AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 7 Texas Longhorns travel outside of the Lone Star State for only the second time this season when they face the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.
The Longhorns haven’t played outside of Texas since the Week 2 win over Alabama when they went into Tuscaloosa and beat the Crimson Tide 34-24.
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The big piece missing from the Longhorns offensively for the rest of the year is running back Jonathon Brooks. He tore his ACL in the 29-26 win over TCU last week and surgery is needed to repair it. At the time of his injury, Brooks was No. 6 in FBS with 1,139 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Longhorns’ third-down defense is elite this season. They are No. 2 in FBS in conversion rate, allowing teams to get a new set of downs 26.5% of the time. The only team better than that is Utah with a rate of 25.6%. In terms of rushing defense, Texas is No. 8 in the country, allowing 90.1 yards per game.
Texas needs to be careful on special teams, however. The Cyclones are No. 2 in FBS in kickoff return average at 32 yards per return, so there’s some danger there if they can bust a big return.
Live updates
3:27 1Q: FIELD GOAL IOWA STATE: After an illegal touching penalty wiped out a 7-yard gain on third down, Byron Murphy sacked Becht for a 6-yard loss on third-and-10. No matter, however, as Chase Contreraz hits from 45 yards to give the Cyclones the lead. 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:47. Cyclones 3, Longhorns 0
6:19 1Q: Sweat is back in the game and appears to be OK. A good thing for the Longhorns, clearly.
7:53 1Q: T’Vondrae Sweat is down on the field with his helmet off. The replay showed when Sweat lost his footing, the Iowa State running back’s knee hit him in the side of the head.
9:14 1Q: Ewers gets sacked twice on the drive and Sanborn has to punt again, and Iowa State’s returner muffed the punt but managed to jump on it to keep possession. Cyclones take over at their own 20-yard line
12:01 1Q: Iowa State goes three-and-out on its first drive but Tyler Perkins thumps a 52-yard punt that Xavier Worthy fair catches at the Texas 32-yard line
12:54 1Q: CJ Baxter took a big hit on a third down play and dropped the pass, leading to a Texas punt. Iowa State’s freshman quarterback Rocco Becht leads the Cyclones on their first drive starting at their own 10-yard line
15:00 1Q: Iowa State boots it through the end zone on the opening kick and Texas will get the ball first at its 25-yard line
Pregame: Jack Trice Stadium is sold out and the fans in Ames aren’t exactly keen on the Longhorns, like every other team in the Big 12. Iowa State is honoring its seniors before the game, so expect the Cyclones to be emotionally charged as this one gets going
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