Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has never beaten Iowa at home. Is this the year that all changes?
Campbell, who’s in his 10th season at the helm, has a roster littered with talent and experience. The Cyclones have started the season with two impressive wins — upsetting a ranked Kansas State team in Dublin, Ireland, and trouncing South Dakota, 55-7 in Week 1. But beating their in-state rival in Jack Trice Stadium would go a long way in solidifying Iowa State’s status as a popular early-season College Football Playoff pick.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Campbell said in an interview with FOX Sports college football analyst Brady Quinn.
This year’s iteration of the Cy-Hawk Game — set to kick off at Noon ET Saturday on FOX — is a moment Campbell and the Cyclones have been building toward.
“[The Hawkeyes] form of had a lay of the land within the state of Iowa,” Campbell mentioned. “It is kinda been enjoyable for us to construct a program to have the ability to compete with them.”
Iowa set the usual for school soccer within the Hawkeye State, holding a 47-24 file in opposition to the Cyclones. In actual fact, Iowa held a 15-game successful streak in opposition to Iowa State from 1983-1997. Campbell’s arrival in Ames did little to alter that dominance — because it took him seven seasons to beat Iowa. However he did not wallow in these losses, as an alternative utilizing the rival program as a barometer. That development has proven as Iowa State has gained two of the final three rivalry video games. A win for the Cyclones on Saturday would mark the primary time since 2012 that they’ve crushed their in-state foes twice in a row.
Whereas the Cy-Hawk Sport might verify Iowa State’s arrival as a CFP contender, Campbell can also be targeted on avenging final yr’s loss within the Massive 12 championship recreation. After going 7-2 within the Massive 12 and organising a date with Arizona State within the convention title recreation, Iowa State fell to the Solar Devils, 45-19, falling out of the CFP image.
“We did not lose any gamers, we had nice retention after this previous season,” Campbell mentioned. “They got here again with a objective and on a mission to be taught from the Massive 12 championship recreation a yr in the past.”
Campbell’s mission is evident — to construct a staff able to competing for championships. However, for now, the Cyclones are targeted on cementing their place amongst school soccer’s contenders. That begins with this Saturday’s Cy-Hawk Sport.
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