After a week off the Iowa State Cyclones prepare for this week’s visit from a nationally ranked Baylor team that blasted the Cyclones 71-7 a year ago. “We’ve got two weeks to prepare Baylor, after watching them I’m not so sure that two days would be better, I’d be less scared in that time frame,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says. “It’s a team that averages 60 points a game and are only giving up 9 points a game. They are ranked 6th in the country for good reason and we look forward to entertaining them this Saturday night in Jack Trice Stadium.”

Baylor is best known for the passing of quarterback Bryce Petty but Rhoads says the Bears want to be balanced. He says they are a run-first team and you have to stop the run game to have overall success against them. Rhoads says it will be up to the ISU offense to keep the Cyclones in the game. “You’ve got to score in this league, but yeah, against this particular team, you’ve got to score points,” Rhoads says.

Rhoads says Baylor will put a lot of pressure on the Cyclone defensive backs and they have to put themselves in the best situation to see the football or the odds will favor them. Rhoads says Baylor can turn a short pass into a big gain and that’s what the Cyclones need to limit.

Rhoads says the ISU offense will need to do its part to shorten the game. He says through 3 games they are not operating at a fast tempo, and he says the biggest part of that is keeping the ball and scoring.