Iowa State will return home to Jack Trice Stadium to play the 15th-ranked Utah Utes in their first conference game of the season on Saturday afternoon (2:30 p.m. CT, FOX) 

After a big 55–7 win over Bowling Green where everyone showed up, the Cyclones will be hoping for the same as they look for a statement win over No. 15 Utah to kick off the Jimmy Rogers era. 

Here are three Iowa State position groups to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's game. 

This should be a great test for this Iowa State offensive line. Coming off a game where they were able to dominate on the line of scrimmage and move people to the second level, they will have the challenge of trying to do it again against Utah.

The Utes have one of the most physical front sevens in college football, only allowing 75 rushing yards per game (2.7 yards per carry) and logging 11 total sacks on the season. This powerful four-man front wants to suffocate the run on early downs and get after the quarterback on third downs.

Being a run-first team by nature, and with the lack of a passing game in the first three games of the season, this Cyclone offensive line will have to lean on people in this matchup. It will be interesting to see if they can mimic last week's performance.

This Iowa State secondary has been solid to start the season, holding opposing teams to only 166.5 passing yards per game. In the Cyclones' game against Bowling Green in week 3 of the season, they were able to hold the Falcons to only 96 passing yards on 22 pass attempts. They now have the challenge of trying to duplicate that performance as they face Utah this week.

It won't be easy for this secondary to stop Utah's passing attack. The Utes come into this game averaging 285.3 passing yards over the past three games. Quarterback Devon Dampier has been on an absolute tear to start the season, with 690 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 71.6%; he has simply been picking apart defenses. The performance of this secondary will be important to the outcome of this game. Look for them to get attacked early in this game.

The defensive line will need to play up to the competition this week, taking on this high-powered Utah offense. Overall, the defensive line has been solid this season; they have been stout against the run, allowing only 80 rushing yards per game and have six sacks over the past three games. Their issue is that all six sacks came in one week of the season, and they need that to change as they face off against this Utah team.

The Utes' offensive line has proven to be solid to start the season; with an average of  232.7 rushing yards per game and having only allowed two sacks this season. They can maul you on the ground and protect their quarterback. This Cyclone defensive line will have to step up and make plays if the team wants to get a win on Saturday. 

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