Nov 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Jeremiah Cooper (4) pushes Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Quentin Skinner (0) out of bounds during the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Iowa State dropped its second-straight game after starting 7-0 for the first time in modern history, falling to Kansas, 45-36, on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
As sloppy as it could look
The Cyclones played their sloppiest half of the season at Arrowhead.
The defense allowed Kansas to average 10.9 yards per play in the opening 30 minutes. Kansas’ offense drove down the field with ease, scoring on every single drive it had the ball after it failed to score on its first.
When asked why the defense failed to create the pressure, coach Matt Campbell gave a brief, but firm answer.
“When it’s 2nd and 1, it’s hard to create pressure,” Campbell said. “So you’ve got to stop the run.”
The Cyclones were losing in the early downs, and it set up Kansas with shots to take advantage, which they used.
There were missed assignments like this one Ta’Shawn James had that left a KU wide receiver wide open.
KU 21, ISU 7 with 10:32 left in Q2 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/q5RoxiUnnU
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) November 9, 2024
There was a 62-yard reception to Quinten Skinner that came when Myles Purchase got burned by the Jayhawk receiver.
“We haven’t played how we wanted to,” wide receiver Jaylin Noel said. “We’re putting ourselves in positions that we don’t want to be in.”
The mistakes went for both sides of the ball.
Wide receiver Carson Brown was called for a false start penalty on a two-point conversion attempt, and Rocco Becht missed a wide-open Stevo Klotz that cost the team four points after it settled for a field goal.
“I can’t keep turning the ball over and giving them free points,” Becht said. “And I’ve got to make the play in the red zone. We haven’t been good in the red zone and that’s on me. I can’t miss throws like that – wide open. I have to be better.”
Not to mention, the Cyclones’ four penalties in the opening 11 minutes, which featured two false starts from tight end Gabe Burkle and a delay of game that came right after one of them.
“On that second drive, when we got a couple of penalties, that kind of killed our momentum for a little bit,” Becht said. “We just weren’t fundamentally sound. We didn’t have the detail and the precision that we needed. We started off hot, but we’ve got to stay consistent. That hurts our team and it hurts are defense, because we’re trying to get the momentum up for them, for them to play well.”
It’s got to look different for Iowa State – and forget whatever comes in the postseason here – it’s got to look different than that to win anything.
Time management
Iowa State got the ball with a minute remaining in the first half, opting to use its first timeout of the game following a 16-yard reception to Carson Hansen after he was tackled in bounds.
It used its second, two plays later, on its next completion that went to Jayden Higgins for a six-yard gain.
That left the Cyclones with one time stoppage left with 37 seconds on the clock.
However, it only ran three more plays the rest of the half from offense – aside from the spike.
The Cyclones subbed in walk-on wide receiver Carson Brown after a short rush by Becht, with the clock running. It took 14 seconds to snap the ball and left just two seconds on the clock after the play – a 3-yard reception from Jaylin Noel – ended.
That’s with no attempt at a shot to the end zone – something that needs to be there, especially on stages bigger than this.
“We were right there – I thought we were more efficient in the red zone, for sure, today,” Campbell said. “I thought the ability for us to get a score right before (halftime) gave us some momentum.”
Iowa State has the talent on the outside of the field to take the shots to the end zone in those situations, and coming away with three instead of seven feels a lot bigger given what happened in the fourth quarter, not to mention with how the defense had been playing.
In a related category — punting while down 17 with 4:25 left felt like waving the white flag. When there are so many things needed to get the lead back, putting another ‘thing’ on top of it is a detriment.
Take the positives from the fast-paced offense in the fourth quarter
There weren’t a ton of positives to take from this one, but the way Iowa State played as it tried to rally back has to stick out.
Rocco Becht and the offense had a pair of touchdown drives that should get some second looks:
– Five plays for 75 yards in 2:21
– Six plays for 80 yards in 1:48
Things were working.
This team thrives when it’s put in fast-paced situations, whether out of necessity or not, and that may need to be something Iowa State looks at more often.
Becht was pressured again throughout the game, being sacked three times and brought down near the line of scrimmage.
That will be the focus for Iowa State going forward. The challenge becomes regaining the form that set it up for so much success, despite the goal of reaching the league title game growing much dimmer.
Even more than last week, this is where the leadership shows what it’s made of.
“There is not going to be a flinch in the locker room,” Freyler said. “Me and the leadership will make sure of that.”
