Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State vs Iowa recap: 3 things that we learned

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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What did we learn from Saturday evening’s big Iowa State vs Iowa rivalry game in Iowa City?

Iowa entered Saturday night’s game against heated rival Iowa State ranked 16th in the country and hoping for a big win and jump in the Week 3 polls. The Hawkeyes raced out to a big lead early and didn’t look back.

Senior quarterback C.J. Beathard is 1-0 against the Cyclones as a starter and wanted to finish his career undefeated against Iowa State. He got his wish as the Hawkeyes dominated through the air and on the ground while the defense held Iowa State in check.

The Hawkeyes improved to 2-0 on the year with a 42-3 win and it’s the second straight win for them in the series. Iowa has won six of nine games in the rivalry and they’ll play North Dakota State next week before Big Ten play begins.

As for Iowa State, the Cyclones have now lost to both in-state foes — Northern Iowa and Iowa — to begin the year and that’s not the ideal start they were looking for. The No. 15 Horned Frogs of TCU are next on the schedule.

What did we learn from Iowa’s impressive win over in-state rival Iowa State?

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1. C.J. Beathard is capable of leading Iowa far

As a senior quarterback, Beathard has been through the ups and downs of a collegiate career. He sat for a couple years behind Jake Rudock, won the starting job and watched Rudock transfer to Michigan and get drafted and now he’s considered one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. After a strong Saturday night showing against a top rival, it’s clear he might take another step in 2015 and push for a playoff spot.

Beathard passed for 235 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-28 passing.

2. Iowa has a deadly duo in the backfield

LeShun Daniels Jr. is the bigger, bruising back and the senior might be listed as the starter right now, but junior Akrum Wadley packs some punch of his own. The two complement each other perfectly as Daniels can get the job done between the tackles and Wadley can come in to get a big-gainer or even catch a pass. Thunder and lightning combos are always the best.

3. Iowa is lightyears ahead of Iowa State

Like I said before, it was crazy to think Iowa State had won three of the previous five matchups heading into Saturday night, but with Kirk Ferentz seemingly turning a corner, the Hawkeyes are lightyears ahead of the Cyclones. That might not hold up forever, but Iowa is currently the premier team from the state and might end up challenging for a playoff spot yet again.

Highlights

Iowa State desperately needs to figure some things out before Week 3’s contest against TCU, but will Iowa keep dominating like it has?

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