MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Although the Cyclones came out on the losing side of the Liberty Bowl, there were still a handful of players that showed out in the 36-26 loss to Memphis.

Iowa State’s offense was explosive in the air all day long, which helped one individual bring home a trophy, even if it was not the Liberty Bowl trophy. Along with that, even though the defense fell short at times, one player did all he could to keep the game in winnable range for the team.

Iowa State’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player
Rocco Becht – Quarterback

Becht was named Iowa State’s most outstanding player for his historic night against Memphis. The freshman quarterback threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns in the tight game.

Becht also carried the ball a handful of times, which resulted in 21 yards rushing, although 25 of those yards were brought back from a pair of sacks. Becht was the sole reason Iowa State was alive throughout the Liberty Bowl, as he helped the Cyclones score when they needed to.

Becht’s 446 passing yards were also the most in school history in a bowl game. Along with that, his three passing touchdowns tied him for the most in a bowl game in school history as well.

Becht’s lights-out performance also moved him up the school leaderboards. He finished with 26 total touchdowns, which puts him in second behind Brock Purdy in total and passing touchdowns in a season. He also became the fourth player in Iowa State history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season.

Along with his record-breaking freshman season, he moved up the Big 12 leaderboard. His 3,120 passing yards moved him to third most in Big 12 history by a freshman.

In the end, Becht’s historic night was not enough to earn a bowl win, but it was enough to earn him the Most Outstanding Offensive Player award.

Iowa State’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Beau Freyler – Defensive back

Freyler also had a historic night alongside Becht, despite the defense letting up 36 points. He was all over the field, wrapping up Memphis players and proving his worth as the last line of defense.

Freyler finished the game with 10 solo tackles, which was the most in a bowl game in Iowa State history. That broke his own record that he set in 2021, when he recorded nine solo tackles in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Freyler also finished the game with 11 total tackles. Although the defense had issues at times tackling, Freyler seemed to be as strong as always.

Freyler also had to step up as one of the veterans on defense with T.J. Tampa opting out to focus on the NFL Draft. Freyler helped the Cyclones lock in later in the game, as they only gave up 17 points in the final three-quarters of play, which was two fewer points than they gave up in the first quarter.

Although the defense fell short, Freyler was the shining star on that side of the ball, which helped him earn Iowa State’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.