To Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, Baylor has the look of a team on the cusp of breaking out following a couple of gut-wrenching losses. The 16th-ranked Cyclones (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) are going to do all they can to keep that from happening Saturday night when the Bears (2-3, 0-2) visit Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. “I know they have not been rewarded the last two weeks maybe with a win,” Campbell said.
“But, boy, how they’ve played and especially their ability to come storming back in some of these football games, the mentality, the toughness. We’re going to get a really, really good football team, maybe the best team we’ve played all season coming in here.” The Cyclones are out to their best start since 2000, and a win over Baylor would make them 5-0 for the first time since 1980.
Iowa State's defense, which has ranked among the Big 12's top three for five straight years, is playing at its highest level in decades. The Cyclones' 20-0 win at Houston last week marked their first conference road shutout since 1971. The 29 points allowed over four games are the fewest since the 1980 team gave up 20 and their average of 102 passing yards allowed per game is the best since at least 2000.
Baylor's offense gives opponents a variety of looks. The Bears rotate three to five running backs, and an empty backfield doesn't necessarily mean a pass is coming. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson will make his fourth straight start since taking over for the injured Dequan Finn.
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