Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) hi-fives with fans after winning 21-3 over North Dakota in the season-opening game at Jack Trice Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
AMES — Rocco Becht calmly did the math. Then Iowa State’s quarterback fully shouldered the blame.
The Cyclones had just lost, 20-13, to Iowa last season and Becht had seen an intercepted pass returned for a touchdown.
So the seven-point loss could be pinned on him — and he did the pinning.
“I wasn’t down on myself,” said Becht, who will make his second career Cy-Hawk start against the Hawkeyes Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (CBS) in Kinnick Stadium. “I was coming back the next day wanting to grow and get better from it because I know I’m better than that. I felt like I did that throughout that season, continued to take care of the ball.”
Forget feelings. The statistics bear Becht’s self-assessment out. The 6-1, 210-pound sophomore from Wesley Chapel, Fla., has been a portrait of efficiency lately — and enters Saturday’s big game boasting a 12-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past five games. He’ll face an Iowa defense that’s picked off an ISU quarterback at least once in the past four meetings and he knows what he’s up against.
“They do disguise a few things on the back end, so they do a lot of things, but they’re really disciplined,” Becht said. “We’re gonna have to find those windows, those holes.”
That’s easier said than done against a Hawkeyes defense that allowed just eight passing plays to span more than 30 yards last season, which tied for first nationally. Iowa’s ranked among the top-six FBS teams nationally in scoring defense in four of the past five seasons, but will be tested by Becht and his top two playmakers at receiver, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. That potent duo combined for 16 catches in last year’s Cy-Hawk game.
“A lot of times they try to out-physical guys,” Higgins said of Iowa’s secondary. “So things like blocks, finishing catches and things like that, it’s very important to be physical.”
That’s true in all three phases of the game for the Cyclones:
**On special teams, Iowa’s enjoyed a decided advantage in recent Cy-Hawk games. The Hawkeyes blocked two punts in ISU’s most recent win — a 10-7 nail-biter that hinged on a remarkable 99-yard touchdown drive — but Cyclones cornerback and special teams star Darien Porter aims to turn the tables.
“Obviously there (are) gonna be moments in the game on special teams to go make a play,” said Porter, one of six known ISU players to have blocked three or more kicks in his career. “I’m looking forward to it, especially going up against a unit like them.”
**Defensively, the Cyclones’ line and linebackers must be strong against the run while still disrupting the Hawkeyes’ passing game. They’ve done that the past three meetings, allowing an average of 186 yards per game, but injuries to linebackers Caleb Bacon and Will McLaughlin will make it difficult to remain that stingy.
“Their O-line is really physical, they play whistle to whistle,” ISU nose guard JR Singleton said. “They run the ball, they run the ball, and then they try to throw the ball over your head. They do really well with the schematics that they’ve been taught, so it will be a really good challenge for us.”
Speaking of challenges, Becht noted earlier this week that the Cyclones “love them.” He then expanded on that.
“We love this matchup,” the reigning Big 12 offensive freshman of the year said. “It’s gonna show who we really are.”
Becht’s already shown who he is multiple times in his young career — starting with taking the blame, rightly or wrongly, for last season’s Cy-Hawk loss.
“To me, the humility that when it goes wrong, you have the courage, whether it’s your fault or not, to stand up and you take the arrows, and when it goes great, you give everybody else credit — and nobody did (that) better than Brock Purdy,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said. “But I would say Rocco is cut out of that same cloth.”
His teammates agree.
“I don’t think it was his fault, of course,” Higgins said. “I don’t think the team thought it was his fault, but for him to be able to say that, it just shows a lot about his character.”
The following week, in an otherwise disturbing 10-3 loss at Ohio, Becht showed Campbell something else.
Becht played through an illness and vomited at halftime. Campbell, to put it mildly, was concerned.
“‘Holy smokes, we’re in trouble,’” Campbell recalled thinking. “But then when I saw him come back out and he was in the game — I thought we were gonna go with JJ (Kohl) to start the second half, and when I saw (Becht) run out on the field, I’m like, ‘Man, this guy’s pretty special. He’s a tough cookie.’ And again, when it’s really hard and you’re not at your best, and the ability to respond — and like I said, I think the team rallied around him in that second half and I think everybody knew when we got on the plane — as gut-wrenching as that loss was — we’re gonna be all right. We’ve got really great people ready to rock and roll.”
