Matt Campbell prepares Iowa State football for 'explosive' Big 12 opponent Oklahoma

Iowa State football jumped out to an undefeated start through the first three games, but it has been downhill for the Cyclones ever since.

Matt Campbell’s squad has dropped the last four contests – all by one score. Sure, Baylor and Kansas State were ranked, but Iowa State holds an 0-4 record in conference play after losing each of those games by a touchdown or less.

Iowa State continues to have the worst scoring offense in the Big 12 while the Cyclones boast the conference’s best defense. ISU is the only Big 12 team without a conference win, and their hopes of any postseason play are quickly slipping away.

But Oklahoma, the Cyclones’ next opponent, hasn’t found the success it’s used to either. The Sooners (4-3) are third-last in the Big 12, in front of only Iowa State and West Virginia. Oklahoma’s only win against a conference opponent came over Kansas.

It’s hard to tell how Iowa State and Oklahoma will match up on Saturday, with both teams having down years.

Here's what Campbell said during Tuesday’s media availability.

Oklahoma is ‘as explosive as anybody in the conference'

Yes, Oklahoma has barely squeezed in a winning record ahead of the Iowa State game on Saturday.

But Campbell also knows that the Sooners have faced similar injury issues as Iowa State and when Oklahoma is healthy, that could mean trouble for the Cyclones.

“You see a team that – obviously when their quarterback’s been healthy – they’ve been as explosive as anybody in the conference,” Campbell said. “Obviously a young man that knows this system really well, has had a lot of success in this system.”

Key for Iowa State: shutting down Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who missed time this season with an injury. It’s no overstatement to say that controlling Gabriel’s production could make or break this game.

Here are the facts. Gabriel left the TCU game with an apparent head injury. He did not play in Oklahoma’s next game against Texas. The Sooners lost 49-0 and had five players attempt to fill the void left by Gabriel. He returned in Oklahoma’s win over Kansas, throwing for 403 yards and two touchdowns.

So, yes, Gabriel is an explosive playmaker when he’s healthy. Iowa State will need to limit his production as much as possible in hopes of pulling out a win.

How would Campbell evaluate his team after the bye week?

The good news for Iowa State is that it has two advantages coming into Saturday’s matchup. Not only is it a home game for the Cyclones, but they’re coming off the bye week.

A break couldn’t come at a better time for a squad that has struggled to play complete games and hasn’t won a game in over a month.

Campbell said that the Cyclones had seven games to evaluate and determine where the margins were for Iowa State to fill in. That is what a lot of the bye week focused on.

“A lot of that we’ll keep in-house as we continue to prepare for these last couple opponents,” Campbell said.

“Number one, do we have the right players on the field? Two, are we putting those guys in the right position to be successful, and if we’re not, how do we make sure whether it’s schematically or personnel-wise do we make the changes we need to make moving forward?”

A positive injury update

In true head coach fashion, Campbell didn't provide many details when asked about the health of certain players. But when asked about an update on the running back situation – since both Jirehl Brock and Cartevious Norton have dealt with issues – this is what Campbell said.

“The one thing I would tell you is we’re maybe as close to healthy as we’ve been since probably the start of the season, to be honest. Obviously at the running back spot, both Jirehl and Cartevious, (it) was huge to get the week off for them physically and both those guys look really good in practice on Sunday.”

Campbell also shared that linebacker Colby Reeder practiced on Sunday, but that the staff would see how he progressed throughout the week before making a decision about whether or not he’s ready to play.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football preps for Oklahoma's dangerous offense