Growing up, I had a recurring dream about once a month where I was lost in an airport and could not find my family. The feeling of being lost has always given me trouble because it is one of the rare situations where you truly do not know what you can do.
That is the exact feeling I have about Iowa State football right now, lost. The talent is there, the schemes that have been successful have not seen drastic changes in years, the vast majority of the team has been a part of an 11-win season, so what is happening? I do not have the answer, and after four consecutive losses, I am losing faith that the coaching staff does either.
If anyone out there thinks they know the solution, I would love to hear it. The 24-19 loss to Arizona State truly felt like one that broke the spirits of the fans and coughed up any remaining hope.
What happened offensively?
Iowa State has never been a team to put up excess points, instead playing the clock when they have the lead; however, they have always been efficient when trailing and in need of a score. This year, with four games scoring 24 points or less, that efficiency just has not been there.
The Cyclones are making solid drives down the field, but they always seem to sputter out in no-man’s land after 20-30 yard drives. Final execution is where Iowa State has been plagued by miscues, penalties, interesting play calls and kicker injuries all year.
What is frustrating is the fans have seen this, essentially, same offense convert in the clutch in 2024.
Arizona State scored its final points of the day in the form of a touchdown with seven minutes to play in the third quarter to go up 24-16. Iowa State had a whopping six drives to find a touchdown to match, coming up with just one field goal.
Inspiring Defense
The 3-3-5 defense has caught some flack this year, largely because stopping the run has simply not happened consistently. With Sun Devil backup quarterback Jeff Sims, who played well for a sixth-year journeyman, taking the wheel due to a season ending injury from star Sam Leavitt, Iowa State’s defense had a chance to make a statement and did just that.
The Sun Devils were stuffed, scoring just three in the first quarter and were completely blanked in the fourth. Iowa State forced three turnovers on the afternoon, a second quarter forced fumble from Will McLaughlin, an interception by Marcus Neal in the waning seconds of the first half that resulted in a missed 55-yard field goal and a forced fumble from Neal mid-way through the fourth.
Credit to defensive coordinator Jon Heacock who seemingly always has his side of the ball ready to block out the noise, make adjustments and play hard.
Now What
At 5-4, Iowa State fans saw what college football reality feels like after a recent history of heads in the clouds. The team will likely make a bowl game and cash in a win or two to close the regular season, yet, I want the Cyclones to try some things. Next year’s roster also looks nice on paper, so why not get crazy and try everything over the final three weeks. Leave no stone unturned.
While I do not see it happening, Iowa State could start five or so guys that have rarely seen the field this year and it would not bother me one bit. If you want to keep up with teams that have unreal NIL funds, a national brand and five-star rosters, you have to have NFL-style rebuild years to fill the gaps.
The Lone Remedy
If there is one cure for the weekend blues it is opening day basketball on a Monday. Keep a second tab open at work, because the women’s squad is starting bright and early at 11 a.m., hosting St. Thomas. Do not blame me if you get fired though, just time your lunch break better or something.
Ranked No. 14 in the nation, Iowa State has high hopes coming into the year. Junior Arizona transfer Jada Williams will be a lynchpin that determines how the season goes. Fans already know what players like Audi Crooks and Addy Brown can do as they enter their third season, so the year will come down to the Cyclones’ ability to diversify the offense. Iowa State had no trouble beating St. Thomas last year, posting an 80-47 final score, so the bar has been set.
The second act on the Hilton floor will be the No. 16 Iowa State men hosting Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m.
The story of Iowa State’s season will likely come down to how easily the Cyclones can replace the scoring canyon left by the Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert departures.
FDU has gotten into some high scoring affairs with major conference teams in recent years, so it could be a good game for an occasionally inconsistent offense to find a rhythm right off the bat.
Bonus Features
A much-needed bonus points snippet this week is highlighted by Iowa State snapping No. 6 Arizona State’s 26-match Big 12 volleyball win streak. It was a five-set thriller, but the Cyclones got it done. At 18-4 on the year, Iowa State is trending in the right direction entering the final month of the regular season.
Wrestlers Yonger Bastida and Anthony Echemendia competed at the NWCA All-Star Classic against two of the nation’s best. No. 3 Bastida cruised to an 8-2 win over No. 4 Taye Ghadiali of Michigan and No. 7 Echemendia was no match for Ohio State’s No. Jesse Mendez in a 7-3 loss.
Iowa State also finished second in the Big 12 in both men’s and women’s cross country.
