No. 18 Iowa State won its first three games by an average of 21.3 points, but Cyclones coach Matt Campbell isn't the least bit impressed.
Iowa State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) looks to please its coach on Saturday when it visits Houston (1-3, 0-1) in the Cyclones' conference opener. The Cyclones do have a 20-19 victory over fierce rival Iowa on the ledger, but Campbell said his team has to perform much better to survive in Big 12 play. "We've got a lot to prove.
We're a football team that's got a lot of work to do," Campbell said. "When you get into conference play, you want to be at least creating some momentum for yourself. We were able to do some of that at times.
But to win in the Big 12 is hard. To win week in and week out is really, really hard. "The challenge for us is can we keep getting better? Can we keep improving? Can we continue to show up? We're on the road (this) week, which isn't easy to do.
It's really hard to win conference games on the road, and it'll be a great challenge for us." Iowa State rolled to a 52-7 home win over Arkansas State last weekend, building a 31-0 halftime lead and cruising to Campbell's 56th win at Iowa State. That tied him with Dan McCarney (1995-2006) for most victories in school history.
Jayden Higgins (17 catches, 208 yards, three touchdowns in three games) caught a touchdown pass for the fifth straight game to match the school record. Sidekick Jaylin Noel (15-317, two TDs) has caught at least one pass in 35 consecutive games, the fourth-long.