Iowa State football: Takeaways from coach Matt Campbell's availability ahead of Houston

AMES — Iowa State football did it, emerging from its three-game nonconference schedule with an undefeated 3-0 record to start Big 12 Conference play.

But the Cyclones (3-0) aren’t alone with their unblemished record. BYU (4-0), Utah (4-0) and UCF (3-0) stand undefeated, too, at the top of the conference standings. But Iowa State doesn’t face any of those teams this week.

The Cyclones – sitting at No. 19 in the USA Today LMB Coaches Poll – start conference play with a matchup against Houston. The Cougars haven’t fared as well as Iowa State – starting the season off with a 1-3 record – but they will have home field advantage Saturday at 6 p.m.

Iowa State seems ready for the challenge, with a defense ranked ninth nationally allowing an average of just 9.7 points per game.

Here are two takeaways from Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell’s media availability Tuesday ahead of the Week 5 matchup.

Another not-so-familiar face in Houston football

There’s a first time for everything, and Saturday’s matchup will be the first between Iowa State and Houston. That means the Cyclones will have faced three new opponents in their first four games, the only familiar foe in that stretch being Iowa.

Houston is in the midst of a rebuild, something that Campbell knows about all too well.

But Iowa State isn’t taking Houston for granted, especially with Willie Fritz in his first season at the helm of the program. Fritz ranked fifth nationally among active FBS head coaches with 208 wins entering the season.

“We’ve been there,” Campbell said. “They’re a team that’s building. …They’ve got a football coach that’s turned around two incredible football programs and built two great programs.

“So, it’s a team that’s got great potential and great talent. There’s times where they’re playing elite football and they’re just trying to find that consistency.”

Houston football quarterback Donovan Smith has experience against Iowa State

This might be the first time the Cyclones will play Houston, but it is not the first time that Iowa State will face off against Donovan Smith.

Smith spent time at Texas Tech before transferring to Houston. He beat Iowa State twice, once in 2021 and again in 2022. The latter game was less exciting, with Smith recording just two rushing yards and one touchdown.

But in 2021, Smith put on a show against the Cyclones. He led Texas Tech to a 41-38 win with 322 passing yards and three touchdowns in the air plus an additional 50 yards on the ground.

Campbell spoke about Smith’s ability to get out of the pocket, extend plays and find playmakers down field. The Iowa State coach credited Smith for keeping his vision downfield and having the patience to make big plays.

“Athletic, big, strong quarterback,” Campbell said. “His ability to make all the throws…vertically down the field, sideline to sideline, and then you throw in the athleticism to extend plays.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football vs Houston: Coach Matt Campbell previews game