No. 11 Iowa State vs. West Virginia – Iowa State Daily

No. 11 Iowa State:

Benjamin Brahmer, tight end

Although Brahmer hasn’t put up consistent numbers this season, he has still proven to be a reliable target for quarterback Rocco Becht and this Iowa State offense.

In the five games he played, Brahmer caught seven passes for 145 yards and one touchdown. In the first few games of the season, Brahmer struggled with an injury that prevented him from making the type of plays he was accustomed to in his freshman season.

But it appears as if those injury concerns have been put to rest as Brahmer will continue to be a threat to this Cyclones offense for the remainder of the season.

Iowa State’s upcoming game against West Virginia will be another test of how the Cyclones’ offense fares against another tough environment through the game in Morgantown.

Wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins will hit their expected targets and assignments as they have so far this season, but that leaves a guy like Brahmer and Iowa State’s other weapons to step up and make big plays that make Iowa State his target could lead to a sixth consecutive win this season.

Jontez Williams, defender

Williams has had a lot of trouble lately when it comes to creating key turnovers for Iowa State, as he had two interceptions in each of the Cyclones’ last two games.

Both interceptions came against Big 12 teams Houston and Baylor, and both were Williams’ first two interceptions of his college career.

Iowa State’s secondary has been off the charts in five games this season.

Williams is currently tied with fellow defensemen Jeremiah Cooper and Darien Porter in interceptions on the team.

Now the Cyclones get a chance to take on West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene, who hasn’t been perfect in his passing game this season.

Greene has completed just 57.1% of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

While Greene was mostly effective with his legs, expect a guy like Williams to complete a hat trick of interceptions when the Mountaineers are forced to throw the ball offside.

Kyle Konrardy, kicker

Konrardy appeared to be finding his breakthrough in his first full season of college football, converting key field goals and extra points that led Iowa State to a 5-0 start so far.

Not to mention his game-winning 54-yard field goal in Iowa City that dethroned the Iowa Hawkeyes for the rights to the Cy Hawk Trophy and the bragging rights that come with it.

But now Konrardy enters his sixth game as kicker for the Cyclones in a different hostile environment. This game is expected to be similar to the Iowa game in terms of the amount of noise caused by the Mountaineer supporters.

That leads to being able to rely on a guy like Konrardy when Iowa State’s offense stalls and can’t score a touchdown.

Sticking with Konrardy’s legs will be crucial to the Cyclones’ success if they want to find a way to escape Morgantown undefeated.

West Virginia:

Garrett Greene, quarterback

The success that West Virginia’s offense has had this season has depended on the shoulders of its play caller in Greene.

Although his passing numbers didn’t look great, Greene relied on his dual-threat skills to gain 295 yards on 55 carries and three touchdowns.

Greene has rushed for at least 45 yards with a touchdown in three of the last four games.

However, in the two Big 12 Conference games the Mountaineers played, Greene was explosive in both aspects of the game, leading West Virginia to victories over Kansas and Oklahoma State.

Only time will tell if Greene can maintain his explosive performance against an Iowa State defense that leads the Big 12 with an average of 10 points.

CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White, running backs

A two-headed monster that West Virginia’s offense brings is the running back duo of Donaldson Jr. and White.

Starting with Donaldson Jr., he was the Mountaineers’ leading rusher this season with 361 yards on 71 carries and five touchdowns.

In addition to his rushing stats, Donaldson Jr. has caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown as he appears to have no trouble finding the end zone in five games so far.

Then comes the other side of the rushing game with White. So far, White has nearly tied Donaldson Jr. in yards receiving with 352 yards on 56 carries and four touchdowns.

White has also caught more passes than Donaldson Jr., as he has rushed for 26 yards on five receptions so far.

With the dual-threat skills Greene already has in this West Virginia offense, it could be easy for this duo to find success against a rushing Iowa State defense that has proven to be a weak point this season.

TJ Jackson, defense attorney

One player on the Mountaineers’ defense who can provide a boost to the Cyclones’ offense on Saturday is Jackson.

The Troy transfer has had no trouble being a pass-rushing threat early in his season, as Jackson has amassed a team-high 3.5 sacks this season.

All of his sack numbers came in consecutive games, with at least one sack against Albany, now No. 1, 22 Pittsburgh and Kansas.

While it may be difficult to get sacks over an Iowa State offensive line that has given up just three sacks this season, don’t be surprised if Becht goes down on Saturday at the hands of a player like Jackson.