Texas Tech Red Raiders’ running back Tahj Brooks (28) runs with the ball around Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel (47) during the third quarter in the week-10 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock doesn’t mince words.
He’s blunt and to the point. Just the facts — even when they can be humbling.
“We had a shot the other night to try to close it out and we didn’t get it done,” Heacock said of last week’s 23-22 loss to Texas Tech. “So I think we’ve all taken that relatively personal.”
Plain. Simple. Honest. The Cyclones’ defense gave up a decisive touchdown with 19 seconds left against the Red Raiders, but its track record speaks for itself. And Saturday at 2:30 against Kansas in Arrowhead Stadium, expect a strong bounce back effort that should — as usual — furnish ISU (7-1, 4-1) with a robust chance of winning against the skilled but snake-bitten Jayhawks (2-6, 1-4).
“Obviously, it stinks to lose, but our message after the game was that everything, all our hopes and dreams, are still right there for us,” said linebacker Kooper Ebel, the team’s third leading tackler with 45 stops. “So, yeah, we just came back to work. Nothing’s changed. We’e back to work with the same mentality, the same goal.”
That, of course, hinges on winning every game and leaving nothing to chance. The Cyclones’ defense has yielded an early touchdown in four consecutive games, but always rose up late to help secure victory — until last week. And like Heacock said, the players took that personally.
“(Losing can) kind of help you refocus, recenter,” Ebel said. “We were living on the edge there for a little bit and happened to fall in the game. It happens. But we’re right back at work and there was a great sense of urgency (this week) at practice and we’re ready to roll.”
ISU’s defense still ranks ninth nationally in points allowed per game at 15.5. The pass defense sits third (146.6 yards per game) among FBS schools, and its 14 interceptions rank among the top five marks in the country.
The Cyclones also tend to tightly constrict opposing offenses as the pressure mounts, allowing an average of 6.6 points in the second half — and a mere 3.3 points in the fourth quarter. So consider last week’s late-game vulnerability to be an aberration instead of the start of a trend as ISU seeks to finish the regular season with four straight wins, which almost certainly would secure a spot in the Big 12 title game.
“I think this group has, since we’ve asked them to come back here in January, (had) the right mindset to try to change to try to change this whole thing, to get it going,” Heacock said. “They’ve done that. And that’s the one thing, when you lay your head on a pillow a night as a coach, man, are your guys and your staff — everybody — doing everything they can, and the answer is yes, we are. And yes, they are, and they have been since January. So those guys will rally up this team like they have.”
They’ll also face a Kansas team that’s hoping to rally down the stretch to win enough games to reach a bowl game. The Jayhawks are desperate, but so are the Cyclones, and that should be evident on both sides of the ball for a full 60 minutes (or more).
“We’ve got to come out fast and play better,” ISU quarterback Rocco Becht said last Saturday. “And that’s on all of us.”
Offense. Defense. Special teams. Every player on these units is taking the loss personally, but none more than Heacock’s charges, who have met and often exceeded an exacting standard in each the past eight seasons.
“We’ve got to play better football on our side,” Heacock said. “We’ve got to help ourselves a little bit, but we can do that. We’ve got to do a better job of that, but I love this group.”
Love breeds trust, and trust fuels performance. The Cyclones have ratcheted up expectations, but their margin for error has evaporated. That’s plain, simple and honest.
“What a great opportunity for us to showcase, are we who we would like to be?” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said. “And certainly the team we have the ability to become?”
