The Iowa State Cyclones get set for their third game in three weeks to start the 2025 college football season when they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon in Cy-Hawk. Iowa State is coming off a 55-7 win over South Dakota and Iowa beat Albany 34-7 in their Week 1 match up. Iowa State finished the 2024 season with an 11-3 record, while Iowa went 8-5. Iowa State won this match up last year 20-19 in Iowa City.
The game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. CT on Thursday on FOX in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones are favored by 3.5 and the over/under is set at 41.5 points. Here are two key players to watch in this game, followed by the top storylines for each team, and a prediction from Heartland College Sports.
Two Key Players to Watch
Aaron Graves, Iowa DT
Graves was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection last year and is set to burst onto the scene in 2025. He was named a Phil Steele preseason second-team All-American and opened up the 2025 season with a sack and tackle for loss vs. Albany.
Rocco Becht, Iowa State QB
Having the much more veteran quarterback is a good thing to have in this rivalry match up on Saturday, and for Becht it’s his third Cy-Hawk game. Last year in this game he threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season, Becht has five touchdowns to zero interceptions, while completing 69% of his passes.
Top Storylines
Iowa’s Ground Game
That’s where Iowa needs to win this game. They need to grind this thing out on the ground after rushing for 310 yards in the season opener. Sophomore Terrell Washington and freshman Xavier Williams combined for nearly 200 rushing yards last week, which they need to try and duplicate. If the Hawkeyes are reliant on quarterback Mark Gronowski to lead them in this game, or try to come from behind, it will be a long afternoon.
Iowa State’s Tight Ends
The Iowa State tight ends are going to have to work through a solid linebacker corps of the Hawkeyes, and a secondary that is one of the best in the Big Ten. But Gabe Burkle, Benjamin Brahmer and company will be the reason Rocco Becht can get into a groove early, move the ball down the field, and try to force the Hawkeyes to play from behind, which they don’t want to do.
Prediction: Iowa State 20, Iowa 17
It’s Cy-Hawk, so it’s going to be a close game. That’s just how this rivalry works. And while Iowa State won last year, and has taken two of the last three, it’s the Hawkeyes who have won six in a row in Ames. That winning streak ends on Saturday. The Cyclones are the more complete team on both sides of the ball, with the more veteran quarterback and stronger pieces. Iowa won’t go down easy, but Jack Trice is going to be electric and this fan base will get that first home win over Iowa in more than a decade.
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