Player to Watch: Brock Purdy

Coming off a huge win against Oklahoma State, the Cyclones return home to take on #6 West Virginia. The Mountaineers are certainly one of the best teams on the schedule and will be a huge test.

The difference TCU and Oklahoma State game was scoring 14 points, to 48 points. What changed? Well, you could list off a bunch of factors but none more important than Brock Purdy.

After Zeb Noland had a shaky first possession, Matt Campbell wasted no time switching quarterbacks. Purdy stepped right in and did not look like a freshman quarterback. He made tough throws all day long, looked poised in the pocket, and, most importantly, he was a threat with his legs. A quarterback with the ability to extend plays and stretch out the defense opens up the playbook which is exactly what this offense needed.

Purdy ended Saturday with 318 yards on 18-23 completions and four passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 84 yards and had one touchdown.

I would be shocked if Purdy didn’t start over Kyle Kempt, who is listed as doubtful for this weekend. If he does, we will probably see a very similar playbook to what we saw against Oklahoma State. A lot of designed runs, with a lot of deep routes to the middle of the field. With David Montgomery potentially returning this week, the offense could be even more lethal.

The West Virginia defense has not been tested as much as some other teams that Iowa State has faced already. Their defense is still a good one, and will be a huge challenge for this offense, but I believe Brock Purdy will grow on last week’s performance and have a really good game.

Prediction: 25-31, 375 Yards, 3 TD, 12 Carries, 61 Yards, 1 TD