AMES – Iowa State is in the midst of a skid. The past two games have resulted in a loss, each by single digits, 23-22 against Texas Tech and 45-36 against Kansas.

The game before those, against UCF, could have ended in a loss as well. It has no doubt been a rough past three games for the Cyclones, who have stumbled from a ninth-place ranking in the AP Top 25 to falling out of the rankings completely.

While the offense has been able to continue to move the ball down the field, the defense has been in a rut.

Throughout the first six games, Iowa State’s defense gave up 11 points per game. In the past three games, the Cyclones allowed 34.3 points on average, including a season-high 45 points against Kansas.

“They’re putting you in some spots where communication’s got to be at the forefront,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. “Some of those guys that got new experiences last week, I think it’ll help them grow even this week.”

In terms of yardage, Iowa State has the best defense in the Big 12 when it comes to passing. The Cyclones give up 163.1 passing yards per game.

However, the rushing defense has been the main issue, and that is what UCF, Texas Tech and Kansas used to either beat Iowa State or give the Cyclones a big scare. 

Iowa State has the second-worst rushing defense in the Big 12, giving up 173.1 yards per game, while Oklahoma State is the worst, allowing teams to run for 240.8 yards per game.

Amongst all 134 FBS teams, the Cyclones are in the top 10 in pass defense, but rank outside of the top 100 when it comes to run defense.

“There’s sometimes not running to the ball all the way, or not being where you’re supposed to be, just little things,” defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim said.

A glaring issue all season has been the amount of injuries to the linebacker room and the number of young players who have had to step up and play more than first anticipated.

Caleb Bacon has been out for nearly the entire season. Will McLaughlin has been in the same situation. 

Players like Rylan Barnes and Cael Brezina have been called on to fill those gaps. While it has worked for a few weeks, fatigue at the late stages of the season may be setting in.

“They’re young, so we’ve kind of got to stick by their side,” defensive back Jeremiah Cooper said. “We’re with them and we’ve got their backs whenever. They’re growing in front of our eyes and we’re just helping them.”

Whatever the case may be, Iowa State has three more opportunities to grab wins before the postseason arrives.

“The last four weeks have been really hard,” Campbell said. “Our guys that are in there playing gotta keep growing. As hard as the result of Saturday was, some guys still really grew up.”