Tag: Iowa State Cyclones
No. 21 Iowa aims to continue mastery over rival Iowa St.
No. 21 Iowa attempts to beat visiting Iowa State for the eighth time in nine meetings when the teams clash Saturday in the Cy-Hawk rivalry at Iowa City, Iowa.
The Cyclones’ lone victory during the stretch came in their last visit to Iowa City when they prevailed 10-7 early in the 2022 season.
Both Iowa (1-0) and Iowa State (1-0) won season openers against FCS programs. This week, the stakes are much higher in a sport where conference realignment has diminished the number of true rivalry games.
“Rivalries, in-state rivalries and neighboring rivalries make college football really special,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “I still believe those things are major factors in high-level college athletics.
“I think people want to watch a rival football game and great games. I think that’s what this game has certainly stood for over the test of time. And I think that’s what makes this game really special.”
Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara was a high school star in Reno, Nev., and began his college career at Michigan. He transferred to Iowa following the 2022 season and is catching on to the significance of the Cy-Hawk game.
“The more I’m in Iowa, I just realized how important this game is for the state,” McNamara said. “They’re a really good program. They have a lot of good players and it’s a veteran group. And I think overall every single time these two teams meet, it’s going to be a battle.”
Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz will be back on the sidelines after missing the opening 40-0 win over Illinois State due to an NCAA suspension for a recruiting violation. The penalty was because the Hawkeyes contacted McNamara prior to him entering the transfer portal.
Ferentz watched the game from home and said the view from the couch is better than what you see on the sideline.
“It’s really different,” Ferentz said. “You can see better. That’s one thing. I had a nice surface to write on, which was the second thing. So I guess those are two upgrades.
“But outside of that, there wasn’t much good about it. It’s sterile, and you’re pretty much helpless.”
Assistant head coach Seth Wallace ran the team against the Redbirds. Iowa struggled in the first half before scoring 34 second-half points.
McNamara was superb in the second half when he completed 13 of 14 passes for 177 yards and three scores. Overall, he was 21-of-31 passing for 251 yards in his first appearance since tearing the ACL in his left knee against Michigan State on Sept. 30, 2023.
“Hopefully with each day, practice or game, experience, he’s going to keep getting more confidence in himself,” Ferentz said of McNamara. “He’s moving around, he’s throwing the ball, and just looks a lot more relaxed out there.”
As for Iowa State, star quarterback Rocco Becht passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score to lead his team to a 21-3 victory over North Dakota. Star wideout Jaylin Noel caught eight passes for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Becht threw a costly interception in last season’s 20-13 home loss to Iowa. The second-quarter throw was returned 30 yards for a touchdown by Sebastian Castro and gave the Hawkeyes a 17-0 lead.
“Last year, take away that pick-six and we’re in the game,” Becht recalled. “This year, I’m focusing on taking care of the ball. That’s my biggest priority.”
Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon is out indefinitely after sustaining a lower-leg injury against North Dakota and subsequently undergoing surgery.
–Field Level Media
Rocco Becht, Iowa State handle North Dakota in season opener
Rocco Becht passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score to lead Iowa State to a 21-3 victory over North Dakota in the season opener for both teams on Saturday at Ames, Iowa.
Jaylin Noel caught eight passes for 135 yards and one touchdown and Jayden Higgins had five catches for 75 yards and a scoring reception for the Cyclones. Becht completed 20 of 26 passes.
Simon Romfo was 17-of-30 passing for 121 yards and one interception for North Dakota, which is ranked 22nd in the FCS Coaches Poll. Bo Belquist caught six passes for 43 yards to raise his career total to 212 receptions, four shy of the school mark held by Greg Hardin (2010-13).
The Cyclones outgained the Fighting Hawks 353 to 295, but North Dakota State possessed the ball (37:51) for nearly 16 minutes longer.
Iowa State moved 75 yards on two plays at the outset of the game to grab the early lead. Becht hit Noel for 54 yards on the first play and followed up with a 21-yard scoring pass to Higgins.
North Dakota threatened to tie the score with a 23-play, 88-yard drive that took 12 minutes, 24 seconds. But the possession that started with 24 seconds left in the first quarter eventually stalled at the Iowa State 9-yard line and C.J. Elrichs kicked a 26-yard field goal with three minutes left in the first half.
The Cyclones responded with a much quicker drive and Noel caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Becht with 48 seconds left in the half.
North Dakota possessed the ball for 22:29 of the half but trailed 14-3 at intermission.
Iowa State added to its lead when Becht scored on a 2-yard keeper with 12:33 left in the contest.
The Fighting Hawks reached the Cyclones’ 11 in the middle of the fourth quarter but came up empty when Elrichs missed a 33-yard field goal with 7:04 left.
–Field Level Media
Rocco Becht, Iowa State take aim at North Dakota
Since earning a season-ending No. 9 final ranking in 2020, Iowa State has sputtered to an 18-20 record over the past three seasons.
The Cyclones are hoping to resurface this season. They begin the quest on Saturday when they battle FCS program North Dakota in Ames, Iowa.
The Fighting Hawks are ranked 22nd in the FCS Coaches Poll so Iowa State (7-6 in 2023) is aware the club isn’t a pushover. Then again, Cyclones coach Matt Campbell sees a schedule full of tough games, including Big 12 play.
“We’ll be tested,” Campbell said. “We’ll see if we can handle the ups and downs of a season and with results, both good and bad.”
Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht is expecting bigger things after setting school freshman records for passing yardage (3,120) and touchdowns (23) last season while earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.
“I think my confidence has tremendously risen in a way that I didn’t expect,” Becht said. “I feel like that comes from the respect I get from my teammates and the trust that the coaches have in me.”
Top receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel return. Higgins had a team-best 983 yards while catching 53 passes, six for touchdowns. Neal led in receptions (66) and receiving scores (seven) while accumulating 820 yards.
Defensively, Beau Freyler (team-high 107 tackles) and fellow safety Jeremiah Cooper (team-best five interceptions) are back.
North Dakota went 7-5 last season and qualified for the FCS playoffs before losing 42-35 to Sacramento State in the first round.
However, star quarterback Tommy Schuster transferred to Michigan State following the season. Schuster is the school record holder in passing yards (9,075) and touchdown passes (63).
Junior Simon Romfo, who threw two passes last season, was named the starter on Aug. 19 after beating out redshirt freshman Jerry Kaminski in fall camp.
“I think there’s going to be some nerves, but I think mostly just excitement,” Romfo said of starting against the Cyclones. “Obviously, it’ll be just a really big deal, and excitement would probably be the word that I’d use.”
The presence of standout receiver Bo Belquist will help. Belquist has 206 career receptions, 10 behind program leader Greg Hardin.
Defensively, Wyatt Pedigo had a team-high 73 tackles and led the FCS with four fumble recoveries in 2023. Fellow inside linebacker Malachi McNeal was second on the squad with 68 stops.
North Dakota hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent since scoring a 24-13 win at Wyoming to open the 2015 season.
This is the first meeting between the schools.
–Field Level Media
Memphis takes on Iowa State in Liberty Bowl ‘home’ game
Iowa State’s solid defense will be challenged by the high-powered Memphis offense in the Liberty Bowl on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis (9-3), making its ninth bowl appearance since 2014, won five of its last six games and scored at least 44 points in each victory over that span.
Iowa State (7-5) is making its sixth bowl appearance in seven seasons, including a 21-20 win over Memphis in the 2017 Liberty Bowl.
Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield was an assistant coach when the Tigers faced Iowa State in 2017. Silverfield also worked under Cyclones coach Matt Campbell as an offensive consultant at Toledo in 2014.
“Obviously it’s an honor and a privilege for us. Our football program and our university are so appreciative of the invite and to be able play in our home stadium,” Silverfield said. “We’re excited about the matchup. Obviously, we know what Iowa State brings to the table … Big 12 team that’s won a lot of football games.”
The Cyclones were second in the Big 12 in yards per game allowed with 349.3, behind only third-ranked Texas. Iowa State was third in points allowed at 21.7, trailing only Texas and Kansas State.
The opportunistic Cyclones have 16 interceptions and three fumble recoveries, tying for 18th nationally with a plus-8 turnover margin.
As of Tuesday, there was no word from Iowa State if defensive back T.J. Tampa, a third-team All-American, would play in the bowl game.
Iowa State, which won just one conference game last season and was 4-8 overall, has a much-improved offense. The Cyclones averaged 29.4 points per game in Big 12 play this season, compared with 16.3 a year ago.
Quarterback Rocco Becht, the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Jaylin Noel is the fourth receiver in school history with back-to-back 60-catch seasons.
Two of the Cyclones’ top rushers, Eli Sanders and Cartevious Norton, entered the transfer portal and did not play in the season finale at Kansas State. But true freshman Abu Sama III rushed for 276 yards on 16 carries with touchdown runs of 77, 71, and 60 yards.
Memphis averages 39.7 points per game, seventh-best in the nation, while allowing 29.0 The Tigers have scored 20 or more points in 26 consecutive games — the longest active streak in the nation — dating back to the end of the 2021 season.
Seth Henigan has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,519 yards with 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had 15 touchdown passes to just two picks in the Tigers’ final six games.
“He’s got great confidence and they ask him to do a lot,” Campbell told the Des Moines Register about Henigan. “They ask him to put them in the right situation a lot. And he’s got such great playmakers on the outside that he’s able to find matchups and really deliver the football with great consistency.”
Roc Taylor has 61 catches for 981 yards and four touchdowns, and Dameer Blankumsee has 51 receptions for 825 yards and a team-high six scores.
Blake Watson leads the ground game with 1,045 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, along with 50 catches for 458 yards out of the backfield.
–Field Level Media
No. 19 Kansas State keeps high hopes in clash vs. Iowa State
No. 19 Kansas State enters the final week of the regular season with a chance to defend its Big 12 championship.
If certain results pan out in other games, the Wildcats just need to defeat visiting Iowa State on Saturday night in Manhattan to qualify for the conference championship game Dec. 2 in Arlington, Texas.
Kansas State (8-3, 6-2) is looking for a perfect 7-0 home record this season. The Wildcats are riding high after overcoming an 11-point deficit in the second half to post a 31-27 victory over Kansas last Saturday.
“There is no better feeling than beating little brother,” Kansas State quarterback Will Howard said after the game.
But now it’s on to the next game. How will the outside noise of postseason possibilities affect the Wildcats?
“We don’t pay any attention to it,” coach Chris Klieman said at his media gathering Tuesday. “We’ve navigated it really well the last two weeks when everybody was trying to stuff it down our throats. And all our kids did was go out and play and win games.
“I know the way Matt (Campbell) coaches. I know the way Matt develops guys. They never beat themselves. They’re sound in what they do. They’re really good on special teams. They don’t give the ball away (but) they take it away. They make you earn everything.
“This is gonna be a physical game. These two teams are two of the more physical teams in the league.”
The Cyclones have won three of the past five games against the Wildcats, including 33-20 the last time the game was played in Manhattan.
Howard is playing well in recent games. He threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the fourth quarter that put his team in the lead for good. Howard sprinted 15 yards to his left for the go-ahead touchdown with 10:22 remaining.
Iowa State (6-5, 5-3) likely lost its chance to play in the title game with a 26-16 defeat to Texas on Saturday.
The good news for the Cyclones was that Rocco Becht passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns to break two of Brock Purdy’s freshman school records. Becht raised his season totals to 2,444 yards, surpassing the 2,250 yards by Purdy, now the starter for the San Francisco 49ers. Becht also now has 17 touchdowns, one more than Purdy in 2018. Becht was 24-of-32 with one interception against the Longhorns.
“For the first 3 1/2 quarters, I thought Rocco played a really good football game,” Campbell said after the game. “At the end of the game we got ourselves in some two-minute situations and (Texas) could kind of tee off on us, and they did. They’ve got some elite players who got some good pressure.”
The Cyclones are in a three-way tie for fifth place. They are among eight conference teams already qualified for the postseason. Three other teams are one win away from qualifying.
–Field Level Media
No. 7 Texas overcomes mistakes to hold off Iowa State
Quinn Ewers passed for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and CJ Baxter ran for 117 yards as No. 7 Texas overcame a slew of mistakes to beat Iowa State 26-16 on Saturday in a key Big 12 Conference game in Ames, Iowa.
The Longhorns (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) remain alone atop the league standings and all but clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 2 in Arlington, Texas.
Ewers completed 23 of 33 passes and Xavier Worthy caught four of his throws for 77 yards. Baxter, playing in place of the injured Jonathon Brooks, had his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game. Texas outgained Iowa State 411-332 and held the Cyclones to just 9 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Iowa State (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) got 323 yards passing and two TDs from Rocco Becht in the loss. Jayden Higgins hauled in seven passes for 104 yards.
Iowa State got the game’s first points on a 45-yard field goal by Chase Contreraz at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter. Bert Auburn answered for Texas with a 39-yard FG with 11:17 left in the second quarter that tied the score at 3-3.
Auburn booted a 50-yarder on the final play of the quarter to give the Longhorns a 6-3 lead at halftime.
The Longhorns finally found the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to Jordan Whittington with 5:53 to play in the third quarter to put Texas up 13-3.
The Cyclones responded as Becht hit Eli Sanders from 14 yards to cut the Texas lead to 13-9. But the Longhorns’ T’Vondre Sweat blocked Contreraz’s PAT kick and Austin Jordan scooped it up and returned it 82 yards for two points for Texas.
Texas added to the lead on a 31-yard TD pass from Ewers to Gunnar Helm on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Longhorns then added a two-point pass to Whittington to push their advantage to 23-9.
The Cyclones were far from done, scoring on a 66-yard pass from Becht to Easton Dean on fourth-and-1 with 12:44 to play as the Texas defense sold out to stop the run.
Auburn’s third field goal of the game, this one from 42 yards, put Texas up 26-16 with 6:14 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Iowa State, BYU chasing critical sixth victory
Bowl eligibility will be the prize for the winning team Saturday night as BYU hosts Iowa State in Big 12 Conference action in Provo, Utah.
The Cougars (5-4, 2-4) and the visiting Cyclones (5-4, 4-2) face tough remaining schedules, and this game could determine which program joins the postseason party.
After Iowa State, BYU will wrap up its initial Big 12 season at home against Oklahoma (Nov. 18) and at Oklahoma State (Nov. 25).
The Cyclones will host Texas on Nov. 18 before traveling to Kansas State the following week.
Both teams enter Saturday’s game on a down note. BYU fell 37-7 at West Virginia last Saturday, while Kansas ended Iowa State’s three-game winning streak with a 28-21 victory in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones made things interesting, pulling within three after trailing 21-3 in the first half.
“We never put our head down,” Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht said. “We kept fighting. That’s what I love about this team.”
Becht threw for 216 yards, rushed for a touchdown and engineered two long drives that helped the Cyclones make it 21-18 with eight minutes remaining. Kansas responded with a back-breaking 80-yard touchdown.
BYU had success the last time it hosted a Big 12 foe, beating Texas Tech 27-14 three weeks ago. That seems like an eternity ago, however, after consecutive blowout road losses to Texas and West Virginia.
“This conference isn’t going to make it easy for you. They are not just going to hand you wins — especially on the road. That just doesn’t happen,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “So we need to find a way to protect home, like we have done all year, and then we can do that and figure out how to play better on the road when that time comes.”
BYU has a bit of a quarterback controversy. Jake Retzlaff threw for 210 yards against the Mountaineers after replacing Kedon Slovis, who was sidelined with shoulder and elbow injuries.
Sitake said the starting spot is up for grabs even if Slovis is cleared to play.
“Everybody that is coming off injury, they just don’t jump into a starting role (again),” Sitake said. “You have to earn the right to get that back. So competition still continues. … You don’t just become a starter by appointment only and then you are anointed the starter and then that is it for the rest of your life. That’s not how it works.”
This will be the first meeting between BYU and Iowa State in nearly 50 years. The Cyclones own a 4-0 series advantage, including a 34-7 win in 1974.
–Field Level Media
No. 21 Kansas battles Iowa State as Big 12 race heats up
There is a logjam at the top of the Big 12 standings, with five teams tied for first and two others just a game behind.
Six of those seven teams will have head-to-head battles this weekend, including No. 21 Kansas traveling to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State on Saturday evening.
The Jayhawks (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) jumped back into the rankings after knocking off previously unbeaten Oklahoma on Saturday, their first win over the Sooners since 1997. Iowa State (5-3, 4-1) returns home after a convincing win over Baylor in Waco, Texas.
The Cyclones have fully recovered from a sluggish 1-2 nonconference portion of the schedule. They have won three straight games, including a 30-18 defeat of the Bears.
Iowa State’s Cartevious Norton ran for two touchdowns against Baylor, while quarterback Rocco Becht threw for 238 yards and a score with one interception.
The Jayhawks are coming off the high of registering their first home win over a top-10 team since 1984. Kansas scored the first 14 points before giving up the next 21, the first of six lead changes.
Quarterback Jason Bean put the Jayhawks back in front with a 38-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. The teams traded touchdowns — and failed two-point conversions — until Dillon Gabriel’s 1-yard run put the Sooners back up 33-32 with 5:22 left.
Bean threw his second straight interception with 2:29 left, but the Jayhawks forced a three-and-out. On fourth-and-6, Bean found Lawrence Arnold for a key conversion for 37 yards. Devin Neal punched it in from the 9-yard line, and Kansas deflected a desperation pass by Gabriel in the end zone on the game’s final play.
Bean was filling in for Jalon Daniels, who has missed four games due to a back ailment.
“When Jalon Daniels is healthy, Jalon is the starting quarterback, but we’re not at that point today,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said early in the week. “We’re not at that point yet to decide that. He works out every day, some days are better than others.”
Regarding Bean, Leipold added, “He’s a pretty quiet guy, but he’s respected. His confidence as a leader has grown with his confidence in the offense and his personal play.”
The Cyclones are wary of both Bean and Daniels.
“No matter who it is, it’s elite speed at quarterback,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “They’ve got two elite quarterbacks and two guys that have the ability to really challenge you in the running game at the quarterback position.
“We’ve played some mobile quarterbacks already this year, and you’ve got to hang your hat on some of that and do your best to simulate that in practice.”
In terms of his offense, Campbell expressed pride in the work of his linemen.
“That group in general, that’s probably been the most impressive piece that’s accelerated faster than anything is the ability to protect the quarterback,” Campbell said. “Everybody has to be really good when you’re talking about protecting the quarterback, including the quarterback himself.”
Kansas owns a 51-45-6 record all time against the Cyclones. The Jayhawks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 14-11 victory in Lawrence, Kan., last year.
–Field Level Media
Cincinnati, Iowa State prepare for inaugural meeting
Football history will be made Saturday when Iowa State travels to Cincinnati for the first meeting between the two programs.
You can thank the Bearcats’ admittance into the Big 12 for the inaugural clash between teams that both have seen their ups and downs this season.
Iowa State (3-3, 2-1) enters with a little momentum following a 27-14 home victory over TCU last Saturday.
The Cyclones will attempt to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Iowa State has struggled on offense, averaging just 323 yards and 21.8 points per game. Rocco Becht has thrown for 1,223 yards and 10 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He completed 16 of 28 passes for 138 yards and a score in the win against TCU.
The Cyclones rank fifth in the Big 12 in scoring defense and are coming off a four-interception performance against the Horned Frogs.
“The fact of the matter is we still haven’t come anywhere close to what we’re capable of playing,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “That’s exciting.”
On the other side of the field, Cincinnati (2-3, 0-2) saw its losing streak reach three with a 35-27 setback at BYU in its most recent game on Sept. 29.
This is the second home game in the Big 12 for the Bearcats, who fell 20-6 to then-No. 16 Oklahoma on Sept. 23.
“Well-rested team,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said of coming off a bye week. “Last week, I thought our guys did a great job coming out and working. There were a few things we were trying to get better at. You go back in an off-week, you always look and see things you’re deficient at. We certainly worked on those things.”
Led by running back Corey Kiner (405 yards on 76 carries), quarterback Emory Jones (62.1 completion percentage, 1,226 yards) and wideout Xzavier Henderson (30 receptions, 414 yards), Cincinnati’s offense is averaging 30 points a game and will be a test for Iowa State’s defense.
–Field Level Media