Good Cop: Owen Slinde
After a disappointing loss on homecoming, the Cyclones look to bounce back against BYU Saturday night.
Last weekend’s game was a rollercoaster for me and I’m sure for most of Cyclone Nation. the team could not get anything done in that first half, and then they got some momentum. They had all the momentum when Becht had the keeper and then “Juicy Wiggle” came on. But then it got shut down as Kansas had a one-play, 80-yard touchdown pass to suck the energy out of Jack Trice Stadium.
This week, the defense has to be better. Another night game in a tough environment, they have to prove themselves. Corners and linebackers seemed lost and there were many gaps in the middle of the field. I think they are going to take that as a learning opportunity and play with much more composure.
Offensively, Rocco Becht still threw for 216 yards and even wide receiver Jaylin Noel had that 42-yard pass to Jayden Higgins which I loved. Maybe more tricks wouldn’t hurt, or at least one per game would be exciting.
While we know this offense is ever-improving and evolving, expect to still see improvements on the run game. That way, it’ll open up avenues for the passing game, finding the tight ends and wide receivers.
As we saw, the Cyclones were too reliant on turnovers early in the season and they didn’t get one against Kansas. They also didn’t get any pressure on the quarterback with zero sacks and letting up two.
Protecting Becht will be key as well as protecting the ball as the environment will add more to the moment.
BYU has enormous success in night games but I think Iowa State will persevere in enemy territory and sneak away with yet another close game win.
Score Prediction: Iowa State 24, BYU 17
Bad Cop: Cayden Storm
Coming off a heart-breaking homecoming loss to Kansas, the Cyclones are looking to keep their Big 12 hopes alive in a tough environment at BYU.
Last week was a tough loss for the Cyclones, who played about how I anticipated against Kansas, who I think is simply just a better team at this point, even with the phantom out-of-bounds call on the kick return from Jaylin Noel that could’ve swung the outcome.
Both sides of the ball had opportunities to swing the game in the Cyclones’ favor but didn’t come through in the biggest moments.
After the Noel kick return which still resulted in the Cyclones positioned at Kansas’ 31-yard line the offense did nothing and ended up punting after starting deep in opponent territory.
Becht also had a back-breaking interception on what was really just a bad throw. Kansas would return that interception for a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead, which was ultimately too much to overcome.
One reason the Cyclones were not able to overcome the deficit was the defense giving up explosive plays in the passing game.
Kansas’ backup quarterback Jason Bean had a great night against the Cyclone defense, going 14-23 for 287 yards and a touchdown, along with seven plays of over 20 yards in the passing game.
The biggest of these plays came after Iowa State got the score within three, before giving up an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive.
The Cyclones ultimately just did not play complimentary football. It seemed like when one side of the ball would come up big, the other side would disappoint.
As for the game at BYU, I feel the Cyclones might be in a letdown spot.
One week after such a hard-fought game, and one week before a primetime showdown with Texas, having a road trip to Provo, Utah, sandwiched in between is not ideal.
I do believe that in most scenarios Iowa State is the better team, but BYU has always been such a tough environment for visitors, and I think the Cyclones will get caught sleeping.
