The Cyclones play host to Arizona State for a rematch of the Big 12 Championship from a year ago at noon Saturday.
The Sun Devils have had a similar season to the Cyclones. Both teams were ranked to begin the season, both teams are 5-3 and both have had some trouble with injuries.
Despite meeting in Arlington, Texas a year ago for a battle for the top of the Big 12, the Cyclones aren’t too focused on letting that fuel their energy heading into Saturday.
“I mean, it’s there, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to focus on us and control what we can control,” junior defensive back Jamison Patton said. “You know, focus on our game plan and what we need to do in order to win.”
Sitting at 5-3, Iowa State isn’t worried about getting to a Big 12 Championship anymore this season. Rather, the Cyclones are playing to get back to how they were playing during the first five games of the season.
“I would just say injecting confidence into people,” redshirt senior tight end Gabe Burkle said. “Injecting energy, you know, continuing to keep practice, you know, fun, like, we’re playing football. It’s a game, so enjoying it, having fun with each other, being around the guys. Just being around everyone is super great.”
Although the Cyclones want to keep having fun, they also want to start winning again, because losing three straight games isn’t something they have done since 2022, when they went 4-8.
“Yeah, I mean, we’d like to win every other game that we have on the schedule, obviously, everyone knows that,” Burkle said. “But continuing to better ourselves as people as well. We don’t just play football, so continuing to better ourselves on and off the field, but yeah, just execution in the moment.”
As for the Sun Devils, they are dealing with some troubles heading into Saturday. It was ruled Friday that quarterback Sam Leavitt will miss the remainder of the year, starting with the game against the Cyclones. Jeff Sims will take over for Arizona State, a sixth year senior quarterback.
“When you see a guy like [Sims] that’s played a lot of really good football, you know, and it’s a unique challenge, because I think him and Sam [Leavitt] probably have some similarities,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “They both are elite runners with the football, they can create in the pocket, they’ve got the ability to run the offense.”
Sims threw for 58 yards and a touchdown when he stepped in for Leavitt a week ago. Containing him will be a key focus for the Cyclone defense, as he is yet another mobile quarterback the Cyclones will have to face.
The Cyclone offense will need to capitalize better on Saturday than they have during the losing streak, because despite a lot of yardage, the scoring isn’t matching up. Against BYU, Iowa State had 495 yards of offense, but struggled to get into the end zone in those situations.
“The last three weeks, we’ve been an inch off, and it’s my job to figure out how we could get that to be all on the same page,” offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said. “We’re, you know, working tirelessly to do it.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Rocco Becht has been a bright spot for the Cyclones, averaging just over 240 passing yards a game and accounting for 17 total touchdowns this season. After each of the last three losses, Becht has been critical of his play and how he can be better.
“He’s a guy that’s a great leader because of the accountability that he takes and I hate it for him,” Mouser said. “You know, I hate it after the games because we’re not getting what we want. But for him, like I want him to know, like I love him, I care about him and we’ll get it fixed.”
Despite throwing three interceptions against BYU and one against Colorado, Mouser is not worried about Becht’s play, because he knows what kind of competitor he has leading them.
“He’s the same quarterback when we were 5-0 and when we beat Miami and won 11 games last year,” Mouser said. “He feels the same way for me and us.”
The Cyclones look to break their three-game losing streak with a battle against Arizona State inside Jack Trice Stadium at noon Saturday.
