As the month of September comes to an end, Big 12 action is full swing across the conference. While every game is important, there were a few that didn’t get as much attention such as the one taking place in Houston, Texas.
The undefeated Cyclones made the tip down to southeast Texas to take on the struggling Houston Cougars. It was an ugly, sloppy game that resembled a classic Big Ten battle. Luckily, things picked offensively in the second half as Iowa State football pulled away. Here are my three takeaways on Iowa State’s 20-0 win over Houston on Saturday night.
Iowa State Finished Strong
After a sloppy first half where the offense only scored three points, the Cyclones offense finally found some life in the second half. You could see the frustration on Matt Campbell’s face at times before the offense got into a rhythm. Quarterback Rocco Becht struggled in the first two quarters and the running game wasn’t working either.
Iowa State would eventually score their first touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Becht found Jayden Higgins for a 12-yard touchdown. It marked the sixth straight game with a touchdown catch for Higgins which is a school record. But Iowa State wasn’t done yet because later in the game, Abu Sama III had a speedy 77-yard touchdown run to help the Cyclones pull away in the fourth quarter.
Luckily for Iowa State, their defense did most of the heavy lifting throughout the game. They held Houston scoreless and only allowed them to convert one out of their ten third down attempts on the evening. It’s not easy holding an offense to under 250 total yards but that is exactly what this defense did. Without this defense playing so well, this game would have been much closer.
Houston’s Offense is Really Bad
Let me start by saying their defense did an incredible job against Iowa State. They held on for as long as they could before breaking late. The problem is that their offense repeatedly puts them in tough situations.
The Cougars offense once again put another goose egg on the scoreboard after being shutout 34-0 last week against Cincinnati. There is zero threat of any passing ability from this offense because all they can do is run with their two quarterbacks. I can’t believe I am saying this, but this offense has hasn’t scored a single point in their last 127 minutes of football. They have been shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since 1994. Something needs to change with this offense or else they can forget about winning another game this season.
Congratulations Matt Campbell
With the win over Houston, Matt Campbell is now the all-time leader in wins at Iowa State. Matt won his 57th game at Iowa State and passed the great Dan McCarney on Saturday night in Houston. He also did it in less time which is even more impressive considering where college football is at today with NIL and the transfer portal.
Who would have thought that when Matt Campbell came to Ames back in November 2015 that he would one day be the best coach in Iowa State history? Matt has created an incredible culture and one that gets players to buy in. During his time at Iowa State, he has taken the program to their only Big 12 championship appearance (2020) and led them to their first every New Year’s Six bowl victory in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl. I don’t know how long he will be at Iowa State, but the one thing I do know that he is the best to ever do it there and he’s got another pretty good team this season (4-0 for the first time since 2000). Congrats, coach!
