2027 Week Six Preview
Iowa State (4-2) @ #17 Arizona State (5-0)
The Devil's Due Mailbag — Week Five Preview
By: Emilio Suarez
Published: October 8th, 2027
Arizona State will look to remain perfect this weekend as the Sun Devils prepare to host Big XII foe Iowa State at Mountain America Stadium. The Cyclones are looking more like their in-state rival Iowa than ever before, boasting one of the top defenses in the country, while being entirely anemic offensively.
They'll look to put the Sun Devils in the spin cycle this weekend and be the first team to hand Charlie Weis Jr. a loss when they storm Tempe this weekend.
Pitchfork Points
Run it up.
Does Iowa State statistically have one of the top-ranked defenses in the country? Yes. But they've also lost two games by giving up 30+ points. The formula is clear; if you make Iowa State have to score, they're going to lose. All four of the Cyclones wins came with the opposition being held under two touchdowns. It's time to see if these Cyclones really are a whirlwind of problems, or if they've blown over some paper houses this season.
New changes = new production?
Charlie Weis Jr. and his staff weren't shy announcing they were moving the receivers around. Jaren Hamilton is expected to slide across from Raiden Vines-Bright, with Austin Carlisle getting 'a ton' of reps at slot this game. The biggest question is, can they keep their production up if they aren't force-feeding Kyson Brown?
Less bend from the defense
The Sun Devils' defense only gave up four field goals last week, but consistently gave up chunk yardage before finally bowing their back. A few late sacks helped diminish the yardage they gave up, but against an anemic offense like the Cyclones the defense should have a field day. Let's see a statement performance from the defense to keep the momentum moving into the second half of the season.
Big XII Week Six Matchups
Houston (1-4) @ Cincinnati (1-3)
Kansas (2-2) @ #24 BYU (3-2)
Ohio (2-2) @ West Virginia (2-3)
TCU (2-2) @ Utah (3-2)
Oklahoma State (3-2) @ Baylor (4-1)
Texas Tech (2-3) @ UCF (1-3)
Colorado (3-2) @ Arizona (2-3)
Must See Week Six Showdowns
#16 Oklahoma (4-1) @ #18 Texas (3-3)
#9 Tennessee (4-1) @ #1 LSU (4-0)
Michigan (4-1) @ #20 Penn State (2-2)
#7 Nebraska (3-1) @ #5 Ohio State (3-1)
Alabama (3-2) @ #8 Boise State (4-0)
#8 Georgia (4-0) @ #3 Missouri (4-0)
By the Numbers
Arizona State Sun Devils Iowa State Cyclones
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86 Overall // 86 Offense // 86 Defense | Team Rating | 69 Overall // 69 Offense // 71 Defense
Charlie Weis Jr (5-0) | Head Coach | Jimmy Rogers (9-9)
Ra'Shaad Samples | Offensive Coordinator | Tyler Roehl
Spread | Offensive Scheme | Power Spread
Josh Aldridge | Defensive Coordinator | Jesse Bobbit
3-3-5 | Defensive Scheme | 4-2-5
47.8 (1st) | Offensive Points Per Game | 19.3 (118th)
12.8 (3rd) | Defensive Points Per Game | 16.8 (8th)
453.0 (19th) | Offensive Yards Per Game | 345.5 (104th)
234.8 (1st) | Defensive Yards Per Game | 321.0 (17th)
Arizona State Sun Devils Iowa State Cyclones
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28-25 | Combined Record | 25-20
BYE | Week Zero | @ Bowling Green (0-4) W 24-14
BYU (3-2) W 41-31 | Week One | @ Fresno State (2-3) W 10-3
FCS W 64-7 | Week Two | Iowa (5-0) L 32-24
@ UNLV (4-1) W 42-7 | Week Three | Houston (1-4) W 17-14
@ West Virginia (2-3) W 66-7 | Week Four | Colorado (3-2) L 32-27
Utah (3-2) W 26-12 | Week Five | UCF (1-3) W 14-6
Arizona State Sun Devils Iowa State Cyclones
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N/A | Injuries | T Jamarco Desir Hamstring Tear (7 Weeks)
N/A | Injuries | C Gavin Broscious Pulled Groin (2 Weeks)
N/A | Injuries | DT Ka'Mori Moore Achilles Tear (37 Weeks)
Arizona State Sun Devils Iowa State Cyclones
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SR(RS) Austin Mack 135/210 (64%), 1,529 Yds, 13 TD, 4 INT | QB | JR(RS) Connor Moberly 126/228 (55%), 1,557 Yds, 10 TD, 5 INT
SR Kyson Brown 67 Att, 437 Yds, 4 TD | HB | SR Salahadin Allah 108 Att, 416 Yds, 2 TD
Jerome Bettis Jr. 19 Rec, 130 Yds | WR | JR Carter Pabst 34 Rec, 592 Yds, 4 TD
SO Raiden Vines-Bright 26 Rec, 387 Yds, 3 TD | WR | SR(RS) Jordyn Bailey 44 Rec, 497 Yds, 3 TD
JR(RS) MLB Luke Ferrelli 34 Tkl, 12 TFL, 4 Sacks | DEF | JR MLB Sulivan Schlimgen 48 Tkl, 5 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
SR LB Myles Graham 31 Tkl, 7 TFL, 2 Sacks, INT | DEF | SO(RS) DE Trey Verdon 18 Tk, 10 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
SR(RS) DE Keon Keeley 10 Tkl, 6 TFL, 5.5 Sacks | DEF | SR DE Malaki Ta'ase 9 Tkl, 5 TFL, 3 Sacks
SR(RS) CB JaBril Rawls 35 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2 INT | DEF | JR(RS) Seth Johnson 27 TKl, TFL, 3 INT