Three Keys to a Texas Victory in Ames

The Texas Longhorns will leave the state of Texas for the first time this week since they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in Week 2. Texas travels to Ames, Iowa which is a place that has not been kind to them historically. While the Longhorns hold a 15-5 all-time advantage over the Cyclones, Iowa State has beaten Texas 3 out of the last 4 times at Jack Trice Stadium.

After losing several players during the off-season due to gambling violations, the Cyclones started out slow this season. They have circled the wagons a bit, winning 4 of their last 5 games, but the competition has not been the greatest. Their most impressive win is against an underwhelming TCU team at home and the lone loss in that stretch is to Kansas, who was by far the best team they played. Kansas’ defense is below average and the Cyclones struggled to score against them.

Saturday’s game is one that could typically be overlooked by a 9-1 team, but that is unlikely to happen for a couple of reasons. First, this is Steve Sarkisian’s first trip back to Ames since being embarrassed 30-7 two years ago. Following that loss defensive line coach Bo Davis let the team have it on the team bus in what turned into a viral video. That needed to happen to the program and can be seen as a contributing component in the turnaround of the Texas culture. If that was not enough to make sure Texas is focused and not overlooking Iowa State, Cyclones’ offensive lineman Jarrod Hufford got the Longhorns’ attention with his quote to the media on Tuesday.

Remaining Balanced as an Offense

Texas escaped Fort Worth with a 29-26 win but it wasn’t without a major loss on offense. Star running back Jonathon Brooks had another great game but in the fourth quarter sustained a torn ACL, ending his season. Statistically Brooks was having a better season than Bijan Robinson had last season. That is incredible as replacing Bijan and Roschon (Johnson) was one of the biggest question marks for Texas heading into the season.

While Brooks will be severely missed, Texas has plenty of talent at the position, starting with true freshman Cedric Baxter. Baxter was the starter in the Longhorns first couple of games, and clearly has the ability to be a workhorse in the backfield. He battled various injuries in the first half of the season but is healthy now and showing it. Against Kansas State he had a 54 yard rushing touchdown on 4^th and 1 and made a key block on the 3^rd and 12 against TCU that sealed the victory. Beyond Baxter, sophomores Savion Red and Jaydon Blue have flashed at times. Red in the Red-Cat has been a short yardage wrinkle for Sark this year. He was a high school quarterback and him throwing the ball is a wrinkle Texas showed against Oklahoma but has not since. It would be good to see another pop-pass out of that formation.

Protecting Quinn Ewers is a Must

The last two games the protection of the quarterback has been phenomenal. The offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack in the last two weeks. That is a great development for the Texas offensive line that is still young but continuing to develop each week. Moving forward the offensive line can be a real strength for Texas. Regardless of age or experience improving as the season goes along is a great sign for the program’s development skills.

When a quarterback comes off an injury, especially a shoulder injury on his throwing shoulder like Ewers, minimizing hits is extremely important. Who knows how healthy Ewers is and if one more hit to the shoulder could do more damage? Not getting sacked once in his return against TCU has to be a confidence-booster for the sophmore. He should continue to get healthier each week, but keeping him upright is a big priority as Texas can’t afford to have him miss any more time.

Winning the Turnover Battle will be Critical

The turnover battle is important in any game but it’s even more important in a hostile environment on the road. Jack Trice Stadium isn’t exactly the Big House in Ann Arbor, but the crowd will be loud all night for what could be the last time Texas plays in Ames. The Longhorns need to have a couple of touchdown drives early to quiet the crowd and prevent Iowa State from ever getting game-changing momentum.

The easiest way for an underdog to grab that momentum is a turnover early on. Not only does it get the crowd going but it can start to create doubt in the mind of the road team. Texas is the more talented team but Iowa State will try and shorten the game by running the ball and keeping the Texas offense off the field. Sark mentioned this week that they will likely run the fewest amount of plays they have all season in a game. The ‘Horns need to take advantage of the offensive possessions they get. Momentum goes both ways and if Texas were to create a couple turnovers early, they can take the crowd out of the game completely. The key will be not letting up in the second half like Texas has done in recent weeks.