What do Brock Purdy, Matt Campbell, and a top-10 upset all have in common? The up-and-coming Iowa State Cyclones are on more than just a roll. In the last 2 seasons, Iowa State has upset 2 top-10 teams at home inside Jack Trice Stadium. Last year the Cyclones hosted #4 TCU and won 14-7, creating the Jack Trice upset legend. Now Iowa State has beaten the #6 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 30-14, making them 3-3 and showcasing a shutdown defense run by Defensive Coordinator Jon Heacock. Heacock was even awarded the Defense Coordinator of the Week by the CFB for week 7.
Least to say Iowa State showcased a defensive front that WVU could not answer and ultimately shut down WVU’s starting quarterback, Will Grier. Grier actually had been in Heisman talks up until this week, but after 7 sacks by 6 different Cyclones and a safety to top it off, I think we can safely say those talks are over. On the other hand, Iowa State’s starting quarterback is now becoming more than just a local legend. Brock Purdy, who I personally meet just last week, is a true freshman from Gilbert, Arizona who had numerous offers from big NCAA schools but chose Iowa State. He is a product of the Matt Campbell recruiting machine and an answer to Iowa State’s prayers for a long-term quarterback. In the last 2 games, both against ranked opponents, Prudy has averaged 286 yards passing and 347.5 yards in total offense. To top it all off, in these 2 games, he has a 75% pass completion percentage.
Fans, including myself, are having flashbacks to the late and great Seneca Wallace as Prudy shows himself as a true multi-threat quarterback, even running the ball in big quarterback sneaks. Brock Purdy may be the future of ISU, and with a strong receiving core including Hakeem Butler and Deshaunte Jones, I expect his stats to rise. Now let’s not forget Iowa State’s star running back David Montgomery, who is back after an upper arm injury against Oklahoma. After missing most of the season so far, Montgomery is back having a career-best 189 rushing yards per game and averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Least to say he’s back and better than ever, adding just another weapon to the Cyclones arsenal.
Now what does this all mean for Iowa State and where does head coach Matt Campbell factor into all this? Well for starters Matt Campbell is a force of nature, both in his head coaching skills as well as his recruitment abilities. His six-year contract for $22.5 million was pushed by Iowa State’s athletic director Jamie Pollard who visioned Campbell taking ISU’s football program to the next level. I believe Campbell is doing just that, and the football program can only go up. Recruitment makes teams, and Campbell knows that as he is building the team of the future. The outlook for the rest of this season is extremely strong with there even being a chance of winning out with an upset against Texas. We here at BCMoore Rankings currently have ISU ranked #17 and are the highest of any team with 3 losses to date. This program is officially on the rise and between Brock Purdy, David Montgomery, Matt Campbell, and a stellar recruitment class, Iowa State is destined for greatness. Go Cyclones!
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Editorial by Stephen Moore
