Estimated read time: 9-10 minutes
Editor's note: Read the schedule preview of Southern Utah and Baylor in Part 1 here, Utah State and Oklahoma State in Part 2 here, Arizona and Arizona State in Part 3 here, TCU and Houston in Part 4 here, and BYU and Colorado in Part 5 here.
SALT LAKE CITY — We continue down Utah's 2024 schedule with the final two opponents of the regular season — a home game against Iowa State and a final road game on Black Friday at UCF.
Listen to a breakdown of these games weekly on the Utah Checkdown podcast.
Iowa State Cyclones
Date: Saturday, Nov. 23 (TBA)
Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, UT
2023 record: 7-6 (6-3 Big 12)
Final AP ranking: N/A
Last meeting: Oct. 10, 2010, Ames; Utah won 68-27
Preseason win projection: 7.5 wins
Big 12 preseason poll: 6th
A lot has changed between the two programs since Utah went into Ames, Iowa, and dominated the Cyclones in Utah's only win over the Big 12 program. Former Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 68-27 victory amid an 8-0 start to the season for the Utes in 2010.
(I won't remind you about how that winning streak came to an end.)
Now as conference opponents, Utah welcomes a well-coached Cyclones team to Salt Lake City in what will be senior day for the Utes. On paper, Iowa State is arguably the closest to Utah on defense in the Big 12 and brings in an experienced roster that is very capable of ruining the atmosphere of Utah's final home game of the regular season.
The Cyclones return quarterback Rocco Becht after a strong redshirt freshman season, in which he threw for 3,120 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in all 13 games — not bad for his first full season.
If Becht can continue to progress, Iowa State is in for another good season on offense, especially with what the team has surrounding him. With that said, though, the Iowa State offense wasn't anything out of this world and was more middle-of-the-row as the 81st best team in total offense.
In the backfield, freshman Abu Sama III took charge to lead the run game, finishing with 614 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. It was enough production to send Eli Sanders (New Mexico) and Cartevious Norton (Charlotte) into the transfer portal.
Sama is the guy, but for good measure head coach Matt Campbell brought in Eastern Michigan veteran back Jaylon Jackson — he rushed for 576 yards and had two touchdowns last season — to help add depth and experience to the running back room.
But even with his production, Iowa State only managed 119.9 rushing yards per game — good for 103rd in the country. The expectation is this will be improved this season, but by how much?
Wide receiver is where Iowa State can flourish on offense, with a veteran unit that remains intact from last season. The Cyclones return their top four receivers, including leading receiver Jayden Higgins, who narrowly missed a 1,000-yard season with 983 yards and six touchdowns in all 13 games. He was also the second highest-graded offensive player in PFF.
Lining up alongside him is Jaylin Noel (820 yards, 7 TDs) and tight end Benjamin Brahmer, who added 352 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman — he also was the fourth highest-graded offensive player in PFF.
They add Army leading receiver Isaiah Alston, who finished last season with 266 yards and two touchdowns in four games, and North Dakota State receiver Eli Green from the transfer portal to provide more depth.
Outside of maybe Oklahoma State, Iowa State returns arguably one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12 with several of their starters returning. That should bode well for an offense looking to take a jump in Matt Campbell's ninth season with the Cyclones.
The biggest question on offense surrounds new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who was promoted to the position after being the tight end coach. The previous OC, Nathan Steelhaase, left to the NFL after one season in the position. Steelhaase managed a complete turnaround in one year after his promotion to OC, so the blueprint has already been set for Mouser to have a similar impact.
But time will tell.
When talking defense in the Big 12, Iowa State has been among the best year in and year out. Campbell has created a team that has consistently been among some of the best in the Big 12 the last few years, and that's largely due to defensive coordinator Jon Heacock and a scheme called the "Dime Stack."
It's a 3-3-3 scheme, with three safeties in various capacities to counter much of the spread schemes that have taken over college football, as being the biggest difference to that of traditional defensive schemes. And it's largely worked for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones lose veteran linebacker Gerry Vaughn and corner TJ Tampa, but return their top three tacklers (among others), and return linebacker Caleb Bacon, who was the highest-graded player on defense for the Cyclones in PFF. Bacon will certainly be a focal point to the defense that returns almost all starters.
Safeties Jeremiah Cooper and Malik Verdon graded out as the best players on the team in coverage, limiting opposing quarterbacks to significantly low NFL passer ratings, and will be considered two of the best in the Big 12 this season.
Corners Beau Freyler and Myles Purchase will continue to add to the secondary unit that remains one of the strongest assets to the defensive side of the ball.
The defensive line, too, returns all three starters, while adding defensive end Kenard Snyder (Louisiana-Monroe) to the unit to help a front that has limited teams to 134.2 rushing yards per game — good for 39th in the country.
Statistically, last season was a bit of a down year for the defense as it continued to mature, but the 2024 season could be a breakout year for the Cyclones as their now veteran defense will likely be improved.
Offense (2023 stats)
Scoring: 26.2 points (28.6 five-year average)
Rushing: 119.9 yards (143.3)
Passing: 245.0 yards (264.6)
Total offense: 364.9 yards (408.0)
Defense (2023 stats)
Scoring: 22.8 points (22.2 five-year average)
Rushing: 134.2 yards (121.3)
Passing: 228.9 yards (212.3)
Total offense: 363.2 yards (333.6)
UCF Knights
Date: Friday, Nov. 29 (6 p.m. MST, FOX)
Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium; Orlando, FL
2023 record: 6-7 (3-6 Big 12)
Final AP ranking: N/A
Last meeting: Never played
Preseason win projection: 7.5 wins
Big 12 preseason poll: 8th
The first meeting between Utah and UCF will take place on Black Friday in Orlando.
If Utah really is a title contender for the Big 12 — like they've been predicted to be in the preseason — the last game of the season against a high-octane offense could pose some significant challenges. Utah will be traveling across the country following what will be a physical battle against Iowa State, only to do it on a short week to closeout the season.
How this game goes is anyone's guess given the nature of a long season, but it's not one Utah should take lightly.
While Iowa State is known for its defense, Gus Malzahn's team is known for its offense.
The Knights were one of the better incoming four teams last season, but still finished with a 3-6 conference record. If not for UCF, the four new teams would have had a worse combined record. And UCF is expected to be even better in 2024 — at least on paper.
That all starts with quarterback transfer KJ Jefferson, who comes to Orlando in his final season of football after a successful career at Arkansas. The dual-threat QB has found his home with Malzahn, who is known for an uptempo, no huddle offense that puts a premium on running the ball.
Jefferson has been a good passer, but he has the ability to gash teams in the run game, too. Last season, Jefferson threw for 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions on a 64.2% completion percentage, while adding 447 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. That was a down year following his 2022 campaign.
With Jefferson under center, Malzahn can do seemingly anything he wants, especially with the talent around him a year after recording the eighth best total offense in the country.
UCF returns its star running back in RJ Harvey, who rushed for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He's joined by Johnny Richardson, who rushed for 573 yards last season as the team's second-leading rusher.
The team adds an up-and-coming back in Louisville transfer Peny Boone and Cincinnati transfer Myles Montgomery, who finished last season as the Bearcats' third-leading rusher with 428 yards. Basically, UCF is loaded in the run game.
To add to that, the receivers in UCF's system get theirs, too. The Knights lose leading receiver Javon Baker (New England Patriots) but return their next two leading receivers — Kobe Hudson and Xavier Townsend — who combined for 1,225 yards and 11 touchdowns. Malzahn also brought in five more receivers from the transfer portal to add to the depth.
Don't overlook a UCF offense.
The biggest question on offense will come up front after UCF lost a couple offensive linemen, but the team returns the bulk of its line and has the potential to keep the momentum going in Orlando. But if there's a weakness, it will likely be here.
Defensively, that's another story for the Knights. Despite having one of the best offenses in the game, UCF could not stop opposing teams in their transition to the Big 12.
It wasn't all bad for the defense, especially in the secondary, where the team ranked 25th in pass defense; but in the trenches, the Knights got punished and allowed an average of 194.3 rushing yards per game — good for 125th out of 133 teams.
It all amounted to more losses than wins for the Knights last season. And it led to a change at defensive coordinator, with Ted Roof now calling the shots. Roof has been with Malzahn before — and even helped him win a national championship at Auburn — and has a reputation for having top-tier run defenses.
Expect that to be an emphasis in 2024 as Roof looks to retool a once struggling run defense.
Of the 27 incoming players from the transfer portal — UCF lost 27 players in the portal — just under half (13) came on the defensive side of the ball. And most were either defensive ends or linebackers to help upgrade the talent (and replace guys that left).
At linebacker, UCF was especially vulnerable, so the incoming talent will be expected to have an immediate impact as Malzahn upgraded with proven players. Add to that good starting depth at the defensive tackles position and the defense should be improved.
Add to that incoming talent at the safety position with more veteran and proven players from the transfer portal and Roof has the making for a major upgrade on defense.
Offense will always lead out for UCF, but if the defense can get significantly better, the Knights will be a tough matchup for any team this season. The Knights were picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big 12 poll, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them finish near the top of the league.
It's still going to take some time for the Knights to likely be a consistent contender in the Big 12. The transfer portal has certainly made that timeline quicker, though, and Malzahn's experience as a coach helps — to say nothing of the fertile recruiting hotbed of Florida.
Doubt UCF at your peril.
Offense (2023 stats)
Scoring: 31.3 points (36.3 five-year average)
Rushing: 228.2 yards (217.5)
Passing: 258.8 yards (276.1)
Total offense: 487.0 yards (493.5)
Defense (2023 stats)
Scoring: 25.8 points (26.0 five-year average)
Rushing: 194.3 yards (170.2)
Passing: 196.7 yards (225.6)
Total offense: 391.0 yards (395.7)
