Iowa State Kicks Off Season vs. UNI

UNI Gameday

#21 IOWA STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
vs. UNI (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
Sat., Aug. 31 | 11 A.m. CT | Ames, Iowa
MidAmerican Energy Field At Jack Trice Stadium (61,500)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters, Eric Heft, Ben Bruns
TV: FS1
Talent: Chris Vosters, Ben Leber
Radio: Sirius 83, XM 83, Tunein
Live Stats: cyclonestats.com

Cyclone Football Headlines
-No. 21 Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) begins the 2019 season by playing host to FCS opponent UNI (0-0, 0-0 MVC) Saturday at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa State is ranked in the AP preseason poll (#21) for the first time since 1978. UNI is ranked No. 20 in the preseason FCS Coaches poll.
-This marks the beginning of year four of the Matt Campbell era. The 2017 and 2018 Big 12 Coach of the Year is 19-19 in his three seasons in Ames, pacing the Cyclones to back-to-back 8-5 marks.
-Iowa State's 16 wins in the last two seasons ties the school record for best two-year winning stretch in school history: 16- 2017-18; 16- 1906-07; 16- 1976-77; 16- 1977-78; 16- 2000-01.
-The Cyclones set a school record for conference wins in a season (6-3) and finished in a tie for third in the Big 12 standings (6-3), their best league finish in 40 years (1978, T3rd) in 2018.
Iowa State, which was ranked No. 25 in the final regular-season AP poll of 2018, qualified for its second-straight bowl game with an appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl, falling to No. 12 Washington State, 28-26.
-ISU won its final six games at home in 2018 to tie the school record for most home victories in a season. ISU's current six-game home field winning streak ties for 17th nationally among active FBS streaks and ties for the third-best streak in school history in the modern era: The school mark of seven in a row was accomplished in 1976-77 (3/4) and 2001-02 (1/6).
-Close games have been the norm in the last two Iowa State seasons. Iowa State, Oklahoma and Washington are the only "power 5" schools to avoid a loss of over 14 points in the last two seasons. ISU's worst loss since 2017 was a 24-10 setback at Texas in 2018.
-ISU appeared in all six CFP rankings and was ranked in two polls at the end of the regular season in 2018. ISU has appeared in eight of 12 CFP rankings in the last two seasons, second only to Oklahoma (12) in the Big 12.
-ISU has three wins over top-6 opponents the last two seasons (2017: Oklahoma, TCU, 2018: West Virginia) to tie for second nationally behind only Alabama.
-ISU has had over 50,000 fans attend a game at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium for a school-record 52-straight games.
-ISU, picked third in the Big 12 preseason media poll, returns 11 players on defense and 11 players on offense who have started at least three games in their respective careers. The offense has a combined 156 career starts returning and the defense brings back players with a combined 148 career starts.
-On defense, the Cyclones return five players who earned some sort of Big 12 recognition in 2018: JaQuan Bailey (DE), Marcel Spears (LB), Ray Lima (DL), Mike Rose (LB) and Greg Eisworth (S). Eisworth was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2018, while Bailey and Lima were second-team selections. Bailey, Lima and Spears are two-time All-Big 12 performers.
-The Iowa State defense was stellar in 2018, holding 11 opponents to below their season scoring average. The Cyclones led the Big 12 in scoring defense (22.9) and ranked second in total defense (349.2).
-Senior DE JaQuan Bailey needs one sack to become ISU's all-time career sack leader. He is currently tied for first with Shawn Moorehead (2004-06) with 18.5.
-ISU returns all five starters on its offensive line and has 114 combined career starts coming back, the fifth-highest total among FBS teams: Oregon (153), ULM (132), ULM (131), Texas Tech (115), Iowa State (114).
-ISU's offense made a resurgence with the insertion of sophomore QB Brock Purdy in the last nine games of 2018. Purdy broke or tied season school records in completion pct. (66.4), passing efficiency (169.9) and 300-yard passing games (3).
-Purdy's 169.9 passing efficiency clip ranked sixth nationally and was the best-ever by a true freshman QB in NCAA history.

Players Mentioned

JaQuan Bailey

Greg Eisworth II

Ray Lima

Brock Purdy

Mike Rose

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics