AMES — As the No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones enter their second bye week of the season, it’s a good time to evaluate what has gotten them to their immaculate 7-0 start to the season.

While it may have been tough at times, like the Cyclones’ thrilling 38-35 comeback win over UCF this past Saturday, Iowa State has still held strong and remains among the top of the Big 12 and the country with its undefeated record.

A big reason for the season’s success has come from the dynamic duo of senior wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.

While they don’t have an official nickname, they conveniently have similar first names, hence “Jay-Jay” as their unofficial duo name.

But going back to the success of what these receivers have done for the Cyclones, no one would be talking about potentially making the College Football Playoff or the Big 12 Championship game without the efforts brought in by Higgins and Noel.

Each player has single-handedly brought a different aspect to this Iowa State team, which has gotten itself to reach seven straight wins without a loss and can potentially set a new school record if they take down Texas Tech on Nov. 2.

To start, there is Higgins.

The South Miami, Florida, native came to Iowa State for the start of the 2023-24 season, as he had previously spent his first two years of college playing at Eastern Kentucky.

In his two seasons with the Colonels, Higgins collected 1,151 yards on 87 catches for an average of 13.2 yards per reception. Along with these stats, Higgins hauled in 13 touchdowns, 10 of which came in his final season at Eastern Kentucky.

When he was recruited to Iowa State, it was expected that the 6’4” receiver would make the jump in competition by going from the Atlantic Sun to the Big 12 conference.

Higgins did just that and more, as he became an explosive threat with his height and led the Cyclones in receiving by nearly eclipsing 1,000 yards, with 983 in 13 games. 

Along with the yards, Higgins was second on the team in receptions (53) and touchdowns (six). The guy who he was behind? Noel.

Now entering his fourth and final season of collegiate football, Higgins looked to bounce off of his stellar start with the Cyclones and excel in a young and thriving Iowa State offense.

Through seven games so far, Higgins has yet again been one of the top options for the Cyclones offense and has helped lead the team to the start it has had.

Higgins currently leads Iowa State with 45 receptions and six touchdowns, while being second on the team in receiving yards with 563.

Higgins was most notable for holding a new school record of seven consecutive games with at least one touchdown reception. While that record was broken in the Cyclones’ 28-16 win over West Virginia, he still found a way to find the endzone in Iowa State’s most recent win against UCF, where he scored on a 12-yard play.

“[Higgins is] a guy who pushes me every day to be my best,” Noel said. “To play with a guy who’s so talented is an honor.”

Now that brings us to the fourth-year Cyclone, Noel.

The Iowa State veteran has been through a lot in his four years with the Cyclones, most notably having to go through three different quarterback changes.

But nevertheless, Noel has stuck through it all and has played an integral role in not just the Iowa State offense, but on the special teams side as well.

While in the midst of his fourth year at Iowa State, Noel has collected 2,342 receiving yards on 202 receptions for an average of 11.6 yards per reception. Noel has caught 13 touchdowns, with a career-high of seven coming in the 2023 season.

On the special teams side of things, Noel has been an elite returner, with 808 kick return yards and 394 punt return yards. While he has not found the endzone during his time being the head returner, Noel has been crucial in giving the Cyclones offense great field position to start their respective drives.

This season alone, Noel leads the team in receiving yards (681), kick return yards (127) and punt return yards (40), as his speed and shiftiness have been unmatched for Iowa State.

With his feats and his leadership abilities, Noel was named a co-captain for the second straight year, as he joined teammates Beau Freyler and J.R. Singleton as permanent captains for the 2024 season.

“We’re really good friends and support each other in everything that happens,” Higgins said. “We are always competing against each other.”

With what both of these star receivers have been able to do for this Iowa State offense, redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht has all the confidence in the world to let this offense thrive with the two senior guys leading the charge.

“They’re my outlet,” Becht said. “When something is going bad, I look for them. They make me right sometimes and they’re just two guys that I love to get the ball to and hang out with.”

Along with Becht, having two x-factor receivers like Higgins and Noel helps plan out plays for a new offensive coordinator such as Taylor Mouser. Mouser came into the 2024 season as the head offensive play-caller and knows how crucial it is to have weapons like Higgins and Noel to utilize at his discretion.

“Just from last year to this year, the confidence that those guys have and the leadership ability they have on our offense, it doesn’t skip a beat,” Mouser said. “Those guys can go out there and demand excellence from our coaching staff and our players.”

Even with being a little past midway through the 2024 season, Higgins and Noel have the chance to set themselves as two of the best wide receivers that have ever played for Iowa State by eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards this season.

Only six other Cyclones receivers have reached the 1,000-yard mark on the season, with Xavier Hutchinson being the last guy to have reached this milestone back in the 2022 season. Higgins was close to achieving this record back in the 2023 season but fell short by 17 yards.

On a national scale, Higgins and Noel are among the top of the country in receiving yards, as they are joined by Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka and Washington’s Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston with having at least 500 receiving yards per receiver. 

“What those guys are is their flexibility for being so multiple for what they can do,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “It really makes them dynamic and it allows us to put them into positions to make plays for us.”

With just five games left in the regular season for Iowa State, the Cyclones will need Higgins and Noel to help lead the charge to potentially reach the postseason.