Iowa State vs. Texas: Longhorns Win Big, Look Ready to Shock Kansas State

The Texas Longhorns have been on a roll since Oct. 20, winning four straight games, including a beat down over the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday.

In a game that was dedicated to former Texas head coach Darrell Royal, who passed away earlier this week, the team had no issues whatsoever in this meeting. 

Texas exploded for over 600 yards of offense, winning the game by a score of 33-7.

Even though the Longhorns still have TCU left on the schedule, with the way they have been playing lately, you can't help but take an early peek to the Dec. 1 matchup against Kansas State.

The Wildcats are currently undefeated and No. 2 in the BCS rankings (before Alabama lost), making this a huge matchup to close out the regular season.

David Ash has really stepped up his quarterback play in the last two games, throwing five combined touchdowns and no interceptions. In Saturday's game against Iowa State, the sophomore led this team down the field consistently and completed 80.6 percent of his passes.

The three-headed monster at running back has finally started to click, with Malcolm Brown returning to the lineup and rushing for 31 yards on 10 carries. As a team, Texas rushed for 222 yards, averaged nearly five yards per carry and scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground.

The much-maligned defense has not allowed more than 22 points in each of the last three games. The unit held Iowa State to only 277 total yards, including only 133 yards through the air (while also forcing two turnovers).

The performance has to have caught the attention of Kansas State.

Taking a trip to Bill Snyder Family Stadium later in the year certainly won't be easy, especially if quarterback Collin Klein is 100 percent, but with the way the Longhorns have turned things around, it should turn out to be a good football game. At least, better than what many were previously expecting.

The defense of the Longhorns is allowing fewer big plays and actually looking like the team we all expected to see in the beginning of the season. The depth at running back is healthy and producing lately, while Ash has avoided costly turnovers the last two weeks—a problem that played a role in the Longhorns' struggles earlier in the year.

Both Big 12 programs have one test remaining on the schedule before these two clubs meet, but with Texas improving on both sides of the ball, the matchup against Kansas State could result in an upset.