, overwhelming an underwhelming offensive line and limiting Robinson to 43 yards on 17 carries.
The Cyclones also could follow that template, though they’ve already been plenty good at stopping the run, holding opponents to 101.9 yards per contest.
Can Casey Thompson get back on track?
3 West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege just carved up the Cyclones’ defense, hitting 30 of 46 passes for 370 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Mountaineers’ 38-31 upset last week.
Iowa State remains a talented and dangerous defensive team, but if Doege can put up numbers like that, so can Thompson, Texas’ quarterback. He completed just 38 of 65 passes (58.5 percent) for 459 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in Texas’ past two games, but Thompson is more than capable of delivering a monster performance.
The offensive line will need to hold strong, and the receivers will need to hold onto more passes, but with so much emphasis on stopping Robinson, Thompson will need to make plays.
How will Joshua Moore respond?
4 Sarkisian downplayed the nature of a reported “heated exchange” between Moore and himself following Wednesday’s practice. Moore will be available to play Saturday, and despite a volatile performance against Baylor, the Longhorns desperately need his speed and vertical playmaking ability at receiver.
“He’s getting coached, and that’s what we do,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “I think sometimes people get this misconception that because I’m a ‘player’s coach,’ that we don’t coach hard. We have a very demanding staff. We coach hard. We believe in discipline. We believe in doing things the right way. And when things aren’t going that way, we coach our guys.”
Moore ranks third on the team in receptions (22) and receiving yards (233) and is tied for second with three receiving touchdowns. He finished with five catches for 64 yards and one touchdown in the loss to Baylor, though he also lost a crucial fumble and dropped a potential touchdown pass.
Will this be Texas’ final trip to Ames?
5 Texas is set to face off with Iowa State for the 19th time in program history on Saturday, and for the ninth time in Ames. And it’s fair to wonder when the Longhorns will return next.
While Texas and Oklahoma accepted invitations to join the SEC by 2025, there’s a general feeling that both will make the leap within the next year or two. The Cyclones will travel to Austin next year, but if the Longhorns make their exit before the 2023 season, it might be a long time before they return.
Texas is 6-2 all-time at Jack Trice Stadium, and it would love to escape hostile Ames one last time with another win tacked on.