As a kicker, there isn’t much time in the spotlight.

But for ISU kicker Cole Netten, he’s found himself back in the center of attention for the second time this season. Head coach Paul Rhoads even considers him one of their main offensive weapons.

“If that’s what he wants to call me, then I’ll happily accept that,” Netten said. “I’m definitely more mature, and I’ve capitalized on all the chances I’ve been able to get, so that’s confidence right there.”

In the first half of Oct. 11’s homecoming game, Iowa State had to settle for three field goals, all under 40 yards, after repeatedly failing to punch the ball into the end zone.

And even though the Cyclones scored all seven times they reached the red zone, Rhoads knows they left points out there.

“We just had a couple of situations there where we ended up with field goals instead of touchdowns,” Rhoads said. “We sure would like to get down there a lot more and continue with that efficiency.”

In the second half, the offense changed their game plan. They picked up the tempo and started to rely more on the passing game, which led to four Cyclone touchdowns.

“We took advantage of what they were giving us,” said Sam Richardson about the fast tempo offense. “The [offensive] line responded amazingly. We’ve never really done that before in a game, but that was something we needed to do, and we took advantage.”

Netten didn’t kick a field goal in the second half. With the offense starting to finish plays, his services just weren’t needed.

The offensive efficiency is something that the team strives to reach every week. In order to fix the slow start they had in the first half, offensive lineman Daniel Burton said it’s as simple as fixing little mistakes.

“One blown assignment can mess up an entire play,” Burton said. “I think that some of the things that happened there, we just kind of kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ll look at it in practice, and we’ll fix them.”

This is the second time this season where Netten has made important field goals to keep the Cyclones in the game. Earlier in the year, Netten made a 42-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat Iowa.

This season, Netten has made all seven field goals he has attempted and is 18-of-18 on extra points. He says the biggest thing that’s improved throughout his career is his confidence.

“I guess you could say I’m pretty confident,” Netten said. “I guess it’s just if the offense can’t really get points on the board, I’m just there to keep the momentum. Just put it through the uprights and do what I do.”