GAME NOTES: Fresh off a statement victory over a strong opponent, the 13th- ranked Missouri Tigers hope to continue their solid play as they host Big 12 foe Iowa State. Not much has gone right for Iowa State this season, as the lone victory came over rival Iowa back in mid-September. Since that point, the Cyclones have suffered five consecutive defeats to fall to 1-7 overall. They actually put up a fight against Oklahoma last weekend, but that contest resulted in a 17-7 setback. Missouri comes into this game riding the high of a 41-10 romp over a strong Texas Tech squad. The Tigers dominated the game on both sides of the ball to earn bowl eligibility at 6-1 overall. Their lone loss occurred two weeks ago at Oklahoma by 10 points. Missouri holds a 56-34-9 series lead over Iowa State, but the Cyclones recorded a 21-16 victory in last season's clash.

Iowa State made the most of a short field in the first quarter against Oklahoma, capping a 31-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Jason Scales. Unfortunately, the offense was unable to put any more points on the board and finished with just 269 total yards. Averaging a mere 2.8 ypc, the ground attack was weak. Scales carried the ball 22 times but finished with just 46 yards. As for quarterback Bret Meyer, who ran for 41 yards, he completed 19- of-31 passes for 174 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. Iowa State is averaging just 15.1 ppg this season, as the offense has struggled in many games. Scales is gaining a mere 3.4 rushing ypc, so he obviously has plenty of room for improvement. As for Meyer, he has completed 60.6 percent of his throws for 1,564 yards with five touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.

Give the Iowa State defensive unit plenty of credit for holding the explosive Oklahoma offense to 17 points. The Cyclones were tough against the run, limiting the Sooners to 133 yards on 45 carries, an average of 3.0 ypc. Equally impressive was the pass defense, as the club avoided big plays for the most part. One negative that can be pointed out is that Iowa State permitted Oklahoma to make good on 9-of-16 third down conversion attempts. Still, the overall showing was strong. Opponents are scoring 30.8 ppg against the Cyclones, who have yielded 13 rushing touchdowns and 15 passing scores. It should be pointed out that 21 turnovers by Iowa State have put the defense in tough situations on many occasions. Alvin Bowen leads the ISU defense with 66 total tackles, including 7.5 TFLs.

The Missouri offense achieved tremendous balance in the victory over Texas Tech last weekend, as the Tigers ran for 212 yards while throwing for 210 yards. It was a total team effort for Missouri, as four different players rushed for at least 30 yards. Jimmy Jackson carried 12 times for 59 yards, and he reached the end zone three times for the Tigers. As for Chase Daniel, the club's quarterback, he completed 14-of-19 passes with one touchdown and one interception. Missouri is racking up 40.1 ppg and 517.6 total ypg as one of college football's most explosive offensive teams. It all starts with Daniel, who has completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 2,283 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Daniel has also run for three scores. Several backs contribute to the running game, while Martin Rucker leads the receivers with 47 catches for 525 yards.

The fact that Missouri was able to hold Texas Tech to 10 points last weekend has to be considered one of the greatest achievements of the college football season by any team. The Red Raiders are one of the most explosive teams in the nation, not accustomed to being limited to one touchdown. With minus-nine rushing yards allowed, the Tigers made Tech even more one-dimensional than normal. Sure, the Red Raiders were able to post 397 passing yards, but it took 69 attempts to reach that figure. With four interceptions and three sacks, Missouri made Tech's Heisman Trophy candidate at the quarterback position look like a rookie starting his first game. Opponents are posting 22.4 ppg and 401.0 total ypg against Missouri, which has been solid against both the run and the pass. Opponents have many more passing yards than rushing yards against the Tigers, but that is mainly because foes have been forced to abandon the run while trying to close large deficits.

There is no reason to believe that Iowa State can win this game on the road. Expect the Tigers to jump on top early and never look back.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Missouri 31, Iowa State 10