94
The spotlight in
Ames will be on
Purdy and the
offense, but Iowa
State’s success
will hinge on a
defensive unit that
led the Big 12 last
season. Three-
year starter Willie
Harvey is gone at
linebacker, but
Marcel Spears Jr.,
who had 69 tackles
last season, is
the heartbeat of
the front seven,
patrolling the
middle of the field
with a ferocity
perhaps unmatched
in the conference.
The senior is a true
sideline-to-sideline
linebacker, with
the speed to chase
backs and the
frame to bully tight
ends, a key role
against the spread
offenses of the
Big 12. Spears is
such a difference-
maker at the
position that he
will make or break
the season for
the defense-first
Cyclones.
X-FACTOR
2019
SCHEDULE
THE BIG STORY Can Iowa
State make a serious run
at the school’s first Big 12 title?
The Cyclones face uphill climbs
against Texas and Oklahoma,
but coach Matt Campbell has
the program’s best team in two
decades. Coming off two straight
eight-win seasons, the Cyclones
are the rare Big 12 team that’s
built to stop the high-powered
spread offenses that populate the
conference.
CAN’T MISS The Cyclones
boasted the conference’s top
defense last year. No player was
more dominant than defensive end
JaQuan Bailey, who as a junior
terrorized opposing backfields
with eight sacks and 14.5 tackles
for loss. Powerful off the edge,
Bailey was a big reason why Iowa
State ranked ninth nationally in
yards allowed per rush (3.26). He’s
already the best defensive end the
Cyclones have ever had.
KEY QUESTION After a 1–3 start
in 2018, quarterback Brock
Purdy stepped in and led Iowa
State to a 7–2 finish. He’s poised
for big things in his second year,
but he lost his top receiver,
Hakeem Butler, to the NFL.
Who will emerge as Purdy’s
top target? It may turn out
to be sure-handed tight
end Charlie Kolar, who
caught three TDs as a
freshman last season.
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 31
NORTHERN IOWA
SEPT. 14
IOWA (18)
SEPT. 21
LOUISIANA-
MONROE
SEPT. 28
@ BAYLOR
OCT. 5
TCU
OCT. 12
@ WEST VIRGINIA
OCT. 19
@ TEXAS TECH
OCT. 26
OKLAHOMA STATE
NOV. 9
@ OKLAHOMA (4)
NOV. 16
TEXAS (6)
NOV. 23
KANSAS
NOV. 30
@ KANSAS STATE
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
3–9 3–9 8 –5 8 –5 8 – 4
They are still a few good
recruiting classes away
from seriously challenging
the Sooners and Longhorns
in the Big 12, but there’s
no doubt that the Cyclones
are one of the country’s
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* programs on the rise.
*SI PROJECTION
5 -YEAR TREND
8
The Cyclones should be
favorites in every game
before their Nov. 9 date in Norman.
A 10-win season is within reach.
OVER OR UNDER
FRO
M LEFT: DAN
IEL DU
NN
/ICO
N SPO
RTSW
IRE/GETTY IM
AGES; DAVID K. PU
RDY/GETTY IM
AGES
Iowa State
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