It was set up perfectly for Iowa State before the game even started, win and you’re in the driver seat for the Big 12 title game. It just wasn’t in the cards for the Cyclones on Saturday night as they fell to Texas 24-10. Let’s take a quick look back on a less than stellar game.

Brock Purdy Struggles

It was coming, freshman will struggle at some point and it came Saturday for Brock Purdy. Although, you can argue a lot of it wasn’t his fault. The offensive line left a lot of holes and made Purdy make quick decisions you definitely knew weren’t comfortable for him.

Purdy completed 10 of 23 passes for 130 yards and one score. He was also picked off once and ran one for for -11 yards. Purdy was a bit banged up towards the end of the game and was ultimately replaced by Kyle Kempt. Matt Campbell assured everyone after the game that Purdy would be fine. Brock Purdy seems like the kind of quarterback that will learn from this, so we’ll see how Purdy responds this Saturday.

Defense In Limbo

At the core, this defense is still great. Right now, John Heacock’s group is riding the struggle bus a bit. Iowa State gave up just under 400 yards of total offense a week after allowing over 500 yards. The defense has started to crack a bit and injuries are starting to play a bit of a factor. Much like the Oklahoma game, poor tackling appeared again and led to some scores by Texas. Iowa State will need to recover, because Kansas State will provide a similar attack to Texas’ come Saturday night, and they’re playing for a bowl berth.

Plenty Left To Play For

Losing out on an opportunity to play for the Big 12 Championship stings, and it should, but all things considered, Iowa State is still in a great spot. They can finish 3rd in the Big 12 (provided Oklahoma beats West Virginia) and a 8 win regular season is on the table as well if Incarnate Word loses their playoff game this weekend. The Cyclones also happen to be bowl eligible and will play for a second bowl game win in as many years. While there certainly were some things left out there, this team is young and will make another run. I know Cyclone fans want to feel success, but trusting the process is critical at this point.