Kansas has played several close games that went to the final drive and that has the attention of the Iowa State coaches.

Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock will take the Big 12’s top-ranked defense to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. He has faced several of the players on the Jayhawks roster numerous times.

“A lot of these guys it seems like they've been there forever,” Heacock said. “From quarterback to wideouts to tight ends to o-line. That whole group seems like they're veterans and very talented players.”

Heacock was asked about playing against Devin Neal for the fourth time and how the Jayhawks have been playing under Jeff Grimes.

“I think Devin does a great job of running the football,” Heacock said. “They're doing a lot of things that make it really hard on you as a defense. I think Coach Grimes has gone in there and taken over that group and they challenge you in a lot of ways. They make you defend the whole entire field, and we'll have to do that. They are a very talented group, very skilled group and I think the quarterback is extremely dynamic and the tailbacks and can take it the distance in a second. So, you have to be right on your game.”

Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell is preparing his team to go on the road after suffering their first loss of the season last week against Texas Tech. Although Iowa State is 8-1, they are only favored by a field goal. Campbell echoed some of Heacock’s statements about facing an experienced KU team.

“This team probably is one of the most experienced teams in our conference coming back just across the board,” Campbell said. “You look at their offensive production, I mean, superstar players at the wide receiver position, all three of those players, I feel like we've played against them now for five or six years.”

The challenge exists to try to slow down the backfield of Neal and Jalon Daniels. They were two of the key players who started the last two games won by Kansas.

“They're really talented and really good football players,” Campbell said. “Obviously, the backfield is dynamic, I feel like another week of talking about another tailback that you’ve got a lot of respect for.

“And then at the quarterback position, a guy that's dangerous and a guy that's won a lot of football games. He’s a guy that can do it with his arm. He's got elite arm talent and yet he's also got this unique ability that he can really make you pay in the running game. He forces you to defend the football field both horizontally and vertically, probably as good as anybody in college football just because of his athleticism and his arm talent.”

Iowa State is giving up just under 16 points per game and that leads the conference. But they rank 13th against the run and have had issues with mobile quarterbacks. In games against UCF, West Virginia, and Houston they gave up over 250 yards rushing to quarterbacks.

“It stresses all of it,” Heacock said. “It stresses the coverage in the backend. It stresses the guys up front, pressuring, keeping a guy in the pocket, but those guys are talented. That's not an easy task. And we rush three guys, so there's three guys rushing and five guys blocking and a very talented guy behind them.”

Iowa State plays a 3-3-5 defense, which Kansas has seen several times this year. Kansas State plays the same scheme, but blitzes a lot more. Heacock said they will have to disguise their looks and be ready for an offense that uses different ways to attack.

“You have to have some great zone eyes behind them,” Heacock said. “You have to have some spies at times. You have to pressure them at times. We've tried to change it up and you also have to understand again that those guys are very talented. They may get out and make a run. The key is to not let it change the game. And I think that's the big thing in all of this together is to try to keep it in a box and try to do a good job of it.”