The only bad part about doing these blogs every week is searching for images. The librarian in me knows there has to be a better way than Google images but I haven't found it yet. So this week you get my 4 favorite results from the image search "farmageddon."
Farmageddon has arrived and there's danger in the air. (No really, they're forecasting severe thunderstorms in Ames on Saturday). Last year's game was delayed two hours due to lightning and this year's game looks to be just as electric. (Weather humor!) Iowa State is coming off a big road victory against overrated TCU while K-State looked mostly sloppy in a 40 point trouncing of in-state rival KU. Paul Rhoads has been gunning for K-State since he arrived in 2009 but so far they've managed to escape. This year he gets us on his home turf for the very first time, with the best team he's ever had. It's a big one, and we'd all be better off watching through partially covered eyes. OSU knows what I'm talking about.
Iowa State (4-1)
Seriously, just do the Google search.
#47 & #20, Linebackers: AJ Klein, Jake Knott. Jake is the leader with two interceptions on the year and leads his team in tackles. Put them together and they have a terrifying 83 tackles in 5 games. Iowa State is the only Big 12 team with two players in the top six in the league in tackles. What does that mean? We'll have to claw for every inch. Even worse? These guys have seen us before and almost got us then.
#19, Wide Receiver: Josh Lenz. Lenz had a monster of a game last week, with three of his five catches resulting in touchdowns against TCU. As if that weren't enough, he also had a touchdown pass, just for kicks. Barnett isn't exactly the most accurate quarterback in the league, but our pass defense can be very forgiving. In order to keep Iowa State one-dimensional, we'll need to shut down Lenz.
#8, Running Back: James White. Iowa State is deceptively deep in the running game. White is their starting back, but Aaron Horne can hurt you on special teams and Jeff Woody can be deadly in the short yardage power running game. Simply put, they have weapons, and if the weather becomes a factor and the line gets tired in the second half, these guys could earn a name for themselves.
No running in the stadium! Iowa State is currently allowing 115.8 rush yards per game. That's John Hubert's average alone. They'll have a tough task stopping Hubert, Klein and Pease but they might be the most equipped team in the league to do it.
Let's play keep away. The time of possession battle is more important for Iowa State this week because their offense has struggled and K-State has held all their opponents to 21 points or less. In order for Iowa State to keep it close into the fourth quarter, they'll need to play a fair amount of keep away.
Don't be a dropper. Iowa State has been on the losing end of the turnover battle in 3 of their 5 games but managed to win them anyway. They'll need to hang on to the ball to keep it competitive as well as forcing a few opportunistic turnovers of their own. K-State only has 3 turnovers on the year though, so they'll have their work cut out for them.
Fun Facts
In the past four years, K-State has won this game by 8 points or less. Paul Rhoads was responsible for the last 3 of those, coming within 1 point of victory in his first showdown with the Snyder Cats in 2009. The last time we ventured to Jack Trice Stadium was in 2007 when Ron Prince led us to a humiliating 31-20 loss. Why humiliating, you ask? Oh maybe because Iowa State only won 3 games that year and the other two victories were by margins of 2 and 3 points. You think KU looks bad now? That's nothing compared to Ron Prince teams in November.
Extra points are kind of a mysterious bugaboo for Iowa State. For example:
2009 - Iowa State scores a touchdown with one minute left in the 4th quarter and pulls within 1 point of overtime. Emmanuel Lamur blocks the extra point and the Cats win, 24-23.
2011 - In a game where Iowa State jumped out to an early lead and K-State played from behind for most of the game, Raphael Guidry blocked an extra point in the first quarter to make the game 13-7, Iowa State. K-State took control of the momentum from there and went on to win it, 30-23.
Iowa State has already missed 3 extra points on the season (highest in the league), despite only attempting 17 (second fewest in the league). Both Guidry and Lamur are gone now, so we have an opening for a new block hero. For what it's worth, my money's on Meshak.
K-State (5-0)
The blonde girl perfectly depicts my feelings on gardening, cooking, and other domestic duties.
Players to watch
#7, Quarterback: Collin Klein. AJ Klein and Jake Knott are two of the best linebackers in the league and they've already seen what Klein can do. In last year's game they held us to just 201 rushing yards and were fierce in the red zone. Klein is a better passer this year, and he'll need to have a good day with his receivers in order to keep the linebackers off balance.
#33, Running Back: John Hubert. Fun fact - Hubert already has 532 yards on the season. That's an average of over 100 yards a game. Hubert had a huge game against Iowa State last year and will need another one this year. He can't do anything on his own though, and the offensive line will have to win this game up front for us to have any chance at scoring.
The Offensive Line. These guys play as a unit, so it's not really fair to single one out. Our whole offensive game plan relies on their wall, and Iowa State's front seven are beastly. Keep an eye on the false starts, which should tell us how much they're gelling in the hostile environment of Jack Trice stadium. Amazingly they've only had one false start this season. If the flags fly in the first half, it's time to worry.
Keys to Victory
QB(id) Shuffle. Jared Barnett started for the first time last week, but Steele Jantz is aching for his job back. If we can keep Iowa State frustrated enough that they have to switch quarterbacks, we'll be in good shape.
Hit the Ground Running. It took 346 rushing yards last year for K-State to squeak out a 30-23 victory over Iowa State. This year Iowa State's rush defense is even better, and returns almost all of the skill players from their 2011 team. Our Offensive Line has looked stellar so far this year and they're going to need a huge game to create space for Klein and company.
Pass it up, pass it in. Let me begin. Iowa State lost to Texas Tech, but still held them to 24 points on almost 400 yards of passing. How did they do that? Stout red zone defense. We'll need to utilize the pass to open up the run and then figure out how to perfect that pretty fade route to Harper for touchdowns. Hubert the human pinball will also come in handy, and if Braden can be trusted with the ball, he might be a particularly useful bulldozer up the middle. Every inch in the red zone will be difficult.
Trap Level
DANGER DANGER DANGER. K-State opens as only a 6.5 point favorite, which says something about the upset tendencies of the Cyclones. Can it really be considered an upset when they do it consistently? Iowa State and West Virginia are pretty much polar opposites in nearly every facet of the game, so if the players are looking ahead and thinking about West Virginia, you'll be able to tell immediately. Rhoads has had our number since he arrived at Iowa State and we've been able to sneak out on turnovers, special teams plays and a little bit of magic. This year though, we're in Rhoads' house. If K-State doesn't show up to this game ready to play physical football on the lines, we will absolutely lose.
Goal of the week
#5 Be Tough - Mentally and physically. Iowa State likes to play our brand of football which is more about strength than style. Last year it was rainy and cold and we paid for each yard. This year we'll be in extremely hostile territory, in a place where no one on the roster has played. Add to that the history of Paul Rhoads pulling upsets at home and it will take every ounce of mental toughness these players have to keep the game between the white lines.
Prediction
I think this game will be close and stressful and uncomfortable and generally unfun the first time through. The match-ups are brutal. It looks like the weather will be brutal. The morning kick-off is brutal and the stakes are brutal. We absolutely have the talent to win this game. We'll need a little magic too. 27-23, K-State.
"I have escaped Upset Valley... victorious! And I am SO PROUD..."
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