Grant Rohach and Paul Rhoads both knew it after watching film on Sunday, Nov. 10.

The freshman quarterback and his coach knew the first-time starter for Iowa State didn’t grade out well in the ISU football team’s 21-17 loss to Texas Christian on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. Fundamentally, Rohach was not where he nor the ISU offense wanted him to be.

“He missed too many passes. He made too many poor decisions. He’s the first to recognize that,” Rhoads said of Rohach. “He knew it, and he knew it when he faced you and professed that right away, and the film certainly backed that up.”

When he faced the media Saturday immediately after the Cyclones’ (1-8, 0-6 Big 12) loss, Rohach noted poor decision-making on his part and missing passes that should be completed. He finished the game 18-of-38 passing for 148 yards with the longest pass being an 18-yard toss.

After watching film, Rohach found one more area he can focus on in preparation for the upcoming game against Oklahoma.

“As much as everybody thinks the quarterback throws the ball with all arm, footwork plays a very key role in how well any quarterback passes,” Rohach said. “I think there were some throws where my feet may have been set wrong or I didn’t have a very good base in certain situations, which are things you can improve on pretty quickly.”

This week on the ISU practice field is where those fixable mistakes Rohach said he made will tried to be corrected after he was named the starter on the ISU depth chart Monday morning.

Sophomore Sam Richardson, who has started eight games for the Cyclones this season, came in sporadically throughout Saturday’s game against TCU. After dealing with an ankle injury hindering him for most the season, Richardson is now dealing an injured thumb, preventing him from throwing the ball in the way Rhoads would like to see.

“In my opinion right now, [Rohach will] be the starting guy for Saturday because he’s more capable of throwing the ball right now,” Rhoads said. “I want to go for that talent level of him being able to throw the ball with the most velocity whether it’s touch, intermediate or deep ball, he gives us the best opportunity when it comes to that right now. Right now meaning Oklahoma week.”

At the conclusion of the season, Rhoads said the quarterback competition will be wide open. Just as it has been the last couple of years in January, the job will be up for grabs between a number of players, this time it will be Richardson, Rohach, Trevor Hodge and Joel Lanning vying for the spot.

But for now, Rohach is focused on taking snaps with the first team offense against Oklahoma on Saturday and maintaining a clear mind throughout the week to right the wrongs he saw in himself against TCU.

“I’m just going to approach the same way as I have every other week and just be as prepared as I can be,” Rohach said. “But being on the depth chart as the starter two weeks in a row is a little more relaxing”