Possibly one of the biggest surprises of this college football season has been the success of Iowa State (6-2, 4-1).

The Cyclones enter Saturday’s matchup with West Virginia (5-3, 3-2) as the No. 15 team in the College Football Playoff Rankings, one of four teams from the Big 12 ranked inside the Top 15. While Iowa State’s playing some of its best football of the season, the Mountaineers are coming off their third loss of the year to a ranked team.

Before kickoff comes, here’s a look at the Cyclones.

Record Year in the Making in Ames

Last weekend’s victory over then-No. 4 TCU was Iowa State’s second win of the year over a top-five team. That doubles its career win total against such opponents, who ISU was a combined 1-54-1 against entering the season. The Cyclones are also 3-0 on the road this year and have won four-straight road contests dating back to last year. Iowa State’s last five-game road winning streak was in 1960-1961. The 4-1 start to conference play is also the program’s best start against conference foes.

History versus the ‘Eers

West Virginia owns a 4-1 series lead against the Cyclones dating back to the first meeting between the two in 2012.

Iowa State’s lone win against WVU came in November 2013 in Morgantown in a triple-overtime game. In last season’s meeting, running back David Montgomery ran for 141 yards but was outdone by West Virginia’s Martell Pettaway’s 181, as he led a banged up WVU ground game en route to a 49-19 win in Ames.

Balanced game plan

Since making the switch from Jacob Park to Kyle Kempt at quarterback, the Cyclones have become a very balanced offense when it comes to play calling.

Over that time, Kempt has attempted no more than 35 passes in a game, while Montgomery has gotten a healthy dose of carries out of the backfield. However, this doesn’t mean the production has been balanced. Iowa State’s ground game has been held to under 100 yards in two of the last four games, while Kempt has eclipsed 200 passing yards in all but one game.

Tall on the Outside

Like WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen and other coaches mentioned on Tuesday, Iowa State’s wide receiving corps has a height advantage.

Looking at the depth chart, six of Iowa State’s pass catchers (receivers and tight ends) are listed at 6-foot-4 and above. Eight out of 10 are listed at 6 feet or taller. This includes senior Allen Lazard, who is ISU’s career receptions leader (209) and paces this year’s team in catches (39), receiving yards (477) and touchdown catches (5). Lazard stands at 6-foot-5, which is at least two inches taller than any of listed WVU defensive backs on that side of the field.

Joel Lanning factor

Much like Lazard, senior LB/QB Joel Lanning has been playing in Ames for a while.

Yes, you read the position correctly, Lanning not only is the starting linebacker for Jon Heacock’s defense, but he also has lined up as a quarterback and run the ball for the Cyclones offense this year. Lanning leads the team with 87 total tackles.

The senior played quarterback in high school, and given that he has some experience at the QB position in college, but performs very well at another position, some could make the comparison between him and David Sills V. Holgorsen himself drew that comparison earlier this week, talking about how Lanning can dissect offenses quicker than some defensive players based on his knowledge from playing that side of the ball.

Defense wins

The Iowa State defense has been playing some of the best football in the conference, as a unit, as of late.

In its last 14 quarters played, ISU has surrendered just 27 total points, seven of which came on a kickoff returned for a touchdown last Saturday. The Cyclones have been especially good after halftime in Big 12 play, giving up just 24 combined points in the second half during its five conference games. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in scoring defense since conference play began, holding every offense its played to at least 10 points below its season average.

On the year, the Cyclones have surrendered the second-fewest total points

Closer look at the ISU D

Lanning paces Iowa State’s defense in tackles, but no one in Ames is better at getting into the backfield than J.D. Waggoner. Waggoner’s 8.5 tackles for loss is a team-best, and his 2.5 sacks give him a total of 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Marcel Spears Jr. has been around the ball plenty this season. He ranks second on the team in tackles and is among the team leaders in tackles for loss. The linebacker also a pair of interceptions, and three pass-breakups.

As a unit, the Iowa State defense has picked off ten passes and picked up seven fumbles. The 17 turnovers created is part of the best turnover margin (+10) in the Big 12.