Nov 16, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats defensive end Darian Varner (24) looks to tackle Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Connor Moberly (5) in the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
AMES — Kelechi Osemele paved the way as a human bulldozer.
Jeff Woody followed closely behind, serving as Iowa State’s BCS-busting battering ram.
And as the Cyclones put the finishing touches on a stunning 37-31 double-overtime win over then-No. 2 Oklahoma State on Nov. 19, 2011, one young fan who’d eventually join the program himself watched, awestruck.
That fan — Connor Moberly — is now ISU’s backup quarterback.
“Funny story,” said Moberly, a redshirt freshman who entered fall camp as the clear No. 2 play caller behind honorable mention All-Big 12 selection Rocco Becht. “Jeff Woody — who ran in that (game-winning) touchdown — I wore (his number 32).”
Woody starred as a running back at Southeast Polk before etching his name in Cyclone lore. He was Moberly’s hero growing up — until the fellow Ram switched from running back to quarterback and went on to lead the team to back-to-back state titles. Then former ISU star quarterback Brock Purdy naturally became Moberly’s idol.
“I mean, the quarterbacks before him, they were all right, but Brock Purdy’s definitely the main one everybody thinks of,” Moberly said.
Purdy’s rise from being “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to highly-paid standout starter for the San Francisco 49ers certainly gives Moberly an inspiring roadmap for his own career.
Moberly saw action in four games last season, going 5-for-10 through the air for 49 yards and an interception. He impressed coaches the most with his legs, churning up 52 yards on just eight carries, giving him the perfect blend of talent to backup Becht and perhaps eventually become his heir apparent at at the position.
“He’s grown a great deal here,” Cyclones quarterback coach Jake Waters said. “He’s still working every single day (at) the consistency piece of being at an elite level, but he’s made huge strides and he’s doing a great job.”
Moberly — who stands 6-4 — weighed in at a lithe 180 pounds when he arrived on campus last season. Now, Waters said, he’s tipping the scales at 215 or 220 while maintaining his ability to be an elusive runner.
“So the development there — he got bigger, faster, stronger — and then football-wise, too, he’s doing a great job of learning every single day,” Waters said. “Learning just how to be a college quarterback and the process it takes just to get ready to go to practice, and everything that you need to do, and learning how critical our decision making is at quarterback.”
So while Moberly’s young in terms of age, he’s also a seasoned student of the game. And he’s not just biding his time behind Becht, who’s slated to be ISU’s starting quarterback for the third straight season. He knows he’s one injury away from becoming the starter himself — and got a taste of that when Becht missed extended time on the field for the first time in his career during the Big 12 title game loss to Arizona State.
“As soon as that happens, you’ve gotta be ready to go,” said Moberly, who completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and tossed 40 touchdowns in his two years as a starter at Southeast Polk. “Once that happens, you’re the guy. You’re the quarterback. You’ve gotta be on your stuff.”
Becht’s certainly been on his “stuff” the past two seasons and Moberly will likely be relegated to mop-up duty this season as long as he remains healthy. And he’s cool with that. Happy, even. Moberly’s a lifelong Cyclone fan, so he already feels like he’s living out a dream simply by being the team’s backup quarterback.
“I think quarterback’s the best position in sports,” he said. “But just growing up, I mean, coming here and watching the games, and seeing all the players in uniforms, thinking that was so cool — and now me being a part of that and just seeing my family in the crowd and on the sprit walk, it’s pretty cool. Just surreal to be a part of that.”
