WHERE: Jones AT&T Stadium

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday

WATCH IT ON: ESPN 2

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech leads the series 11-8. The Cyclones have won five straight overall and have wins in three of their last five games in Lubbock. The Red Raiders last win in the series was in October 2015.

CURRENT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK ODDS: Iowa State -10.5, (OVER/UNDER): 58.5

Iowa State is 6-3 on the year. The Cyclones got their season started by beating Northern Iowa, 16-10, before turning around and losing to Iowa, 27-17, the following weekend. The Cyclones would end non-conference play with win over UNLV, 48-3, before losing to Baylor, 31-29, in their Big 12 Conference opener. Iowa State would bounce back and beat Kansas, 59-7, Kansas State, 33-20, and Oklahoma State, 24-21, but followed the three-game winning streak with a head scratching loss to West Virginia in Morgantown, 38-31. The Cyclones would rebound nicely last weekend to beat the Longhorns, 30-7, in Ames.

Iowa State’s Matt Campbell is widely considered as one of the premiere head coaches in college football, and his 41-31 record at the helm is far more impressive than it looks. Campbell inherited a Cyclones program that had come off its sixth consecutive losing season in 2016. After going 3-9 in his first year, Campbell has put together five consecutive winning seasons for Iowa State and led his team to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oregon a year ago.

The Cyclones are ranked fourth out of 130 FBS schools in total defense, giving up 282.1 yards per game, and 14th in scoring defense allowing only 18.22 points per game.

The Iowa State defense has been stout against the run, ranked 11th in the nation while allowing 102.1 yards per game on the ground. The Cyclones also feature a strong pass defense, ranked 10th, and have allowed only 180 yards per game through the air.

Iowa State is tied for 45th in the nation with 22 sacks this season and seven different defenders have recorded at least a half sack this season. The Cyclone defense has been able to pressure and sack the quarterback while also generating a consistent presence in the backfield against the opposing team’s running game. Iowa State is 29th in tackles for loss per game with a 6.2 TFL average.

The Cyclones are ranked 39th in scoring offense putting up 31.89 points per game and 39th in total offense, averaging 433.5 yards per game.

Iowa State’s 44th ranked passing offense has been inconsistent at times this season, but the team has still managed to go 5-1 when Brock Purdy eclipses the 200-yard passing mark. The Cyclones average 255.3 yards per game through the air.

The Iowa State offense has run the football on roughly 52 percent of their snaps and is ranked 53rd in rushing offense, averaging 178.2 yards per game on the ground.

The junior running back was selected as a consensus first team All-American, tabbed the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and finished sixth in the Heisman voting in 2020. Hall has rushed for 1,121 yards and 14 touchdowns this season while adding another 221 yards through the air and one receiving touchdown. He’s ranked third this season in yards per rush (5.7) amongst running backs with at least 190 carries and is fourth in rushing yards. The only Power Five running backs to break more tackles than Hall the past two seasons were Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, and Travis Etienne. Due to his ability to break tackles, he’s often compared to former Cyclone running back David Montgomery, but Hall possesses another gear on the speed charts that Montgomery doesn’t have. Hall had 25 rushes of 15 or more yards a season ago, seven more rushes than Montgomery had in his best season at Iowa State. Pro Football Focus currently has him listed as the number one running back prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The senior quarterback eclipsed the 12,000 career total yards mark last weekend against the Longhorns and owns 21 different school records for the Cyclones. Purdy is one of four quarterbacks in school history to post over 3,000 total yards three times in their career and is on pace to make it four this season. Purdy has passed for 2,085 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding another 239 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown through nine games this season. He’s a three time All-Big 12 team recipient and was a first team selection a season ago and was named to the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, and Manning Award watch lists this year. Purdy is on pace for a career low in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns this season but he’s still a legit threat to take off and run the football on any given play.

Widely considered as one of the best pass rushers in college football, McDonald is currently third in the nation in sacks (10) and ranked fifth with a 1.11 sacks per game average. McDonald was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team heading into 2021 and is following up a 2020 campaign where he led the nation in sacks (10.5) and received first team All-Big 12 honors. His 2.5 sacks against Texas last weekend put him at 27.5 sacks over his career and moved him atop the leaderboard as Iowa State’s all-time sack leader. He also has a knack for jarring the football loose with 8 career forced fumbles. McDonald is one of the fastest rising edge rushers eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Iowa State, statistically speaking, will be the toughest matchup the Texas Tech offense has faced this season. The Cyclones don’t appear to have a weakness and have been a dominant unit in all facets of defensive football. For the Red Raider offense to find success, the offensive line must neutralize the Iowa State defensive front. Lining up opposite of Will McDonald is defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike, and he’s every bit as capable of disrupting an offensive gameplan, evident by his 7.5 sacks this season. The Cyclone defensive ends are skilled enough to wreak havoc on the Texas Tech offense in the ground game and through the air, so finding a way to neutralize those two players will be key for the Red Raider offense on Saturday.

KEY OFFENSIVE MATCHUP: Texas Tech's Offensive Line vs. Will McDonald IV and Eyioma Uwazurike

Every week in the Big 12 is a new and difficult challenge. Crafting a successful defensive gameplan centered around neutralizing opposing running backs are key, and this week could prove to be Texas Tech’s toughest task to date with Breece Hall lining up in the opposing backfield. Hall has been a thorn in the side for the Red Raiders, posting 405 total yards and 4 touchdowns over the last two matchups. While Texas Tech has shown improvements in their rush defense the last two games, giving up 143 yards rushing combined, that stat can be somewhat misleading since both teams were able to beat you with relative ease through the air. Insert Brock Purdy and the additional challenges he’ll create. The senior quarterback has passed for 930 yards and seven touchdowns and added another 96 yards on the ground over three career games against the Red Raiders. In two of Iowa State’s three losses Purdy was held to less than 200 yards passing, so finding a way to slow him down will be critical for the Texas Tech defense this weekend.

KEY DEFENSIVE MATCHUP: Texas Tech's Linebackers vs. Breece Hall and Brock Purdy