Offensive Player to Watch vs. Kansas State: Brock Purdy

In one of the more rare occasions in Iowa State football, the Cyclones control their destiny with a chance at a Big 12 title game appearance on the line. With that being said, I suppose you could consider this weekend’s contest against K-State has some very big conference title implications. Brock Purdy will be the most important player on the Cyclone offense come this Saturday.

Brock Purdy has not had the season that everyone really predicted he would have. A statline of 1477 yards with 10 touchdowns and 6 picks is not inefficient by any means, but Purdy was widely considered to be a top 3 QB in the Big 12 this season and it is fair to say he has not quite lived up to our expectations.

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Last week, Brock got off to a rough start with those 3 first half INTs, but he flipped a switch in the second half to lead the Cyclones to a big come-from-behind W. I don’t know what happened at half time, but it looked like we got the Brock Purdy of the past against Baylor late in the game, making plays with his arm and his feet, and not forcing the game.

Last year against the Wildcats, BP came out a little flat and the offense never really caught a rhythm and Kansas State has that kind of program that takes advantage of those kinds of things and wins ugly. Brock’s presence will prove monumental this year. As mentioned, we haven’t really gotten the full dosage of Brock Purdy quite yet.

Kansas State has a middle of the road Big 12 defense. It is perfect timing for Purdy to play like he has a fire under his ass and make some big boy plays. By ‘big boy plays’ I do not mean throwing it down the field every couple plays, but making the play that needs to be made at the time. He is at his best when he isn’t forcing the big plays, but just letting them come naturally. Whether he is running the ball or throwing the ball, Purdy will be a key factor in a big time game against Kansas State on Saturday (3 pm, FOX).