Iowa State sophomore linebacker Will McLaughlin did not try to hide his disdain for seventh ranked Texas. The Cyclones close out to home season against the Longhorns on Saturday night.

McLaughlin says there is always a chip on his shoulder when going against national programs like Texas.

Texas running back Jonathan Brooks is out for the season with a knee injury but McLaughlin says his replacement will also be talented.

McLaughlin says the ISU defense needs to limit big plays.

Despite injuries and the jokes and anger surrounding Iowa’s offense the Hawkeyes are a win away from clinching the Big Ten West and will try to claim the division title in their home finale against Illinois.

That’s Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. A win would send the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Championship Game for the second time in three years.

Ferentz is proud of the way his team has handled adversity in posting an 8-2 record.

Defense has carried the Hawkeyes all season but that unit has made even more strides in the last month.

Punter Tory Taylor announced he will not return for another season and will try to make it in the NFL. Taylor is not only one of the most popular players on the team Ferentz says he has also become a team leader.

Iowa State may still need some help but two wins to close the regular season will keep them in the hunt for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. It begins Saturday night at home against seventh ranked Texas. Cyclone coach Matt Campbell wants his team focused on the Longhorns and not potential tie breakers.

At 6-1 the Longhorns are alone at the top of the Big 12 standings.

Campbell was asked if the Cyclone fans will be even more motivated for the final game against the Longhorns as Big 12 foes.

In his third season at the helm Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns in the hunt for the college football playoffs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s wrestling senior Nanea Estrella has been named USA Wrestling’s athlete of the week, it was announced Tuesday by the organization.

Estrella, who is ranked third in her weight class, recorded three technical falls in the Hawkeyes first ever duals inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She defeated second-ranked Paige Wehrmeister of Presbyterian, 12-2, in the first dual.

The Makawao, Hawaii native went on to defeat Marissa Sanabria of Lindenwood and Aliza Leander of Sacred Heart, 10-0, in the second and third duals of the day.

The Hawkeyes went undefeated at the Trailblazer Duals, outscoring their opponents, 127-5, in three duals.

Iowa travel to Marshall, Missouri, this weekend to compete at the Missouri Valley Open on Friday and Saturday. The tournament will be streamed live on FloWrestling (subscription required).

THIS WEEK

University of Iowa women’s soccer travels to Clemson, South Carolina, to take on 4-seed Georgia in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Friday at Riggs Field. Second and Third Round games are hosted at eight regional sites on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19, with #1 Clemson playing host to #5 Iowa, #4 Georgia and #8 Columbia this weekend.

WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

·         NCAA Tournament Second Round matches stream live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

·         Links to streaming and live stats can be found at the gameday page on hawkeyesports.com.

·         Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

·         No. 12 Georgia (College Soccer News rankings) won the SEC Tournament, defeating No. 10 Arkansas in the championship match. The Bulldogs won the SEC East division at 4-3-3 in conference play.

·         The Bulldogs defeated Liberty, 2-1, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Midfielder Croix Bethune had a pair of assists, hitting Kiera Staude for the game-winner in the 85th minute.

·         Georgia tied Minnesota in a scoreless match on Aug. 31, its lone game against a Big Ten opponent this season; Iowa also tied Minnesota, 0-0, on Sept. 24.

·         Nicole Vernis leads the Bulldogs offensively with 17 points on five goals and a team-best seven assists.

·         Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown has totaled 68 saves at a .764 percentage; the Bulldogs average 0.99 goals against and have pitched eight shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY – GEORGIA

Iowa and Georgia meet for the first time in program history. Iowa is 2-1-2 all-time against SEC opponents, including wins over South Carolina (Aug. 27, 2006) and Missouri (Aug. 21, 2016), as well as a draw last time out against Mississippi State (Sept. 5, 2021). The Hawkeyes will face an SEC opponent in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Bulldogs have, likewise, never faced a Big Ten opponent in the postseason.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Senior guard Caitlin Clark was named the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday. Clark was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the 19th time in her career on Monday.

Clark led Iowa to three wins in seven days over, FDU, No. 8 Virginia Tech, and Northern Iowa. Last week, she averaged 32.0 ppg, 9.0 apg, 8.3 rpg, and had only four turnovers.

In Sunday’s action, Clark broke Iowa’s all-time scoring record that was previously held by Megan Gustafson. The feat took 103 career games. She recorded her 12th career triple-double and first of the season against Northern Iowa. She joined Sabrina Ionescu as the only women’s basketball players to ever record a triple-double in four different seasons.

A few days earlier on a neutral court in Charlotte, N.C., as Iowa beat then No. 8 Virginia Tech, Clark collected 44 points, six assists and eight rebounds, the fifth time in her career she has had at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The second-ranked Hawkeyes are set to host Kansas State on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (CT) in Iowa City. The game will broadcast on FS1 and on the Hawkeye Radio Network.