Iowa State Cyclones’ linebacker Caleb Bacon (50) celebrates with teammates after a quarterback sack during the first quarter in a Big 12 football showdown at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
AMES — Injured Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon is not only Rocco Becht’s teammate. He’s also the Cyclone quarterback’s roommate and good friend. So Becht’s been texting Bacon well-wishes as he recovers from surgery to mend a lower leg injury that will keep him off the football field for the foreseeable future — and the message is clear: Bacon’s value as a leader is as important as ever. More important, maybe.
“We still need him on the sidelines (and) in the meeting rooms,” said Becht, who will face Iowa for the second time as ISU’s starting quarterback Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Kinnick Stadium. “He’s a good leader for the linebackers and we have a lot of young ones, so he’s gonna need to help them out, lead them and help them get prepared for this game and the following games.”
Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell confirmed Tuesday that Bacon — who totaled 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks last season as a reserve — will be out for “a while” because of an injury sustained in the 21-3 season-opening win over North Dakota, but it’s possible he could return at some point this season.
“Honestly, the best news that we could have heard on Saturday is what we got,” Campbell said.
Still, Bacon’s absence for the final three quarters of Saturday’s win highlighted his vital importance to the defense. ISU gave up 174 rushing yards to the FCS Fighting Hawks and will face a Hawkeye offense intent on establishing a strong rushing attack each week.
“It’s definitely a blow to lose a guy like Caleb,” said Cyclone senior defensive lineman J.R. Singleton, who recorded one of his team’s two sacks last weekend. “Being a nose guard, I have a really good relationship with Caleb and he’s an electric player. But we’ve got some really good young guys that are gonna be able to step up and I think they’re gonna do a great job. I think you’re gonna see it this Saturday and (throughout) the rest of the season.”
Time will tell, but Campbell said he liked what he saw from ISU’s remaining linebackers last Saturday.
“I’m really optimistic about what that group’s got the ability to become,” he said.
Former starter Will McLaughlin is also injured and won’t be back to face Iowa — and possibly for quite a bit longer. But there’s at least some good news on the injury front for the Cyclones, as talented true freshman linebacker Cael Brezina is slated to return after missing the season opener, and both offensive linemen who were out last Saturday (Deylin Hasert and Jalen Travis) practiced on Tuesday.
“That doesn’t mean they’re going to play, but I think they are at least trending in that direction,” Campbell said.
It will be difficult for the Cyclones’ defense to trend more favorably with Bacon firmly locked into recovery mode, but sophomore Jack Sadowsky — who started all 13 games last season — will replace Bacon at MIKE linebacker. Kooper Ebel will flank him at WILL linebacker and Jacob Ellis or Brezina is expected to start at the SAM spot, while John Klosterman and Zach Lovett should remain in the rotation, as well.
“You never like to lose players, but, again, that’s a room we thought was really talented from top to bottom and had a really good fall camp,” Campbell said. “The depth of that room will be tested a little bit early on, but I think we all have great confidence in that room.”
