The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Iowa State Cyclones are ready to square off on the grass at Jack Trice Stadium. This key conference showdown starts at 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 is in line to broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
In this Saturday Big 12 game, Iowa State is projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 4 points. The Red Raiders are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Cyclones are -175. If one school catches a lucky break early it’ll produce a reasonable in-game betting scenario. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 56 points.
Early action has shifted toward the Red Raiders. The opening line was -5, while the game’s over/under has yet to change after it was initially posted at 56.
Each team has posted a good return this season as the Red Raiders have gained 7.6 units while the Cyclones are ahead 2.9 units.
The Red Raiders have gone 5-2 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against conference opponents. The Cyclones are 3-3 SU overall and are also 2-2 SU in conference play.
When these two teams met a year ago, Iowa State got the victory 31-13.
Each team enters the contest on a two-game winning streak. The Red Raiders are looking to maintain momentum following a solid 48-16 victory over Kansas last week in which Alan Bowman completed 36-of-46 passes for 408 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Ta’Zhawn Henry (62 rushing yards on 15 attempts, one TD) and Tre King (30 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the running attack while Antoine Wesley (nine receptions, 155 yards, one TD) and Ja’Deion High (eight catches, 54 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Iowa State is coming off of a blowout 30-14 win over West Virginia back in Week 7. The defensive unit held its ground in the victory, keeping the Mountaineers to just 100 passing yards and 52 yards on the ground. Kennedy McKoy was a bright spot in the loss for West Virginia, recording 55 rushing yards on nine attempts. For Iowa State, Brock Purdy completed 18-of-25 passes for 254 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. David Montgomery (189 yards on 29 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Purdy (39 yards on 11 carries) led the running game as Hakeem Butler (six receptions, 107 yards, one TD) and Tarique Milton (four catches, 36 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Texas Tech’s run the ball on 48.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Iowa State has an overall rush percentage of 53.0 percent. The Red Raiders have produced 168.9 rush yards per game (including 163.8 per game against Big 12 opponents) and have 22 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Cyclones are logging 123.5 rush yards per game (147.5 in conference) and have six total rushing TDs.
The Red Raiders offensive scheme has averaged an astonishing 383.0 yards in the air overall (333.8 per game against conference opposition) and has 17 passing scores so far. The Cyclones have recorded 236.7 pass yards per game (255 against Big 12 foes) and have 11 total pass TDs.
Texas Tech has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 134.3 yards and pass for 288.1 yards per game. The Iowa State D has allowed 206.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 110.3 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Red Raiders have given up an ANY/A of 6.47 to opposing QBs, while the Cyclones are allowing an ANY/A of 6.09.
Purdy likely has the edge over Bowman in this matchup. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 10.76 for the season and 12.08 across his last two games while Bowman’s ANY/A is 8.47 and 8.29 over his last two.
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Iowa State Cyclones Free Pick
SU Winner: Iowa State, ATS Winner: Iowa State, O/U: Under
