Primer: No. 9 Iowa State hosts UCF

Primer: No. 9 Iowa State hosts UCF

AMES, Iowa – No. 9 Iowa State looks to match the best start in school history when it hosts UCF on Saturday night at Jack Trace Stadium in the first meeting between the two teams. The Hurricanes’ last 7-0 start came in 1938, while ISU is also looking to reach 4-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.

Who: No. 9 Iowa State (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) vs. UCF (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
Where: Mid-American Power Field at Jack Trice Stadium (61,500) – Ames, Iowa
When: Saturday, October 19, 2024 – 6:30 PM Central Time
Buy tickets | Purchase parking

Links
Watch: FS1
BXP: Trent Rush; Analyst: Spencer Tillman
Listen: Cyclone Radio Network – Varsity App, TuneIn Radio or radio affiliates
BXP: John Walters; Analyst: Eric Heft; Sideline: Ryan Harclaw
Live statistics
Iowa State game notes
Game program
2024 Football Yearbook
Media Center

inside the chain
First meeting
Total: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Road: 0-0
Campbell vs. UCF: 0-0
Last meeting:-

Game promotions
Jack Trace Stadium will be swinging by on Saturday night. Make sure to stay in your seats for the halftime drone show!

50 seasons at Jack Trice Stadium
Iowa State is in its 50th season of play at Jack Trace Stadium. Learn more about the stadium’s history by clicking here.

Note numbers
3 – Jontez Williams has an interception in three straight games. He leads the Big 12 and ranks No. 6 nationally in total interceptions (3).

5 – Kooper Ebel has led or co-led ISU in three of the last four games. He has a TFL in five straight games.

11 – Rocco Bichette has 11 passes of 50-plus yards since last season, second-most nationally.

26 – The Hurricane defense has 26 interceptions since 2023, second-most nationally in that span. Individually, Jeremiah Cooper has seven of those, and since 2023 he ranks third in the country.

Winning on the margins
Coach Matt Campbell constantly preaches winning by margins and attention to detail. Well, this season, the Hurricanes have done all the little things right.

Penalties: Iowa State is one of the least penalized teams in the country. The Hurricanes rank second nationally and lead the Big 12 in fewest penalty yards per game (27.7). Turnovers: ISU has a turnover margin of +9, which leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally. Looking at points off turnovers, Iowa State outscores its opponents 55-3. Special teams: The Hurricanes have been sound on special teams this season. Iowa State won at Iowa State on a game-winning field goal and blocked two punts, one of which was returned for a touchdown. ISU is one of 10 teams in the country to have two blocked kicks this season. Negative plays: Iowa State has largely avoided big negative plays on offense this season. ISU ranks second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in sacks allowed (5).

Second half stops
Since the start of the 2021 season, ISU has allowed just 353 points in the second half of its 44 games, an average of 8.0 points. This season, ISU has allowed just 4.3 points and 121 yards in the second half of games.

The Hurricanes allowed just 13 points in fourth quarter games, one touchdown in a blowout win over Arkansas State and a late TD at West Virginia.

Jay Squared
Jaylen Noel and Jayden Higgins make up one of the best receiving duos in the country. Iowa State is one of three schools nationally, along with Ohio State and Washington, with two receivers with more than 500 receiving yards in a season.

Jay Squared’s Stats Jaylen Noel 29 rec, 528 yards, 18.2 ypc, 3 TD Jayden Higgins 39 rec, 505 yards, 12.9 ypc, 5 TD Total 68 rec, 1,033 yards, 15.2 ypc, 8 TD

Noel has caught a reception in 38 straight games, tied for the fourth-longest active streak nationally while Higgins has scored a touchdown in seven of the last eight games and 11 of 19 as a Hurricane.

Other key stories

Matt Campbell is 21-11 in October at ISU. The Hurricanes are looking to complete a perfect October for the second straight season and the fourth time under his watch. The Hurricanes are eligible for the seventh time in nine seasons under Campbell. The Cyclones improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1938 with a win over West Virginia last weekend. It was ISU’s sixth straight Big 12 road win, and the Hurricanes are now 11-3 in their last 14 games, including 7-1 in road games. Iowa State’s defense, under the direction of John Heacock, leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally and allows just 11 points per game. Its pass defense has been stout, yielding just 145.7 yards per game (fifth nationally). Overall, ISU is allowing just 285.3 yards of total offense, No. 15 nationally and highest in the Big 12. Six different Hurricanes have combined for 10 interceptions to rank among the top five in the country. Since the start of the 2023 season, ISU has 26 interceptions in 19 games, tied for second nationally in that span. Rocco Bichette had one of the best games of his West Virginia career, completing 18 of 26 passes with one touchdown. He has caught a TD pass in 10 straight games, tied for the third-longest streak in school history.

CYCAST with Hurricane Radio Crew
John Walters, Eric Heft and Ryan Harclaw sit down to preview Iowa State’s home game against UCF. The podcast is presented by Van Wall Equipment.

To listen, click here.

Weekly media availability
Matt Campbell, John Hickok, Rocco Bechet, Jayden Huggins, J.R. Singleton and Beau Freiller met with the media on Tuesday. Watch their interviews below.










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