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PREDICTIONS: No. 25 Iowa State vs. No. 4 TCU

What: No. 25 Iowa State (5-2, 3-1) vs. No. 4 TCU (7-0, 4-0)
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Line: TCU (-7)

Chris Williams, Cyclone Fanatic Publisher

I hate to pee in everybody’s Corn Flakes but I just don’t like the way that TCU matches up with the Cyclones. It’s an elite rush defense, which means that Kyle Kempt is going to have to go out and win this game for the Cyclones. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but I have a hard time believing Iowa State will have much of a running game to rely on. Defensively, I’m fine with the Clones vs. TCU. The good news here and a way I could see Iowa State winning is exactly what I just picked apart. The Kyle Kempt factor. I re-watched the Texas game this week and saw Jacob Park forcing bad pass after bad pass. He didn’t get rid of the ball as quickly as needed. That’s really the strength of Kempt’s game. I knows that he can’t make every throw and gives playmakers opportunities. I see a good game in the fourth quarter but unfortunately, the Horned Frogs coming out on top.

THE PICK: TCU 27, Iowa State 20

Brent Blum, Cyclone Fanatic Columnist

I believe this one has a very similar setup to the Texas game in Ames. Low-scoring, evenly matched up front. So it will come down to quarterback play and for the time being, Kenny Hill seems a bit more proven than Kyle Kempt. Turnovers of course will be the difference and both have been great at taking care of the football. This has a chance to be a humdinger, I’ll go with my head over my heart and hope I’m wrong.

THE PICK: TCU 24 Iowa State 20.
Jeff Woody, Cyclone Fanatic Analyst
It’s a race to 24! Iowa State seems built to slow down this offense (stopping the run and the big play) and can force Kenny Hill into mistakes. But the Frog defense matches up against the Iowa State offense well too. Who out-executes whom? In a cold one, Frogs take it 20-17.

THE PICK: TCU 20, Iowa State 17

Jay Jordan, Cyclone Fanatic Analyst
TCU is fast. That is the difference in these teams. They play the same game on both sides of the ball. Speed and execution decide the victor. I like Kempt’s ability to make fewer mistakes than Hill.  More of the same from ISU in a low scoring affair.
THE PICK: Iowa State 23, TCU 20
Kirk Haaland, Cyclone Fanatic Contributor
The hype train is running down the rails full steam ahead and to be perfectly honest, it is completely earned.
The strength of the Iowa State defense has been stuffing the run up the middle and limiting the big play down the field through the air. That will be tested by TCU who has run the ball for 4.33 yards per carry up the middle–Iowa State gives up just 2.66 yards per carry in the middle of the line–of the defense and they’re throwing the ball successfully all over the field for more than eight yards per carry.
The Frog defense has been stingy across the board against the run and the pass but, there is one soft spot that ISU can try to exploit…  On passing plays opponents average just under seven yards per pass attempt in total but less so to the right or left. On passing plays that go over the middle of the field opponents are averaging 10.1 yards per pass with a success rate of 53 percent (versus just 30 percent and 33 percent on the left side and right side of the field, respectively).
If ISU can find some ground with the run game and force the linebackers up they can attack the middle through the air. It’s dangerous to throw over the middle too much, but it may be the only way.
Rob Gray, Cyclone Fanatic Staff Writer

Snow? Shivers? The best team across all three phases ISU will face this season? Bring it all on. TCU’s defense concerns me more than its offense. If the Cyclones can get David Montgomery going a little bit on another likely slick day, I don’t see any reason why the defense can’t hold its own. One key play may swing this one and ISU’s earned our trust in this area.

THE PICK: Cyclones 24, Horned Frogs 20
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Cyclone Fanatic Contributor
I’m glad it’s going to be ugly outside for this one because it’ll ensure we get a good dose of David Montgomery in the game plan even if TCU’s defense is stout against the run. This should be a close game, but the Horned Frogs are the most balanced team the Cyclones have played all season and I think they’ll be able to escape Ames with a win.
THE PICK: TCU 24, Iowa State 17
Jared Stansbury, Cyclone Fanatic Staff Writer

I don’t see this game being anything but a defensive slugfest that goes back and forth all afternoon. I’m not worried about Iowa State’s defense, but I am scared about the Cyclones’ ability to move the ball against one of the best defenses, and defensive minds, in the country. I’m just not sure TCU and quarterback Kenny Hill will be content with playing the Chinese water torture game Jeff Woody talked about on CFTV-Live earlier this week. I know the Cyclones and Kyle Kempt will be.

THE PICK: Iowa State 27, TCU 24
Chris Williams

Chris was hired as Cyclone Fanatic’s publisher in the fall of 2009. He is Iowa State football's postgame show host on the Cyclone Radio Network and can be heard daily from 4-7 on Des Moines' top-rated sports station, 1460 KXnO. Williams, a 2007 graduate of Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism, is the former publisher of the old CycloneNation.com (Scout.com). He has also written for the Des Moines Register, the Ames Tribune, CycloneReport.com and is the former sports director at KMA Radio. When Williams isn’t working, you can usually find him doing something outdoors with his wife Ashley, daughter Camryn, and Golden Retriever Dierks. He enjoys golfing, boating, country music, the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Braves and is passionate about any and all motor sports so finding Williams at a local dirt track is very common.

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8 years ago

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