GAMETHREAD XIII: Cheez-It Bowl

Iowa State Cyclones 7-5 overall (5-4 Big 12) vs.

Clemson Tigers 9-3 overall (6-2 ACC)

Date: Dec. 29, 2021

Place: Orlando, Fla. - Camping World Stadium

Time: 4:45 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN

Talent: Dave Pasch (pxp), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)

Betting: Current odds on DraftKings

The Lead

Iowa State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) will battle No. 19 Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC) in the Cheez-It Bowl, as the Cyclones play in a school-record fifth-straight bowl game. ISU recorded its fifth-straight above-.500 record in league play. From 1996-2016, ISU tallied just one winning conference season (2000). ISU was undefeated at home vs. Big 12 teams (4-0) for the second year in a row, and its 11-game homefield winning streak vs. league foes is the Big 12’s longest active streak.

Key Storylines

-Iowa State will play in its 17th bowl game in school history. ISU is 5-11 all-time in bowl games and will play in the Cheez-It Bowl for the second time (2019 vs. Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl).

-All four of ISU’s 2021 Big 12 losses were one-score defeats that went down to the final possession.

-All-America RB Breece Hall is the nation’s leader in scoring (138) and touchdowns (23). Hall announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft on Dec. 18 and forgo his final season of eligibility.

-QB Brock Purdy owns/shares 32 school records. He ranks fourth nationally in compl. pct. (73.1) and led the Big 12 in both passing (248.7) & total offense (267.3).

-ISU’s only three-time All-American Charlie Kolar won the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy. He has ISU season TE records for receptions (58) and receiving yards (723) this season.

-ISU ranks 10th nationally in total defense (310.1) and 34th nationally in total offense (437.4). ISU’s total offense margin (+127.3) is ninth nationally.