Oct 21, 2017; Lubbock, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Kyle Kempt (17) looks for an open receiver against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Photo Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
While it’s not a surprise that Iowa State has improved in Matt Campbell’s second season as head coach, only the most optimistic of fans would have predicted a spot in the Top 25 in October.
But that’s where Iowa State is — No. 25 as it prepares for Saturday’s game against undefeated TCU.
The secret to the team’s three-game winning streak isn’t complicated.
“Our recipe for success is don’t make mistakes, don’t turn the ball over, force them to make some mistakes, and when they do, you got to do a great job of winning situational football,” Campbell said.
“We can look back for the last three weeks, that’s been our recipe for success. When we’ve lost, we’ve been the ones that made the mistakes.”
No. 4 Texas Christian (7-0, 5-2 Big 12) tops the conference standings. Kenny Hill is coming off a five-touchdown game against Kansas. Even with the game in Ames, this is a tough task for the Cyclones.
But at 5-2, simple bowl eligibility seems like too modest of a goal. A win on Saturday puts Iowa State — tied for second in the league at 3-1 — in Big 12 title contention, and improves the team’s postseason position. And with one victory already over a top-five team — Oklahoma — why not a second?
“Ever since that win at Oklahoma, our confidence is crazy now,” wide receiver Allen Lazard said after last week’s win at Texas Tech.
“We trust each other. We trust what the coaches are doing. We trust ourselves that we’ll be able to go out there and make plays when the time matters. Just knowing that we can rely on each other, it helps us keep our poise and be able to go out there and execute in critical situations every day.”
Campbell expects his team will be ready, just as it’s been for every opponent during its current run of success.
“You can make every game the biggest game in the world, if you want to, but it’s the next game. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of respect for the team that comes in, but we’ve got respect for every opponent we play,” Campbell said.
“We’ve got to worry about us. We got a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of things we have to improve from today if we want to continue to be the team we want to become.”
NOTES: Iowa State QB Kyle Kempt is 3-0 since becoming the starter before the Oklahoma game, and he has completed 69 percent of his pass attempts this season. … LB Marcel Spears Jr. earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, with seven tackles and a pick-six against Texas Tech. … LB Willie Harvey is coming off a career-high 14 tackles last week against Texas Tech.
