AMES — In last Saturday’s 31-28 win over Utah, senior wide receiver Jayden Higgins reached the 1,000-yard mark on the season after falling 17 yards short a season ago in his first season with the Cyclones.
Even in his two seasons at Eastern Kentucky, Higgins had never reached this type of personal milestone. But after having a second full season with Iowa State, Higgins reached a milestone only six other Cyclones have been able to obtain.
Along with Higgins, fellow senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel had been also chasing that personal achievement, as he looked to reach that feat in the same game as Higgins.
Although Noel fell 26 yards short of that goal, he still had one more regular season game to get to that prestigious mark.
Flashing toward this Saturday’s matchup against No. 24 Kansas State, Noel reached that 1,000-yard mark on a nine-yard touchdown reception, which helped lead No. 18 Iowa State to its first 10-win season in program history with a 29-21 victory.
Despite only having 37 yards on six catches with the touchdown reception, Noel was still able to play an integral part in the Cyclones’ big win.
“It’s really nice,” Noel said. “But it’s not about me, it’s about the team. The coaches trust me to put the ball in my hands and allow me to get to that point, so kudos to the team.”
With Noel reaching this historic mark, he not only became the eighth Cyclone to achieve this feat in a single season but joined Higgins as a duo to become the only one in Iowa State history to achieve this feat.
“Those two guys are going to play football for a long time,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “They’re going to have monumental moments moving forward because their football is just beginning.”
But for Noel, he had been a part of this program for his now fourth season, as he was honored Saturday night before the game on a senior night with his family as he ran onto the field at Jack Trice Stadium for the last time as a collegiate player.
“[The tears] were definitely flowing,” Noel said. “I didn’t try to fight them off, I let them go.”
In his four seasons with Iowa State, Noel had gone through many different highs and lows and had seen many different quarterback changes throughout his time with the Cyclones.
But now, he has become a two-time captain and has impacted both the offensive side of the ball and the special teams side of the ball as a returner.
“What Jaylin [Noel] has meant to this place, a two-time captain, a guy that started his career running over and backs with Brock Purdy, has been remarkable,” Campbell said.
His most recent quarterback, redshirt sophomore Rocco Becht, did not have the best day against the Wildcats by only completing 37% of his passes for 137 yards but is still happy to help Noel achieve what he most dreams of.
“[Noel] has trusted this program, and it’s trusted him back,” Becht said. “All he’s done is put up numbers and be a good player on the field and off the field so I’m just really happy for him.”
However, with all that Noel has been through as a Cyclone, he has never been a part of a team that has 10 wins in a single season, while being on the cusp of a Big 12 Championship appearance.
Noel accredits the team’s leadership and the willingness to move forward despite all the challenges with injuries as Iowa State looks to finish off its historic season on a high note.
“Usually, when you get to this point in the season, there’s guys that want to fold their tent,” Noel said. “You don’t see that from this team. Everybody is eager to keep going and get to the next week to see who we gotta play.”
“It’s really a kudos to the leadership on this team, holding everyone to a standard and pushing everyone to be their best,” Noel said.
