West Virginia and Iowa State will both be looking for a reset when they meet Saturday in Ames, Iowa, with each team trying to shake off a home loss that left plenty to clean up.
West Virginia arrives at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play after its first defeat of the season, a 41-24 setback at home against Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were in position late in the third quarter, holding a 24-21 lead, but the Cowboys finished with the game’s final 20 points. West Virginia also surrendered 609 yards of total offense in the loss.
Rich Rodriguez, in the early part of his second stint as West Virginia’s head coach, said the Mountaineers have had stretches this season when they simply haven’t played clean football, even during their three wins. Against Oklahoma State, that inconsistency finally caught up with them.
"We are still learning our guys a little bit because there are so many new starters," he said. "They are very conscious and are good players. Whatever adjustments we need to make as a coaching staff, they'll buy into it, so I feel good about that.
"This week is a different challenge. (Iowa State will) do so many different things formationally, schematically and with personnel on offense that it's a complete different challenge. We've got to be ready to go."
Iowa State is in a similar spot at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference after a 31-17 home loss to then-No. 15 Utah. The Cyclones trailed 24-3 at halftime and never fully got back into it.
Coach Jimmy Rogers pointed to 29 missed tackles against Utah and said that kind of breakdown has to be fixed quickly. He expects a tougher test Saturday from West Virginia’s pace and scheme.
"They do a really good job in their scheme and they are really fast," Rogers said of West Virginia. "Everybody needs to get their feet into the ground, get aligned, get their eyes right, know the call and then execute the plan."
The game also brings together two of the Big 12’s most productive backs. West Virginia senior Cam Cook leads the conference in rushing with 510 yards on 99 carries, while Iowa State sophomore Aiden Flora ranks fourth with 382 rushing yards and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
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