After playing two straight games on the road, with a bye week in between, the Iowa State Cyclones are returning to Jack Trice Stadium in Week 9 for a night game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

It is the first game this season under the lights, which will create a great atmosphere to help rally a team that has lost two in a row. This will be the fifth opponent for the Cyclones who is ranked this season, which has created plenty of tough situations for the team to navigate.

How will things go against the Cowboys? Here are four bold predictions for the game.

Drew Mestemaker Lights It Up

Slowing down opposing passing games has been a struggle for Iowa State this season. Now, they are facing their toughest assignment on defense against a high-octane Oklahoma State unit led by quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

He currently leads the Big 12 with 2,326 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Mestemaker has picked up right where he left off at North Texas, following his head coach Eric Morris to Stillwater. Against the Cyclones, he will continue lighting it up.

The star quarterback will reach the 400-yard mark against an overmatched Iowa State passing defense, while throwing for four touchdowns. They haven’t been able to generate pressure, which will give Mestemaker the chance to sit in the pocket and pick them apart just as Bear Bachmeier and Noah Fifita did.

Aiden Flora Keeps Pace With Caleb Hawkins

The only way the Cyclones have a chance to keep pace in this game is to control the clock and get the running game going. Aiden Flora is key to that and he will be up to the task against a Cowboys team that has given up its fair share of yardage this season.

Flora will record at least 150 combined yards on offense to keep Iowa State in the game. That will be enough to match Oklahoma State star Caleb Hawkins, who has lived up to the hype in Year 1 with the Cowboys. He has 984 yards from scrimmage this season with three touchdowns.

Jaylen Raynor Keeps Starting Job

The biggest takeaway from last week’s ugly loss to Arizona was the benching of Jaylen Raynor. He was removed from the game at halftime, but head coach Jimmy Rogers has announced he will be going back to the veteran for this one.

This will likely be his last chance to prove the starting job should be his for the remainder of the season. After being benched, he will respond with poise and have his best game of the season to hold onto the job for at least one more week.

Raynor will complete at least 65 percent of his passes and throw for 225+ yards. He will have two scores through the air and add another one on the ground to do what he can to keep pace in a high-scoring affair.

Cyclones Lose Shootout

Iowa State has shown they can score, winning a shootout with the West Virginia Mountaineers 45-42 in their last win. Another performance like that on offense will be needed against the Cowboys.

The Cyclones will have their moments, but ultimately fall short, leaving Rogers 0-5 thus far in his tenure against ranked opponents. Oklahoma State will leave Ames with a convincing 49-28 victory against an Iowa State team that doesn’t have the personnel to keep up on defense.