By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
STATS Senior Writer

No. 19 Oklahoma State (6-2) at Iowa State (5-4), 3:30 p.m. EDT

Oklahoma State's Big 12 title hopes took a huge blow after Zac
Robinson turned in his worst game of the season last week.

Bouncing back at Iowa State probably won't be easy, considering
how the Cowboys have played in their last two trips to Ames.

Robinson leads No. 18 Oklahoma State into its third visit to
Iowa State in 12 years, with the Cyclones expecting starting
quarterback Austen Arnaud to return to the lineup.

The home team has taken the last four meetings in this series,
with Iowa State winning 28-14 in 2001 and 37-10 in 2005, the
Cowboys' last two visits to Ames.

That may not bode well for Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-1), which
suffered its first conference loss last Saturday, 41-14 to
then-No. 3 Texas. The Cowboys fell for the 12th straight time to
the Longhorns, the only unbeaten team in the South Division.

Robinson threw a career-high four interceptions and completed 15
of 28 passes for 143 yards. His lone touchdown pass came in the
fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

"It's not all his fault, even though it may seem that way just
because he is the quarterback," receiver Justin Blackmon said.
"But you've got to keep your head up, and that's what we told
him after the game."

The Cowboys would like to see Robinson play like he did in last
season's 59-17 rout of Iowa State (5-4, 2-3) in Stillwater. He
threw for a career-high five scores and 395 yards.

Robinson needs 75 yards passing to break coach Mike Gundy's
school record of 7,997.

"Zac will be fine. Zac pressed. I've been there. I've done that
myself, and so I have a pretty good feel for what he did," Gundy
said. "We have complete confidence in his ability, and when
you're a good player at any level and you don't play well, there
will always be a question come up."

Arnaud was 20 of 35 for 240 yards, one touchdown and two
interceptions in the loss to the Cowboys last November.

He sat out the Cyclones' last two games due to a bruised
throwing hand, but says he is able to grip the ball better now
and get the velocity he needs on his passes. Arnaud has thrown
for nine touchdowns and 1,246 yards this season while rushing
for 434 yards and seven TDs.

The Cyclones split their two games without him, with Jerome
Tiller getting his first career starts. He was intercepted twice
in a 35-10 loss at Texas A&M on Saturday.

Iowa State leads the conference in rushing at more than 200
yards per game. Tailback Alexander Robinson is averaging 101.6
to lead the Big 12.

Last season, the Cowboys limited the Cyclones to 122 yards on
the ground. Robinson had 68 on 15 carries with one touchdown.

"I don't think there's any question they're going to be ready to
play and they're an improved football team," Gundy said.
"They're playing much better this year. They've got guys that
are making plays on both sides of the ball. I would think their
approach would be very similar to ours."

The Cyclones remember how well Robinson played against them last
season, and are hoping he won't be able to exploit a pass
defense that ranks 10th in the conference.

"All these spread offenses in this league are better served with
a quarterback that's dangerous with his feet as well as with his
arm, and Zac is that," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said.

The Cyclones may have a better chance of reaching the Big 12
title game than the Cowboys do despite their losing record in
the Big 12. Iowa State, trailing Kansas State by one game in the
North, can become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2005 on
Saturday.

Although their chances may be slim, the Cowboys believe they can
be a factor in the Big 12 race.

"We're just going to play one week at a time and worry about
what we can worry about," offensive lineman Brady Bond said. "We
can't control how Texas plays. We'll take it one game a week and
we've got Iowa State this week so we'll go from there."