AMES – Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon will not play in Saturday’s annual Cy-Hawk game. Bacon suffered a lower leg injury against North Dakota and was carted off the field.
Head coach Matt Campbell confirmed Bacon had a successful surgery Sunday and is currently recovering in the hospital. Quarterback Rocco Becht said he visited Bacon in the hospital.
“He’s my roommate,” Becht said. “We have a good relationship. We’re good friends, so I’ve been taking care of him. He’s at the hospital right now, so I’ve been calling, texting him a lot.”
Campbell said he hopes Bacon can return in the latter half of the season.
“[Bacon] will be out for a while,” Campbell said. “I do think he’s got the ability to get back at some point this football season, which is honestly the best news that we could have heard on Saturday is that he’ll be back.”
Bacon, a junior, recorded 36 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in the 2023 season.
Fellow linebacker Will McLaughlin also remains on the injured list after not playing in the season opener. With the early depletions in the linebacker room, it will be a next-man-up mentality for the Cyclones.
“There’s still a lot of experience in that room,” Campbell said.
Zachary Lovett, Cael Brezina and Jacob Ellis are next in line under Bacon and McLaughlin.
