Final

Iowa 13, Iowa State 3. The Hawkeyes snuffed out their state rivals’ offense, had the superior punting game on the night (it’s like half of what I wrote about in the updates below), and got just enough offense to put the game away in the final minutes.

Of all the extremely grunt-and-punt ¡El Assico! games in history, this one is right up there. Take a look, y’all:

NCAA.com

Head to Black Heart Gold Pants to celebrate, Hawkeyes. Cyclones, you’re headed to Wide Right, Natty Lite.

Fourth quarter

Iowa 13, Iowa State 3, 1:53. The game’s first turnover is a strip sack in Iowa’s favor. We’re done here. I can taste it.

Iowa 13, Iowa State 3, 2:32. Iowa did another punt inside the 20, but then there was a penalty. We’re so close.

Iowa 13, Iowa State 3, 3:33. With I! O! W! A! chants resounding around Kinnick, Iowa State once again got basically nothing going on offense, despite a helpful PI by the Hawkeyes. Another punt error by the Clones in this, the Valhalla of punting: a punt interference flag. That oughta do it. Please, Lord, let that do it.

Iowa 13, Iowa State 3, 4:47. A TOUCHDOWN!! The Hawkeyes went UP-TEMPO for much of the likely door-slammer, with Mekhi Sargent running in to complete the 13-play, 83-yard jaunt.

Either way, I’m beginning to think the under is safe.

Iowa 6, Iowa State 3, 11:17. GOOD COREY DUNN IS BACK. Iowa State’s mercurial punter zaps one out of bounds at Iowa’s 17. We’re up to 338 combined yards between both teams. An FCS QB currently has more than that by himself against Ole Miss.

Iowa 6, Iowa State 3, 13:56. Iowa missed a 50-yard field goal. I’m sorry for the terse update. I can only say so many things about special teams plays.

Third quarter

Iowa 6, Iowa State 3, 1:58. What appeared to be an ankle injury to ISU QB Kyle Kempt had backup Zeb Noland warming up. Kempt stayed in for a fourth-and-1 throw in Hawkeye territory, batted down by Iowa.

Iowa 6, Iowa State 3. Through 36 minutes, Iowa had 90 yards. On one heave from Nate Stanley to Ihmir Smith-Marsette to launch this drive, the Hawkeyes gained 45. That set up the only kick sweeter than a punt: a field goal. Significant mood:

Iowa State 3, Iowa 3. The Hawkeyes remain the state’s greatest punting team on the day, as Colten Rastetter pinned the Cyclones at their own 9, setting up a three-and-out, but then a mighty bounceback punt by ISU’s Corey Dunn, a 57-yarder! We’ve got a true duel going.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 3. The lesser Corey Dunn is back, as ISU’s opening punt of the second half goes for a scant 35 yards. Truly a Dr. Jekyll situation at punter for the Clones.

Halftime

Iowa State 3, Iowa 3.

NCAA.com

Second quarter

Iowa State 3, Iowa 3, 1:25. COREY DUNN REDEEMED. After two shanks that set up Iowa’s only score, Iowa State’s punter pinned the Hawkeyes at their 6 with a 58-yard thumper. MY, how the punt tables have turned.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 3. Again, the Hawkeyes completely control the war of punts, as ISU’s Corey Dunn has shanked his second out of bounds. Iowa ball at the Clones’ 28, which turned into a field goal this time.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 0. Iowa’s punting preeminence continues. QB Nate Stanley unfurled a poocher that bounced out of bounds inside ISU’s 10, concluding a contentious, eight-play drive. We’re on pace for about 400 total yards in this game, just as God intended.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 0. Well, Iowa’s still winning the punt battle. David Montgomery got an 11-yard run on ISU’s latest drive, but the series ended with a mere 37-yard punt.

First quarter

Iowa State 3, Iowa 0. After Iowa State shamed itself with a 14-yard shanked punt, the most grievous of all ¡EL ASSICO! sins, the Hawkeyes capitalized by gaining one yard and missing a short field goal.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 0. The Hawkeyes have yet to do much of anything on what most people refer to as offense, but the real star of the show, punter Colten Rastetter, just drilled a 51-yarder into the corner.

Iowa State 3, Iowa 0. After an Iowa three-and-out, the Clones stormed (Iowa State term) through a 13-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a goal line stand and a field goal. ISU’s Kyle Kempt was 5 of 6 to four different receivers on the journey.

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Preview

Iowa isn’t a big state, but it takes its football seriously. Saturday’s showdown between Iowa State and Iowa is proof.

At $111 just to get in, the 2018 edition of the Cy-Hawk series is the second-most expensive game to attend in Week 2 of the college football season. That’s more than it would cost to watch Clemson and Texas A&M duke it out, pricier than a ticket to Penn State’s rivalry-renewing chapter vs. Pittsburgh, and several times more costly than it would be to attend UCLA’s tilt at Oklahoma. The only game that exceeds it? An SEC East-defining showdown between Georgia and South Carolina.

Neither the Cyclones or Hawkeyes are ranked. Neither is expected to win even a division crown. Saturday’s game is popular for one reason only; a healthy dose of in-state hate. Let’s dig in.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: 5 p.m. ET
• Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
• TV: FOX
• Streaming: Fox Sports Go
• Odds: Iowa is favored by 4 points.

Iowa State vs. Iowa news:

• Iowa State only got four minutes into its season opener before storms washed it out. So what did we learn?
• Clyde Williams is the greatest coach in Iowa State history. But he was also a Hawkeye.

Unfortunately for the good people of Ames, that team was the University of Iowa. Long before he took over as the head football coach at Iowa State, Clyde Williams was leading their in-state rivals to back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1899 and 1900 while directing one of the most potent offenses in college football.

Remember when Iowa State won five straight Cy-Hawk Trophies? Wide Right & Natty Light remembers.

• Kirk Ferentz doesn’t think ISU’s canceled game last week is an advantage for either side.

Yeah, I don’t think I have experience in this kind of a deal where one team played and one team didn’t. Probably the good news for their side was it didn’t take long to grade the film on Sunday. They had five plays on each side, I think. They got done with that, and they’re moving into our preparation, so they got a jump on us there. But I’ve never had experience. I’m not smart enough to know if it was good, bad or indifferent. But it’s just one of those things, and it’s just how it shook out, so it’s how it goes going into the game.

Who will provide the offense for Iowa State?

The Cyclones lost a big piece of their offense when Allen Lazard, the highest-rated recruit the program had seen in decades, graduated. The 6’5 wideout left behind some big shoes to fill after hauling in 17 touchdown catches the previous two seasons. Deep threat Hakeem Butler is primed to pick up that slack after a breakout 2017 — but he’s the only one of the team’s top four receivers to return in 2018.

So can Butler handle WR1 duties without Lazard drawing the primary focus of opposing defenses? Or will Iowa State be forced to double down on 1,100-yard rusher David Montgomery, an already-overworked back to averaged a not-so-impressive 4.4 yards per carry last fall? Last year’s passing offense gave ISU the chops to win even when he had bad days; the ‘18 team doesn’t seem to have that feature.

Iowa State vs. Iowa prediction:

Iowa State had its season opener against South Dakota State canceled due to inclement weather, so this will be the first time we see the Cyclones in 2018. Will they be rusty? Angry about missing an opportunity for a likely FCS win? Jittery for the first game of the season in a hostile environment? Either way, S&P+ doesn’t like their chances; ISU has only a 38 percent chance to hoist the Cy-Hawk Trophy Saturday.