TCU Parting Thoughts and Iowa State Preview
Jonathon Brooks finished his season with 1139 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Photo: Unknown
TCU Parting Thoughts
Yet another game where I’m not sure what to say. I will start with this: Jonathon Brooks has been the heart and soul of the 2023 Texas Longhorns, and he will be sorely missed after suffering a torn ACL in the 4th quarter of this game. His loss comes at the worst possible time for Texas, needing to win their final 2 games of the year to clinch a conference championship game and keep playoff aspirations alive. That isn’t to say that the Horns can’t do it. We’ve seen how good true freshman C.J. Baxter can be - he started game 1 this season, after all, and has shown flashes of greatness. Texas also has a couple more talented backs in the rotation in Jaydon Blue and Keilan Robinson. It will be interesting to see how much Sark adjusts the offensive game plan without Brooks going forward. I think the running back room is more than capable, but he may choose to lean more heavily on Quinn Ewers down the stretch.
Thank you, JB, and get healthy soon.
Now then, about that game...how does this keep happening? For the 3rd time in 4 games, Texas turned what should have been a blowout into a heart pounding, nail biting barn-burner. Leading 26-6 into the FOURTH quarter, TCU somehow came alive for 20 points while the Texas offense managed just 3. This time it wasn’t turnovers that helped the opposition, but rather a sputtering Longhorns offense combined with a porous pass defense allowing for some quick strike TCU scores. And leading 29-26 with just under 2 minutes left, Texas faced a 3rd and 12 from its own 13 yard line. The game, and the season, truly seemed to be slipping away. Until this happened…
Play of the Season (thus far): Adonai Mitchell 35-yard reception
Ewers lofted a ball deep down the left sideline, and Mitchell adjusted to the ball and caught it while laying ON HIS BACK - saving the Longhorns’ season. Incredible, unbelievable, remarkable. Clutch.
With that, Texas survived yet again to improve to 9-1 on the year, and likely one more win away from clinching a Big 12 title game berth.
The Dream is Alive.
Final score: 29-26 Texas
Iowa State QB Rocco Becht had to step in for a suspended Hunter Dekkers this year, and has the Cyclones at 6-4. Photo: David K Purdy, Getty Images
Iowa State Preview
The Texas Longhorns come in at 9-1 for the season, having won their last 4 games. The Cyclones are 6-4 but have won 4 of their last 5. Both teams are still alive in the conference title game, but the loser will likely be knocked out. Kickoff is at 7:00pm CST in Ames on Saturday night. The game will be televised on FOX.
Quinn Ewers had a decent return to the Texas lineup, throwing for 317 yards and a score against TCU. Photo: Julio Cortez, Associated Press
This game will likely rest on the shoulders of QB Quinn Ewers. In his return to action against TCU, he showed some rust but also had some great throws, and it was clear he was operating somewhere around 70-80%. You would think his health would have only improved in the last week, so we can expect to see a near fully locked in Ewers. Texas is going to need him to have one of his best games, as the offense will face a tough test in the Iowa State defense. The Cyclones lead the conference in yards allowed per game and are 4th in points allowed at just under 20 per game.
The Texas offense had its lowest scoring output of the season against TCU, with 29 points. I anticipate a similar type of defensive effort from the Cyclones. That combined with the Longhorns’ self-inflicted wounds on short yardage and red zone scenarios will likely lead to a score in the 20s for Texas.
The good part for Horns fans is, the Iowa State offense isn’t much to write home about, and the strength of the Longhorns on the defensive line matches up well. There’s no reason to think the Texas run defense won’t shut down another opponent - the key will be in pass coverage. The Horns are now outside the top 100 in pass defense and it has become a glaring weakness that has allowed multiple teams to shred them in the second half and come back from huge deficits.
Iowa State QB Rocco Becht (boy what another great football name) is completing 62% of his passes, for 15 TDs and 7 INTs on the year. The Longhorns have faced a few quarterbacks this year of similar caliber (read: mid) and have dominated some while letting others go wild on them. It will probably be a mix of both, especially given the circumstances of the game. Night games in Ames always seem to give some kind of extra juice to the Cyclones. Ultimately it’s a matchup that I feel favors Texas immensely, and yet I’m weary of the Longhorn secondary and of Jack Trice craziness.
This will be the final meeting between the Texas Longhorns and the Iowa State Cyclones on the football field. It has turned into a pretty good rivalry over the last decade or so, with the series tied 4-4 over the last 8 matchups. This is a chance for Iowa State to put a dagger into the hearts of Longhorns everywhere. It’s also a chance for Texas to win their 10th game of the season and take a huge step toward a potential conference title.
Prediction: Texas 27, Iowa State 20
Hook ‘em
Bonus Prediction
Here is a little guest contribution from Burnt Orange Kool-Aid supporter Dominic DeSantis:
"In what all of CFB keeps calling a trap game (making it less of a trap game), Texas goes to Ames and hands Iowa State a decisive 35-21 loss in their own weird nighttime cornfields to remain undefeated against the Hateful Eight. Quinn has a tidy performance and Baxter has a breakout night in what is mainly a ground game, while Mitchell and Worthy still manage a couple of key catches even though they are not at the center of the offense tonight. Defense feeds off of the adverse road game environment like they did earlier this season and rolls over 'em. Texas looks like a CFP team for the first time in a month, quieting some of that clamoring for the Crimson Tide to leapfrog the Longhorns and giving Joel Klatt some relief.”
Texas 35, Iowa State 21
Hook ‘em
