Tom Herman figures Iowa State’s negative will be used as a positive — that David Montgomery’s first-half absence Saturday from the Iowa State-Texas game won’t be a Cyclones deal-breaker.

“Montgomery is a heck of a player,” the Texas coach said on the Big 12 teleconference Monday. “Anytime you have to sit a guy of his ability level for a half, what really good teams do — and they certainly are — is that they rally the troops and everybody gives extra effort to compensate for the loss of him.

“I don’t know if the game plan changes very much who they are.”

Now, the question is about who replaces Montgomery in Iowa State’s starting lineup during the 7 p.m. game in Austin, Texas. The depth chart usually lists the four possibilities with an “or” between their names, so take your pick: Sheldon Croney or Johnnie Lang or Kene Nwangwu or Mike Warren.

If last Saturday’s win against Baylor means anything, Lang had Iowa State’s second-most carries among the tailbacks. Quarterback Brock Purdy was the Cyclones’ leading rusher, so there’s that run-pass-option element, too.

“We’ve had to play football without David this year a bunch of different times, and obviously in a whole game,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “We’re fortunate to have a really talented backfield.”

An upper arm injury sidelined Montgomery during Iowa State’s 48-42 victory at Oklahoma State — a game in which Purdy passed for 318 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 84 more yards and a touchdown.

So who starts in Montgomery’s place?

“We’ll take it through the week,” Campbell said. “All those guys bring a lot of different qualities to the table.”

All that’s known heading into the game between teams tied for third place and teams in the hunt to play in the Big 12 Conference championship game is that Montgomery will spend the first half on the sidelines. He was ejected with 10 ½ minutes remaining last Saturday.

Big 12 rules state: “If a player is disqualified for fighting in the second half, they are disqualified for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next game.”

That’s from an email the conference sent to reporters after Saturday’s game. A review process can determine if harsher penalties need to be dealt — and the Big 12 told the Register Monday that none were levied. Campbell said Iowa State did not appeal Montgomery’s penalty.

"(Montgomery) responded to a negative situation, and we know in this sport, when you respond, there's a penalty to it,” Campbell said. “Nobody’s more disappointed in how he responded than David. Nobody has owned it better than David.”

Montgomery, who retaliated after defensive end Greg Roberts reached around an official to smack him in the helmet, enters Saturday’s big game with 765 yards. He has an opportunity to become Iowa State’s first rusher with 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Ennis Haywood in 2000 and 2001.

Montgomery was ejected two plays after Baylor’s Chris Miller was flagged for a late hit deep into the Iowa State sidelines — and into the sideline Gatorade table.

“I would like to apologize to cyclone nation and my team for my actions,” Montgomery tweeted after the game. “Me as a captain should have not reacted the way I did and I sincerely apologize for that!!! But I will defend my brothers no matter what and i stand on that!”

Saturday night is a game between teams with 5-2 Big 12 records. Iowa State is 6-3 overall, while Texas is 7-3. The Longhorns are 14th on the Coaches’ Poll, while the Cyclones are 18th. Both have a path to the Dec. 1 title game.

“They’re a lot like us,” said Herman, Iowa State’s offensive coordinator between 2009-11. “They want to run the football and play-action pass on first and second down.”

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.