For all unbeaten and 11th-ranked Iowa State has accomplished the first two months of the season, coach Matt Campbell is keeping his eye on the prize as the calendar turns to November. He is counting on his players to do the same. “Whether you're 5-2, 4-3 or 7-0," he said, “it kind of goes out the window because the reality is you're defined by how you play in November.
” The Cyclones (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) begin the month with a game against Texas Tech (5-3, 3-2) at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on Saturday. A win would make them 8-0 for the first time and move them into a tie for first place in the conference with No. 9 BYU, which is idle this week.
Iowa State made it to the Big 12 championship game in 2020 but has never won a major conference title in its 133-year history. “We know we have five games left and we know there are so many things in front of us we could go achieve,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “Coach Campbell always brings it up to us because it gives us momentum to go out there and play our best game.
We really have to focus on Texas Tech to reach that goal because if we don't we're going to fall behind.” Texas Tech has lost two straight after a 5-1 start and is in a four-way tie for fifth place. The Red Raiders last week squandered a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter in a 35-34 loss at TCU.
Backup quarterback Will Hammond fumbled at the Horned Frogs' 27 as they tried to set up a go-ahead field goal with 1:38 left. The Red Raiders entered th.
