:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67881346/usa_today_15221961.0.jpg)
Brock Purdy is Back
Say what you want about Brock Purdy, but he has struggled big time this year. Starting with an abysmal performance in the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, along with stinkers against Baylor (in the first half) and TCU, Purdy hasn’t been one of the strengths of this team. But in the second half against Baylor, and his 16-20 performance against Kansas State, Purdy looks like he’s back.
Purdy looked confident, collected and fired up on Saturday, and the offense followed behind him. If Iowa State had been playing this well with Purdy on the struggle-bus, the sky is the limit with a confident and healthy Purdy.
Defense is Dominant
Throughout the season, the defense has been really good, which is the norm under Jon Heacock. But I’ve still had an odd-feeling about the defense all season. They’ve stepped up in some big stops like against Oklahoma and Baylor, but I’ve still just a had a weird feeling that something wasn’t clicking.
On Saturday, something clicked. The defense wasn’t just good, they were dominant. The Wildcats gained just 149 yards, scored zero points, had three turnovers and held the ball for just 23:05 minutes. The defensive front was dominant from the start, everyone was drawing double teams, which brought pressure the entire game. It was a dominant performance from the start, let’s just hope they haven’t peaked.
Biggest Game in School History
Barring something absolutely insane, a win on Friday against Texas practically clinches a spot in Dallas for the Big 12 Title game. It’s not a fluke that the Cyclones have made it this far, they are one of the most talented and best teams in the conference, it’s time to prove it.
One could argue that the 2018 game against Texas was the biggest in school history, but they lost. That team wasn’t ready to compete at the highest level. They had talent, but lacked depth at a lot of spots on the interior. Now, Iowa State has that depth. Friday is the time to prove that, in the biggest game in school history so far.