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It's that magical time of year where the Cowboys and Cyclones once again meet on the field of football. The 'Clones, God bless their souls, have had quite a rough go of things this season. First, they fell at home to FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, then lost by a narrow margin in Farmageddon. They bounced back in the storied CyHawk series, defeating Iowa, before meeting Baylor and consequently suffering another loss.
Now, the Fighting Cy's are going to try their hand at facing Oklahoma State. ISU is led by quarterback Sam Richardson, who has completed 83 of 136 passes. He averages over 200 passing yards per game, and has so far scored five touchdowns doing so. However, he also has four interceptions to his name, so the Cowboy defense will be looking to snag whatever passes come its way.
The favorite targets by the Cy QB are Jarvis West and Allen Lazard. The pair combine for an average of 89 YPG, but OSU will need to be especially leary of Lazard, as he averages over 15 yards per catch.
Richardson also leads Iowa State in rushing, averaging 54.5 yards per game. He's only scored one touchdown in this manner, but he is assisted by Aaron Wimberly, who only averages just under 30 yards per game but has scored thrice in the endzone, and DeVondrick Nealy, who, while only averaging 16.5 YPG, is the Cyclones lead kickoff returner, touting a 17 yard per return average.
These are the main threats as described by the stats, but Richardson enjoys spreading the love, utilizing as many players as he can to march down the field. The Cowboy secondary (calling Kevin Peterson) will probably run down the field backwards to keep an eye on the ball. Doing so will allow for easy picks, especially if the Poke defensive line rattles Richardson into releasing a regrettable throw.
In short, the OSU D should be on the hunt to redeem itself after the somewhat sub-par performance against Texas Tech. If the line holds strong, pressures Richardson and the secondary enacts the No Fly Zone policy, the Cowboys will be well on their way to victory.