Three Cyclones headline the Big 12 weekly awards coming off a thrilling 24-21 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic over in Dublin, Ireland.
Marcus Neal Jr. – Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
In his second career start, sophomore defensive back Marcus Neal Jr. was everywhere. He tied his career high with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and delivered a game-changing stop on a 4th-and-1 in the second quarter that halted a Kansas State drive. His physicality and downhill speed helped the Cyclone defense hold dual-threat QB Avery Johnson to just 21 rushing yards and forced three fourth-down stops. Neal was graded as the highest out of any Iowa State player in Pro Football Focus (PFF) with a 79.8 grade including a 86.0 tackling grade.
Aiden Flora – Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
Redshirt freshman Aiden Flora embraced the chaos of Dublin’s wet field conditions with major poise. Flora handled both punt and kick return duties for the Cyclones. He averaged 28 yards per kickoff return and recovered a critical fumble on a muffed punt early in the first quarter.
Dominic Overby – Big 12 Freshman of the Week
Dominic Overby wasted no time making his mark in a Cyclone uniform. In his first career start, the redshirt freshman wide receiver hauled in a 23-yard touchdown from QB Rocco Becht to open the scoring for Iowa State. He finished with two catches for 29 yards.
Iowa State Defensive Line – Big 12 Defensive Line of the Week
The entire defensive line for the Cyclones earned the Big 12 defensive line of the week award. After struggling for most of last season, Iowa State’s defensive line unit showed out in Week 0 against the Wildcats. Anchored by Domonique Orange in the middle, the Cyclones were able to get great push from their interior defensive linemen on almost every single play, which is something we did not see last year. Redshirt junior Ikenna Ezeogu played his first significant snaps recording only one tackle but batting down two balls at the line of scrimmage and containing Avery Johnson in the pocket from the end position. Yale transfer Tamatoa McDonough tallied one tackle and guys like Zaimir Hawk, Jace J. Gilbert, and Tulsa transfer Vontroy Malone all played significant snaps in the win.
