Iowa State vs. Ohio: Preview and Prediction
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Iowa State vs. Ohio game with our preview and prediction.
Game Info
Saturday, September 17, 2022; 1:00 p.m. CT; Jack Trice Stadium; Ames, Iowa
TV: ESPN+/Big 12 Now( Chuckie Kempf, Sage Rosenfels)
Radio: Cyclones Radio Network (John Walters)
Spread: Iowa State -18.5
Last meeting: The teams last met on Sept. 6, 2003 when the Bobcats traveled to Jack Trice Stadium for their first away game of the season. Ohio ultimately fell, 48-20
Fun Fact: The Bobcats and Cyclones have competed seven times since 1962. Overall, Ohio is 0-7 against Iowa State.
Key Players
Ohio
QB Kurtis Rourke
Last season, Rourke completed 65% of his passes and threw 11 touchdowns. He has dual-threat ability, as he rushed for 327 yards and scored three touchdowns. In Week 1 against Florida Atlantic, Rourke was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week, as the redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards and threw four touchdown passes, finishing the game 27-for-34 in the air. Last week against Penn State, he only threw for 119 yards in a 46-10 defeat.
DE Jack McCrory
The redshirt senior is a staple on this defense and the kind of leader you need to have a big game to pull off an upset of this size. McCrory is second on the team with 11 tackles and has one sack and one tackle for loss. If the Bobcats want to pull off the upset, guys like McCrory need to have a big day.
Iowa State
WR Xavier Hutchinson
Hutchinson’s presence has made life a lot easier for new starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers, as he’s been the safety blanket for the first-year starter. Hutchinson has 19 receptions (T-5th nationally), 226 receiving yards (T-19th) and four touchdowns (T-3rd) through the first two games of the season. Last week, with Iowa State trailing 7-3, Hutchinson caught the go-ahead touchdown to cap off a 21-play, 99-yard drive and put Iowa State ahead in a game they won 10-7. Dekkers is very comfortable with Hutchinson, who is quickly becoming a household name at the position.
LB Colby Reeder
Reeder was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week last week after his game against Iowa in which he had four tackles, including three solo, along with an interception and a tackle for a loss as the Cyclones defense limited Iowa to just 58 yards rushing and 150 yards of total offense. Reeder is a transfer from the University of Delaware where he was a four-year contributor, including being named All-CAA Third Team in 2021 after racking up 55 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Key Storylines
Ohio
The Bobcats need to get off to a much better start than they did last week against Penn State to pull off a Power 5 upset. Ohio’s first several drives went punt, punt, punt, safety, turnover on downs. And none of those drives that ended in a punt were sustained drives (3, 9 and 4 plays). Ohio needs to get off to a hot start, get Iowa State nervous and on its heels, and then control the clock and don’t make any major mistakes.
Iowa State
The Cyclones just can’t have a hangover. MAC teams can be tough in the non-conference and can’t be overlooked. And when you’re a young Iowa State team who just did something that Breece Hall, Brock Purdy and Mike Rose could not do, and that’s beat Iowa, you might be rolling around Ames with that big-man-on-campus attitude. Iowa State can’t afford that. The defense is stout and should be able to lead the way in this game and shut down Ohio, just like Penn State did last week. The Cyclones held the Hawkeyes to just 150 yards of total offense, including just 58 yards on the ground as Iowa’s only points came following a blocked punt on Iowa State’s opening possession.
Prediction
Iowa State 31, Ohio 14
The Cyclones won’t suffer a hangover in this game. Matt Campbell won’t let it happen. And Ohio is a team still finding its way under second-year head coach Frank Albin coming off a tough performance in Happy Valley. It doesn’t get any easier for them this week against an Iowa State team that is young, but talented and quickly gaining confidence. Iowa State rolls in front of its home crowd and improves to 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
