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Texas and Iowa State will meet for the last time as Big XII rivals this weekend as the Longhorns gear up for a move to the SEC. ISU offensive lineman Jarrod Hufford is planning a somber exit for the burnt orange.
He spiced this final meeting up with some interesting pregame comments. Safe to say, he’s amped up to host the ‘Horns in Ames on Saturday night.
Hufford touched on a number of things he despises about the Lonestar State program, noting an arrogant mindset as a driving factor.
That outlook might resonate with a number of programs in the Big XII, especially given Texas’s decision to chase the money in the SEC as opposed to preserving its historic rivalries in the Southwest.
Two different pictures come to mind when you think about these foes.
On one end, you have a Longhorn brand that might be college football’s biggest (and richest!). Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the amount of funds dumped into its athletic programs.
On the other, you have an Iowa State brand that immediately paints an image of farming and blue-collar hard work.
Look no further than the recent NIL landscape. One side is landing Lamborghinis. Another is marketing pork (to perfection, I might add!).
Two completely opposite sides of the spectrum.
One thing they do share, though, is a hatred for the other team. Jarrod Hufford expressed that “distaste” on Tuesday.
Iowa State OL spices up Texas game.
I asked Iowa State OL Jarrod Hufford about Texas coming to Ames one final time before leaving for the SEC. Hufford gave a spicy answer, and then added some more heat when answering @TravisHines21 follow-up question. pic.twitter.com/W0gXaGVzPj
— Mark Freund (@MarkFreundTV) November 14, 2023
“It’s definitely gonna be one heck of a farewell present… I don’t think they really know what’s going to be coming for them,” Hufford said. “When it comes to night games here, especially against Texas, we’ve beat them, what, four of the last five times they’ve been here? They don’t have a good record here, and we have a distaste [for them] in our mouth.”
Hufford then explained that distaste further, going scorched earth on the ‘Horns.
“We wanna send them off to the SEC with a loss on our end. Ever since I got here, it was Iowa and Texas… That program, much like Oklahoma, they get all the big 5-star recruits, they have all the nicest stuff in the world, and they just think their s— don’t stink… They’re just people that have such a high ego that it needs to be checked.”
Talk about not holding anything back.
Hufford is right about Texas not having much success in Ames of late. After winning their first four road matchups in the series, the Longhorns have dropped three of their last four contests in Jack Trice Stadium.
In those three losses, Texas has been outscored 77-28.
The Longhorns ended a three-game losing skid in the series last year with a 24-21 win in Austin. They should have some extra motivation to move that streak to two wins following Hufford’s comments.