Starting Friday, we finally start getting bowl games between two ranked teams, including the Alamo Bowl between the no. 24 Iowa State Cyclones and no. 13 Washington State Cougars. Inside the famous dome in San Antonio, the Cougars are 3-point favorites with an over/under of 56 points.
Washington State had a season to remember, at least until they lost the Apple Cup to rival Washington the last week of the season. That loss kept the Cougars out of the Pac-12 Championship Game and possibly a spot in a New Year’s Six Bowl. However, going 10-2 is nothing to be ashamed of for a program that was a Pac-12 basement dweller when Mike Leach arrived in 2012.
Iowa State also continues to be a program on the rise under Matt Campbell. After a 1-3 start to the season, the Cyclones won seven of their last eight games. ISU finished third in the Big 12 and already matched last year’s win total. With a win in the Alamo Bowl, the Cyclones will accomplish their first 9-win season since 2000.
The Future Is Now
Iowa State’s turnaround after a slow start didn’t happen by accident. It coincided with true freshman Brock Purdy stepping in at quarterback. In his eight games, Purdy threw 16 touchdown passes to just five interceptions while also averaging 10 yards per pass attempt. Purdy is also athletic enough to do some damage with his legs, helping what was a somewhat sluggish ISU rushing attack for most of the season despite David Montgomery gaining over 1,000 yards on the ground for the second straight season.
Of course, Purdy and company will get a legitimate test in the Alamo Bowl against the Washington State defense. Few people paid much attention to the WSU defense this season, but the Cougars were solid on that side of the ball, giving up just 23 points per game, albeit against a schedule that included just five bowl teams. Of course, compared to most Big 12 defenses, Washington State should provide more resistance than Iowa State saw most of the season.
Air Raid Defense
Of course, the Washington State offense got the headlines for the Cougars most of the season. Quarterback Gardner Minshew ended up fifth in the Heisman voting after throwing for nearly 4,500 yards. The Cougars willingly limit their efforts running the ball, choosing instead to throw the ball nearly every play in Leach’s air-raid offense. The result was an offense that averaged better than 38 points per game.
However, the Iowa State defense has been one of the best in the Big 12 the past couple of seasons. There were a couple of Big 12 teams that put up big numbers against the Cyclones, but ISU was also able to shut down a vaunted West Virginia offense and gave up just 22.5 points per game. With several weeks of preparation, the Cyclones have a chance to provide some resistance against the Washington State offense.
Both Sides Now
The Cyclones have a better balance between offense and defense than Washington State. The Iowa State defense can provide some resistance against the air raid offense while the ISU offense may have a chance to keep up in a shootout. Bet on Iowa State to at least beat the 3-point spread against Washington State in the Alamo Bowl.
