Utah
2nd Mountain West10-2
Iowa State
8th Big 125-7
Utah @ Iowa State preview
Jack Trice Stadium
Coming off a 52-point eruption, Iowa State (3-2) kicks off a brutal five-week stretch when it hosts No. 10 Utah on Saturday.
The unbeaten Utes (4-0) are one of three Top 10 foes awaiting the Cyclones in the next month. And that doesn't include Texas, which is currently unranked but was a top-5 team through the first three weeks of the season.
Iowa State at least has reason to feel better about its chances after dismantling Texas Tech 52-38 last week. It was the most points ever scored by the Cyclones against a Big 12 team.
Austen Arnaud threw a career-high four touchdown passes as Iowa State raced to a 24-0 lead, only to see Tech rally to tie it 24-24 after three quarters.
Arnaud responded with a pair of fourth-quarter scoring passes sandwiched around a 61-yard touchdown run by Shontrelle Johnson as the Cyclones amassed a season-high 441 yards.
Johnson (102) and Alexander Robinson (103) both surpassed 100 yards on the ground on 12 rushes apiece, the first time Iowa State has had two 100-yard rushers in a game since the Independence Bowl in 2004.
Iowa State will need to keep its offense cranking to keep pace with Utah, which hasn't been tested since a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh in the season opener.
The Utes have steamrolled their way through three consecutive games, lighting up the scoreboard for 150 points in victories over UNLV (38-10), New Mexico (56-14) and San Jose State (56-3).
Utah, which is playing its final season in the Mountain West Conference before joining the Pac-10 next year, barely worked up a sweat in taking apart San Jose State.
The biggest positive for the Utes was the return of quarterback Jordan Wynn, who had sat out the previous two games with a sprained thumb.
Wynn carved up the Spartans to the tune of 14-of-18 passing for 124 yards and two touchdowns before calling it a night early in the third quarter.
Utah will look to the tandem of Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata to balance the passing of Wynn. Wide, a 1,000-yard rusher last season, ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries last week. Asiata, who is a year removed from knee surgery, added 51 yards and a score on 11 carries.
Iowa State, which is 3-0 at home, has not beaten a Top 10 team since a 23-3 victory over Iowa in 2005.
That task will be more difficult against a rested Utah squad, which is 5-0 following a bye week under coach Kyle Whittingham.
The unbeaten Utes (4-0) are one of three Top 10 foes awaiting the Cyclones in the next month. And that doesn't include Texas, which is currently unranked but was a top-5 team through the first three weeks of the season.
Iowa State at least has reason to feel better about its chances after dismantling Texas Tech 52-38 last week. It was the most points ever scored by the Cyclones against a Big 12 team.
Austen Arnaud threw a career-high four touchdown passes as Iowa State raced to a 24-0 lead, only to see Tech rally to tie it 24-24 after three quarters.
Arnaud responded with a pair of fourth-quarter scoring passes sandwiched around a 61-yard touchdown run by Shontrelle Johnson as the Cyclones amassed a season-high 441 yards.
Johnson (102) and Alexander Robinson (103) both surpassed 100 yards on the ground on 12 rushes apiece, the first time Iowa State has had two 100-yard rushers in a game since the Independence Bowl in 2004.
Iowa State will need to keep its offense cranking to keep pace with Utah, which hasn't been tested since a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh in the season opener.
The Utes have steamrolled their way through three consecutive games, lighting up the scoreboard for 150 points in victories over UNLV (38-10), New Mexico (56-14) and San Jose State (56-3).
Utah, which is playing its final season in the Mountain West Conference before joining the Pac-10 next year, barely worked up a sweat in taking apart San Jose State.
The biggest positive for the Utes was the return of quarterback Jordan Wynn, who had sat out the previous two games with a sprained thumb.
Wynn carved up the Spartans to the tune of 14-of-18 passing for 124 yards and two touchdowns before calling it a night early in the third quarter.
Utah will look to the tandem of Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata to balance the passing of Wynn. Wide, a 1,000-yard rusher last season, ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries last week. Asiata, who is a year removed from knee surgery, added 51 yards and a score on 11 carries.
Iowa State, which is 3-0 at home, has not beaten a Top 10 team since a 23-3 victory over Iowa in 2005.
That task will be more difficult against a rested Utah squad, which is 5-0 following a bye week under coach Kyle Whittingham.