Tag: Iowa State

Rocco Becht commits to Penn State, joins coach Matt Campbell

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Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht announced Sunday that he has committed to Penn State, the school that hired Cyclones coach Matt Campbell early last month.

The commitment gives Campbell instant player leadership in Becht as he establishes his program at the Big Ten school.

Becht passed for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns for the Cyclones over the past four seasons. He was intercepted 27 times and also rushed for 19 touchdowns.

The only Iowa State quarterback to throw more career touchdown passes is Brock Purdy (81 from 2018-21), now quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Becht’s passing yardage is third behind Purdy (12,170) and Bret Meyer (9,499 from 2004-07).

Becht’s best season came in 2024 when he passed for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns, both second in school history behind Purdy’s 3,982 yards and 27 scores in 2019.

But last season, Becht struggled with a shoulder injury and passed for just 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He underwent surgery after the season for a partially torn labrum.

Another factor in the drop was that Iowa State lost star receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Backup quarterback Alex Manske also is joining the Nittany Lions. According to the Des Moines Register, at least 11 Iowa State players have transferred to Penn State.

Among the list is tight end Ben Brahmer (37 catches, six touchdowns in 2024), safety Marcus Neal (two interceptions, 11 tackles for loss) and linebacker Caleb Bacon (68 tackles).

–Field Level Media

Iowa State QB to transfer, could follow former coach to Penn State

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Quarterback Rocco Becht will leave Iowa State and enter the transfer portal to “pursue new opportunities for my senior season,” he posted on social media Saturday.

“I’ve had meaningful conversations with Coach Jimmy Rogers, and I’m confident he will elevate this program to new heights,” Becht posted in announcing the decision to leave. “This decision was not taken lightly — it comes from a path of growth, purpose and belief in where my path is leading me.”

Becht will immediately become one of the top available starting quarterbacks in the portal, having tallied 26 wins for the Cyclones over his past three seasons at the helm.

His 64 touchdowns passes and 83 total touchdowns at Iowa State rank in the top five among projected returning quarterbacks. Only TCU transfer Josh Hoover has more passing yards than Becht’s 9,274 passing yards among that same group of players expected to return to college football.

The redshirt junior with one year of eligibility remaining has also rushed for 499 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.

Becht’s coach at Iowa State, Matt Campbell, took the head coaching position for the Nittany Lions on Dec. 8, making Penn State a likely projected landing spot for Becht, but ESPN reported Saturday Becht is expected to entertain multiple offers.

In 2024, Becht led Iowa State to an 11-3 record, the first time in school history the team had double-digit wins. The Cyclones reached the Big 12 title game that year, losing to Arizona State, but won the Pop-Tarts Bowl 42-41 over Miami.

The Cyclones finished this season at 8-4, with Becht dealing with injuries, including an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder and he underwent labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder earlier this month. Becht passed for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns against nine interceptions and also rushed for eight scores.

“You embraced me, supported me, and pushed me to become better — not only as a player, but as a man,” Becht posted Saturday. “Iowa State will forever be a part of who I am. Thank for you for every moment, every cheer and every ounce of belief you poured into me. I’ll always represent Cyclone Nation with pride.”

Iowa State decided not to play in a bowl game after Campbell departed for Penn State.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame, Iowa State, Kansas State decline bowl bids

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Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State qualified for bowl games but have turned down invitations to play.

Notre Dame was the biggest program to opt out of the postseason, historically seen as a reward for a good campaign before the sport adopted a playoff and grew it to 12 participants.

The Fighting Irish (10-2) were the first team out of the field revealed earlier Sunday, with Miami overtaking them in the rankings based on a head-to-head win from August. Notre Dame had been ranked ahead of Miami since the committee began its weekly ranking exercises.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” said a statement attributed to the 2025 Notre Dame football team and posted to social media. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

Earlier in the day, the Big 12 Conference announced that Iowa State and Kansas State would be fined $500,000 apiece for skipping bowl season. The Cyclones went 8-4 and the Wildcats finished 6-6 this season.

The reason the Big 12 schools gave was the introduction of new head coaches. Iowa State hired Jimmy Rogers to replace Matt Campbell, who was hired by Penn State on Friday; Kansas State had Chris Klieman retire and named former quarterback Collin Klein his successor.

“While the Conference acknowledges the difficult timing around coaching changes, the Big 12 is responsible for fulfilling its contractual obligations to its bowl partners,” the conference said in a statement Sunday.

Bowl game assignments had not been finalized as of 4:50 p.m. ET, and the games usually reserved for teams .500 and above will have to open up to 5-7 squads out of necessity.

Teams with 5-7 records will be eligible in order of the highest Academic Progress Rate. Rice, Auburn and Florida State are among the possible replacement teams.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State tabs Washington State’s Jimmy Rogers as next head coach

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Iowa State announced the hire of Jimmy Rogers as its next head coach Friday evening to replace Matt Campbell, who is reportedly heading to Penn State.

Rogers, 38, just concluded his first season at Washington State, leading the Cougars to a 6-6 record and the program’s second consecutive bowl appearance.

“Jimmy Rogers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a school news release. “He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.

“Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State. He is a proven winner who has demonstrated throughout his career that he will fit our culture.”

Rogers previously spent the 2023-24 seasons as head coach at FCS South Dakota State, his alma mater where he received an internal promotion from defensive coordinator. In his first season as a head coach, he led the Jackrabbits to their second consecutive FCS championship.

Rogers has a 33-9 record over three seasons as a head coach.

“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said in a school news release. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.

“From the administration, to the alumni and current student-athletes, this University has everything needed to compete at the highest level in college football. I am honored to be given this opportunity and responsibility and cannot wait to get started!”

Rogers agreed to a six-year team, the school announced. Annual salary terms were not disclosed.

He has big shoes to fill, replacing Campbell, who hasn’t officially been announced yet as Penn State’s next coach.

Campbell leaves Iowa State after 10 seasons, having led the Cyclones to a 72-55 record — a .567 win percentage that is the best by a coach in modern program history — and eight bowls after Iowa State made eight total bowls in the 37 years before his arrival.

–Field Level Media

Report: Penn St. working to finalize deal with Matt Campbell

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Penn State’s lengthy process to determine its next football coach appears to be nearing an end, with On3.com reporting that the program is working to finalize a deal to hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.

Campbell reportedly became the Nittany Lions’ focus after BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm decided to stay with their programs earlier this week. The Nittany Lions also engaged with “at least three other candidates” in recent days, according to ESPN.

Power 4 programs including Auburn, Florida, LSU and UCLA have created and filled coaching vacancies in the 54 days since Penn State fired James Franklin. Terry Smith has been serving as the interim head coach and had been considered a candidate for the full-time position.

Campbell, 46, has been frequently tied to vacancies at major programs. He has a 72-55 record at Iowa State and is 107-70 overall as a head coach. His head coaching career began in 2012 at Toledo, where he spent four seasons before coming to Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones are 8-4 this season after reeling off three consecutive victories and played in bowl games in eight of the past nine seasons.

Campbell led Iowa State to an 11-3 record last season, with the Cyclones missing out on a College Football Playoff spot after losing to Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship game.

Franklin was fired after a 3-3 start, and the Nittany Lions finished the regular season 6-6.

The drawn-out process to hire Franklin’s replacement has hit the Nittany Lions hard in recruiting. Penn State signed only two recruits during the early signing period after losing several previous commits to other programs.

However, it’s possible Campbell could bring some of his Iowa State commitments with him if hired, and the Nittany Lions are expected to be aggressive in adding talent via the transfer portal.

Campbell is a Massillon, Ohio, native and former college defensive lineman who spent a season at Pittsburgh before moving on to Mount Union from 1999-2002. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 2003, then returned to Mount Union as an offensive coordinator from 2005-06.

Campbell spent the next two years on Bowling Green’s staff before taking over at Toledo.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State pursues third straight win in clash vs. Oklahoma State

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Iowa State will seek to close the regular season on a three-game winning streak Saturday afternoon when it faces Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

The Cyclones (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) realize they can’t count out the Cowboys despite their season-long struggles.

“When you watch this Oklahoma State team — and all you’ve gotta do is watch the last two games — how these kids are playing, it’s a tribute to their leadership in their locker room,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “It’s a tribute to the attitude and effort, and we know what Oklahoma State football is all about.”

After stopping a four-game slide and becoming bowl eligible with a 20-17 win at TCU on Nov. 8, the Cyclones bolstered their postseason standing with last week’s 38-14 victory against Kansas.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht threw three touchdown passes, including two to Brett Eskildsen.

Oklahoma State (1-10, 0-8) hopes to stop a 10-game losing streak. Drubbed at the outset of the skid and throughout October, the Cowboys have played opponents closer in recent weeks.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone loves playing for each other and everyone loves this team,” Cowboys tight end Quinton Stewart said. “When everyone has that mindset, everyone wants to win. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone’s going to give this last game everything they’ve got.”

Oklahoma State fell 14-6 to Kansas State on Nov. 15 before last week’s 17-14 loss to UCF, which won on a 34-yard field goal by Noe Ruelas in the final minute.

Cowboys quarterback Zane Flores passed and rushed for a touchdown in the first half, but the team surrendered 17 unanswered second-half points. The Cowboys know they must stand up to the Cyclones’ bruising run game.

Iowa State’s leading rusher — Carson Hansen (841 yards) — and Abu Sama III (645) are averaging at least 5 yards a carry.

“If you don’t match it and play physical, they’re going to do it,” Cowboys defensive tackle Aden Kelley said. “I think that’s a big focus for this week, just the physicality.”

–Field Level Media

Kansas, Iowa State pursue win after coming off bye week

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Kansas and Iowa State both are coming off bye weeks ahead of their Big 12 Conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa.

With two weeks left in the regular season, the Cyclones (6-4, 3-4) are bowl eligible but the Jayhawks (5-5, 3-4) need one more win to achieve the feat.

In their most recent game, the Jayhawks lost 24-20 at Arizona on Nov. 8. The Cyclones picked up a 20-17 win at TCU on the same day, overcoming an 11-point deficit in the final 10 minutes.

When Kansas returned to practice this week, it tightened its red-zone and third-down offense.

“It’ll be critical for us to be better in those situations down the stretch,” said Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold. “We schedule them at the end of our practice to try and simulate game situations.”

In the loss to the Wildcats, senior quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 15 of 29 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. He also was Kansas’ leading rusher with 74 yards and a TD on 14 carries.

Because he’s been such an efficient passer and runner — Daniels has completed 65.1% of his throws for 2,190 yards and 21 touchdowns and has rushed for 345 yards and three TDs — Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said the Cyclones will have to account for all of his play-making skills.

“What he’s done an incredible job of in his career is to just get better and better and better,” Campbell said. “He can make you pay horizontally, so you have to be gap-sound. He’s a player that can make you pay in a heartbeat.”

Campbell announced this week that tight end Gable Burkle (leg injury), the team’s No. 4 pass-catcher with 26 receptions, is scheduled for surgery and will miss the rest of the season. But the coach added a dose of optimism when he said redshirt senior linebacker Caleb Bacon will return to the lineup. Bacon’s 55 tackles rank third on the Cyclones and his 6.5 tackles for loss are second.

–Field Level Media

Aiden Flora’s punt-return TD helps Iowa State snap skid at TCU

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Aiden Flora returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown with 6:32 left to help lead Iowa State to a 20-17 win over TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Cyclones (6-4, 3-4 Big 12), while the loss virtually eliminated TCU (6-3, 3-3) from the Big 12 race.

TCU got the ball back in the final minute, but the Horned Frogs couldn’t get anything going and their two-game winning streak was snapped.

TCU trailed for much of the game before taking the lead with a long drive to start the second half.

Josh Hoover capped off the 15-play, nearly six-minute drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dwyer to put the Horned Frogs up 10-6.

After Bud Clark’s interception – his second of the game – gave TCU the ball back, the Horned Frogs then ripped off another long drive, extending the lead to 17-6 on Trent Battle’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Cyclones weren’t going away, though, as quarterback Rocco Becht and running back Carson Hansen teamed up to inject some life into an Iowa State offense that had been stagnant since an early touchdown drive.

On third-and-4 early in the drive, Becht scrambled for 25 yards to keep the drive alive, and Hansen followed with a 24-yard run on the next play.

Hansen eventually finished off the drive with a 1-yard run to pull the Cyclones within five after the two-point conversion failed.

Iowa State’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, and Flora sliced through the middle of the field for his first career punt-return touchdown.

The Horned Frogs trailed 6-3 late in the first half when Clark picked off Becht to give TCU a chance to tie the game or take the lead going into the break.

Josh Hoover hit a pair of long passes to quickly drive to the brink of the Iowa State 10, but Nate McCashland’s 25-yard field goal try was no good to keep Iowa State on top going into halftime.

Hansen ran for 108 yards on 28 carries, his third consecutive 100-yard game.

TCU outgained the Cyclones 432-272, including 319 passing yards from Hoover, who threw a touchdown and two interceptions.

Dwyer had 11 catches for 108 yards while Eric McAlister had 11 catches for 107 yards in the loss.

The loss was TCU’s first at home in over 13 months.

–Field Level Media

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Sims (2) battle for a few yards as Iowa State Cyclones' linebacker Caleb Bacon (26) attempts to tackle during the first quarter in the Big-12 showdown at jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.

Backup QB Jeff Sims leads Arizona State to win at Iowa State

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Quarterback Jeff Sims rushed for a career-best 228 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to lead Arizona State to a 24-19 victory over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon in Big 12 play at Ames, Iowa.

Sims started in place of injured Sam Leavitt and ripped off an 88-yard scoring run as part of his stellar performance. He added another rushing score and one passing touchdown while completing 13 of 24 passes for 177 yards and one interception.

Chamon Metayer caught a touchdown pass for the Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2 Big 12), who prevailed in the rematch of last season’s conference championship game, which was also won by Arizona State.

Rocco Becht completed 18 of 36 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown for Iowa State (5-4, 2-4), which has dropped four straight games. Becht also rushed for a score.

Cyclones tight end Benjamin Brahmer was carted off the field with 8:50 left in the contest after taking a hard hit from Sun Devils cornerback Keith Abney II. He was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames for evaluation. Brahmer caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Leavitt will soon undergo season-ending foot surgery. Arizona State was also without star receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring).

The Sun Devils were back up at their own 12-yard line in the third quarter when Sims caught the handoff in shotgun formation and headed forward. He shot through a huge hole and sped 88 yards to give Arizona State a 24-16 advantage with 7:47 left in the third quarter.

Iowa State pulled within five on a 35-yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy with one second left in the quarter.

The Cyclones had one final chance, but on fourth-and-6 with 19 seconds left, Chase Sowell caught Becht’s throw and fell to the ground at the Arizona State 20, one yard shy of the first down.
Sims ran for one score and passed for another as the Sun Devils led 17-16 at halftime.

Becht scored on a 7-yard run to give Iowa State a 10-3 lead with 12:45 left in the second quarter.

Just over two minutes later, Sims scored from the 8 to knot the score. He later tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Metayer to give the Sun Devils a 17-10 lead with 4:55 remaining in the half.

The Cyclones pulled within one on Becht’s 17-yard scoring pass to Brahmer with 1:01 left. A high snap sabotaged the point-after attempt.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State Cyclones' tight end Benjamin Brahmer (18) runs with the ball after making a catch ball around Arizona State Sun Devils linebacker Keyshaun Elliott (44) during the first quarter in the Big-12 showdown at jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.

Iowa St. TE Benjamin Brahmer carted off field after collapsing

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Iowa State tight end Benjamin Brahmer was carted off the field with an apparent serious injury during the fourth quarter of the Cyclones’ contest against Arizona State on Saturday at Ames, Iowa.

Brahmer is alert and was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames to be evaluated as a precaution, per Iowa State.

Brahmer took a hard hit from Sun Devils cornerback Keith Abney II on an incomplete pass with 8:50 left in the contest and appeared disoriented as he stood up. A trainer rushed out to help him and he was wobbly while taking a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

Paramedics stabilized Brahmer and placed him on the cart. During the ride off the field, Brahmer was alert and seen moving his fingers.

Brahmer caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, his fourth scoring reception of the season. He caught three passes for 48 yards before exiting the game.

–Field Level Media