In a home game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, FOX), Iowa State will face the 15th-ranked Utah Utes, marking their first Big 12 matchup of the season. Coming in as underdogs, the Cyclones must perform well across all three levels of the game to avoid potential trouble. 

We've already told you why Iowa State could win this game, now it's time to look at the negative side. 

Here are three reasons why the Cyclones could lose to Utah. 

The Cyclones are facing challenges with their passing game this season, with offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl addressing the need for more consistency in the passing game over the last two weeks, but no improvement as of late. This could cause a big problem against Utah.

The Utes feature a top-ranked run defense, limiting opponents to just 75 rushing yards per game. This could lead to multiple 3rd and long situations for Iowa State and make it rely heavily on their passing game against Utah, whose secondary allows only 164.3 passing yards per game. If quarterback Jaylen Raynor and the Iowa State offense struggle to sustain drives and pass the ball efficiently, the Cyclones could be facing a long Saturday.

Utah holds one of the top offenses in the league averaging 47.3 points per game (9th in FBS) and 518.0 total yards per game (11th in FBS). This offense is led by quarterback Devon Dampier, who has had an impressive start to the season. Through three games, Dampier has 690 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and a completion rate of 71.6%.

Iowa State's secondary has had a strong performance early in the season, allowing an average of only 166.5 passing yards per game and 5.8 yards per pass attempt. The most significant performance against them was from Iowa quarterback Hank Brown, who threw for 191 yards.

Now the Cyclones face a stiff challenge with Dampier, who is undoubtedly the best quarterback they have faced so far this season, emphasizing the need for Iowa State's secondary to be able to hold up against this fast-paced spread / RPO Utah offense.

Iowa State has one of the best run-stuffing units in college football, with a defense that holds opposing offenses to only 80 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry - ranking top 10 nationally. The Cyclone will be facing one of the most explosive rushing offenses in college football.

The Utes average 232.7 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. This attack is led by running back Wayshawn Parker, who has 32 carries, for 154 rushing yards with an average of 4.8 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns this season. Duel-threat quarterback Dampier is also a threat on the ground, tallying 27 carries for 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the season. 

Iowa State will face a challenge in containing Utah's high-powered rushing attack, and the Cyclones must capitalize on their top-10 run-stuffing defense to avoid a loss. 

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