ISU coach Paul Rhoads made no excuses in the aftermath of Iowa State’s 34–8 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

“We were outcoached. We were outplayed on offense and defense and everywhere else you could look,” Rhoads said.

Iowa State (5–5, 2–4 in Big 12) entered Saturday’s game stumbling slightly after being shut down 35–10 in a mistake–filled game against Texas A&M a week earlier, but the Cyclones were confident they had put those errors behind them.

However, as was the case against the Aggies, Iowa State struggled to stay with the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State’s (7–2, 4–1) halftime lead was only 13–0, but the Cyclones had not moved the ball any farther than the Cowboys’ 42–yard line and had totaled only 93 yards of offense. As the offense continued to falter at the start of the second half, Oklahoma State slowly put the game out of reach.

“We all went into the game knowing that we could compete with those guys,” said junior tight end Collin Franklin. “We just didn’t come out the way we wanted to. We didn’t execute the way we know how to. Sometimes it hurts more to lose in a close game, but when you lose back-to-back games when you didn’t compete the way you know how to, that really hurts.”

Through the first seven games of the season, Iowa State’s offense put up an average of 26.4 points per game. Over the last three games, the Cyclones have averaged only nine. Before Alexander Robinson’s 45–yard fourth-quarter touchdown catch and run from quarterback Austen Arnaud broke the Cowboys’ shutout, Iowa State had gone through its last 12 quarters with only two touchdowns.

“It’s been real frustrating the last couple of weeks not putting up many points on the board,” said wide receiver Josh Lenz, whose 113 kick return yards were one of the few bright spots for the Cyclones. “We just need to start clicking more as an offense.”

Arnaud made his return to the field after missing the last two weeks with an injured throwing hand. Facing tremendous pressure from the Cowboy defense throughout the game, Arnaud completed only 14 of his 27 passes for 188 yards, tossing three interceptions. Having been sacked only twice in seven games this season, Arnaud was taken down three times.

Iowa State’s passing struggles were perpetuated by the Cyclones’ woes on the ground.

Oklahoma State’s defensive pressure rendered the ISU running game — first in the Big 12 coming into the game — practically helpless, holding the Cyclones to only 54 yards.

“We were never able to establish any type of running game,” Rhoads said. “We didn’t get blocks and we didn’t get things to open up. When you become one–dimensional it is hard to be productive as a football team.”

Arnaud echoed the words of his teammates when asked about root of the offense’s troubles.

“Executing. That’s the main thing that it comes down to as an offense and a defense,” Arnaud said, “and we didn’t do that today on offense. I felt the defense played a heck of a game, but that doesn’t count for anything if we can’t score points.”

As the offense failed to find a rhythm, the ISU defense was subjected to almost 40 minutes of on-field action. The Cyclones held the Cowboys to 142 yards passing but eventually were worn down by the Oklahoma State running game. Led by running back Keith Toston’s 206–yard, three–touchdown performance, the Cowboys totaled 331 yards on the ground.

“We were missing a lot of our gaps well, and that’s what happens — you give up a lot of rushing yards,” said defensive end Christopher Lyle.

With a 5-5 record on the season, Iowa State has only two chances remaining to secure bowl eligibility with win number six. To do that, the Cyclones know they must find a way to cure their anemic offensive play from the past two weeks.

“We know we’ve got a great team and have the potential to be a great team, but we haven’t reached that potential yet,” Franklin said. “Everybody has to get their mind focused on doing their job better every time they are in practice or in a game. We were flat today, and it’s frustrating, but we can turn that around.”