3 things you may have missed from Iowa State beating Texas

Iowa State won in Austin for the first time since 2010 as the Cyclones are mortal locks to play in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Texas should have beat Iowa State but Tom Herman couldn’t help but get in his own way and the Longhorns fell to the Cyclones in Austin, 23-20.

In case you were busy doing some Black Friday shopping, watching college basketball or just missed the game because you were in a food coma after gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers, here are a few things you may have missed from Iowa State’s win over Texas.

Tom Herman blew it

Herman had a chance to put Iowa State away but a pair of risky gambles came back to backfire. Texas ran a fake punt with 1:37 in the third quarter while leading 20-13. It was 4th and 8 but Texas ran a fake that gained five yards. Iowa State scored a field goal on the ensuing possession by virtue of the short field.

Then, with 8:05 left in the game and leading 20-16, Texas went for it on 4th and 1 with an Ehlinger sneak but was unsuccessful. It would have been a 30-yard field goal to take a seven-point lead but it gave Iowa State newfound life and these decisions ended up being the difference in the game.

If Herman loses his job this offseason, he can look back at these two decisions as part of the reason why he’s unemployed.

Sam Ehlinger should come back to Texas

Sam Ehlinger is a good college football quarterback and one of the three best in Texas football history, but he’s not an NFL player and should consider coming back for a bonus season in 2021. Due to the weird circumstances the pandemic has presented and years of eligibility not being incurred this year, Ehlinger should come back for a bonus senior season.

Ehlinger does not have an NFL arm and his shortcomings were on display in the final drive — among other times this year — when his inability to drive the ball down the field hurt the comeback attempt. Plus, he took an ill-advised sack to leave Texas attempting a 57-yard field goal with two seconds left. It was an inexcusable lapse by a veteran quarterback.

With Ehlinger not having a chance to make an NFL roster as a quarterback and his skill-set unlikely to see him convert to another position, Ehlinger should come back at Texas where he could possibly play for a new head coach and go out with a happier ending.

Matt Campbell had the eyes of NFL and college football watching

Iowa State’s Matt Campbell was already on the radar for higher-profile jobs, but with the entire nation watching on Black Friday, he may be the preeminent coach to hire this offseason. Iowa State football fans have been bracing for this reality for the last few years, but it’s likely this is his last season in Ames.

Could Michigan and Jim Harbaugh part ways and open a path for Campbell to come to the Big Ten and coach the Wolverines?

Perhaps he replaces Herman at Texas? That’s less likely.

However, what if the NFL comes calling for the 40-year-old Ohio native?

He’ll have no shortage of suitors after his success in turning around the Iowa State football program from perennial doormats to potential Big 12 champions. He could follow Matt Rhule who left Baylor for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers after his turnaround with the Bears.

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