Iowa State looks to finish strong vs Texas Tech

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A 20-point loss at Kansas was arguably the lowest moment in Iowa State's six seasons under coach Paul Rhoads.

The Cyclones are hoping their last bye week of the season left them poised to finish on a high note.

Iowa State (2-7, 0-5) is in danger of finishing winless in the Big 12 for the first time since 2008 — and Saturday's home game against Texas Tech (3-7, 1-6) might be their most realistic shot at avoiding such a fate.

The Cyclones came out flat and fell to the Jayhawks 34-14 on Nov. 8, giving Kansas its only league win.

"Let's not hide from that fact. We didn't play with an energy level that is the expectation of this program," Rhoads said. "Hopefully we've had our lull and gotten past that."

Iowa State has a lot to work to do beyond simply raising its energy level.

Iowa State has been held to just 14 points in each of its last two games, a total that's nowhere near good enough to win in a league as explosive as the Big 12.

The Cyclones should benefit Saturday from the return of quarterback Sam Richardson, who missed the loss to Kansas with an injured right throwing shoulder. Backup Grant Rohach threw for 275 yards, two touchdowns and a pick in relief of Richardson, who practiced on Sunday and is expected to start against the Red Raiders.

Rhoads said Richardson will be on a "pitch count" this week in an attempt to protect his arm.

"One of the main concerns is getting velocity on it. But I think that by the end of the week we'll be excited to go," Richardson said.

On defense, the Cyclones have been getting hammered for weeks. They rank ninth in the Big 12 in scoring defense at 43.2 points per game. Perhaps the only good news for Iowa State is that Texas Tech (43.7) is worse.

The Cyclones lost senior linebacker Jevohn Miller for the season with a knee injury in a 59-14 home loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 1. He's the 10th player on Iowa State's two-deep roster to be knocked out for the season because of an injury, and those losses have been felt on defense.

The Cyclones are last in the Big 12 with 255.7 rushing yards allowed and 24 rushing touchdowns.

We have to "trust in our other linebackers to make the things that Jevohn Miller did happen," safety Kamari Cotton-Moya said. "Jevohn was one of the hearts of our defense, and now that we don't have him, we've got to just do our best without him."

Iowa State has drawn at least 50,000 fans for a school-record 24 straight home games. But with a pair of losing teams and a chilly weather forecast, that streak could end this weekend.

"I'm frustrated as hell, too. So is everybody in this building," Rhoads said when asked about Iowa State's fan base. "There's a core group of Cyclones fans that, not just now but always have been, as loyal as anybody in the country... (and) there's a group that will show that frustration by their lack of attendance. I get that. I understand that. They want a winner, and they want to support a winner. I want to give them one and end that frustration for all of us."

___

Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP