Iowa State’s season is quickly coming to an end as the team enters its bye week.

The Cyclones have exceeded expectations throughout the season as they now sit at 4-3 with three wins in the Big 12. With five games left to play, there are many chances left to end on a good note.

Here is a quick recap of the ups and downs of the 2023 season so far:

Rocco Becht answers all questions at quarterback

Going into the season, there were many questions surrounding the quarterback room. After Hunter Dekkers was hit with illegal gambling charges, someone had to step up to fill his shoes.

The most likely candidate was Becht, who had experience commanding Iowa State’s offense at times in the 2022 season. The other quarterbacks were much more raw than Becht, as JJ Kohl was a true freshman and looked uncomfortable in his limited gametime and Tanner Hughes was still getting used to the Iowa State playbook after transferring from Butte College.

It took Becht one game to prove that he was bound to be Iowa State’s answer at quarterback.

Becht led the Cyclones to a big win over UNI to open the season. Since that game, Becht has been the solo starter and has played nearly every single snap on offense for the Cyclones.

Through seven games, Becht accumulated 1,464 passing yards and 12 touchdowns while only throwing five picks. He has also maintained a 60% completion percentage throughout the season, as he continuously shows off his efficiency and accuracy.

There have been multiple games throughout the Cyclones’ season that were won by the arm of Becht: most notably, the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State.

Becht went off for 348 yards on 71% completion while throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions. That game was the epitome of what Becht is capable of.

On any given Saturday, Becht could torch a Big 12 defense en route to a strong win. Looking at the games in the near future, Becht’s job is not done.

One thing is for sure: Becht is the proven man at the helm of Iowa State’s offense that can and will lead the Cyclones to success.

Inconsistent running game

Similar to the quarterback room, the running back room also had a slew of questions to answer going into the season, the main one being who would replace Jirehl Brock as the new feature back.

So far, that question has remained unanswered. Although there have been flashes of potential in every running back, none of them have consistently put together results.

Injuries kept most of the returning backs off the field in the 2022 season, and that trend seemed to move over into the 2023 season. Eli Sanders started the season banged up, which forced Cartevious Norton to lead the room.

When the Cyclones started the Big 12 season, Norton found himself on the injury report while Sanders became healthy. With at least one veteran dealing with injuries during any given week, the running back room lacked a consistent feature back.

There have been some shining moments from the freshmen in the running back room, but the moments are few and far between. Abu Sama looked to be the next great Iowa State running back, as he ripped off big runs on a regular basis to start the season.

However, Sama slowed down a bit as the season rolled on. Sama did break out for a long run against TCU for his first touchdown as a Cyclone.

The last newcomer that has gained steam over the conference season is Carson Hansen. The true freshman has made the most of his limited carries and looks to be getting more each week.

Despite the talent in the room, the Cyclones struggled in the run game through the first half of the season. Averaging over 3.5 yards per carry was a good day for the young group.

Although there have been struggles, recent weeks have seen a different story. The running game has continued to improve and looks to keep growing through the back half of the season.

Big plays haunt the defense

Iowa State’s defense has been elite for the most part. The defense has locked down many opponents throughout the season.

However, despite looking elite at times, there have been some uncharacteristic performances by the defense throughout the Big 12 season. The defense has embodied the “bend-don’t-break” mentality.

Big plays seem to happen regularly in nearly every game, which has hindered the offense’s chances of getting back on the field. Iowa State’s defense last season rarely gave up big plays, so the amount of plays given up at the start of the Big 12 season was concerning.

Besides the blowout loss to Oklahoma, the Cyclones have done a solid job overall at keeping games winnable. Despite the big plays, the Cyclones are rarely giving up touchdowns.

As the season rolls on, the Cyclones will have to keep the bend-don’t-break mentality if they want to compete with more tough Big 12 competition.

Winnable games became unwinnable

Going into the season, it seemed as though a repeat of the 2022 season would be a good outcome. Now at the bye week, the Cyclones are sitting at 4-3, with three wins in the Big 12 season.

Despite the already better start to the season than a year ago, the Cyclones could still have more wins. There were two losses that stuck out that could have flipped: the losses to Iowa and Ohio.

Although Iowa is sitting at 6-1, the Cyclones were within striking distance of a win when they took on the Hawkeyes at home. Iowa State lost by one score and was close to coming back before running out of time.

If the Cyclones played Iowa the way they have been playing in the Big 12 season, there is a good chance the Cy-Hawk trophy would still be in Ames. A loss at home to an in-state rival could have also been the momentum killer that led to a loss against Ohio.

The road loss to Ohio was the low point of the season, as the Cyclones entered that game expecting an easy victory. As halftime rolled around and the scoreboard remained empty, things were looking grim for the Cyclones.

Picking up a win against the Bobcats would put the Cyclones in a much better place at the break of the season. They would be sitting at five wins, which would make a bowl game more likely. Now at four wins, the Cyclones need to lock in and find ways to get wins in the back half of the season.

Bowl game hopes remain alive

Sitting at 4-3 is a relatively good spot for the Cyclones. They just need two more wins to be considered for a bowl game.

Looking at the remaining teams on the schedule, there are chances to pick up those last two wins. The first chance comes on the road following the bye week.

The Cyclones travel to Waco, Texas, to take on an inconsistent Baylor team. The Bears are sitting at 2-4 after recently getting blown out by Texas Tech at home.

Although Baylor has faced some tough Big 12 competition, the Bears have not shown much sign of life. Of all the games coming up, that one will be the most winnable.

The next two games following Baylor are also winnable for the Cyclones, although they pose more of a threat than Baylor. Iowa State takes on Kansas in Ames for the homecoming game and BYU on the road a week later.

Iowa State has played well so far at home, so there is a chance the game against Kansas could favor Iowa State. On the other hand, BYU is 4-2 but only has one win in the Big 12.

BYU recently got blown out by TCU, who Iowa State beat. The Cougars also lost to Kansas, who Iowa State faces a week before the BYU game.

With all three of those games being winnable, winning two of them would give the Cyclones a chance at extending their season. Even the matchups against Texas and Kansas State could be chances for the Cyclones to show how much they have improved throughout the season.