By Rob Gray, correspondent
AMES — Tough times called for tough talk.
Tough play, too.
Iowa State went from 5-0 to 5-4 this season seemingly in the blink of an eye, and banged-up but unbowed quarterback Rocco Becht stood tall amid that maelstrom as his team’s fortunes rose and fell.
“A lot of things have happened,” the three-year starter said after Saturday’s 38-14 Senior Day clobbering of Kansas before a crowd of 58,275 at Jack Trice Stadium. “And you can’t control any of that stuff.”
Injuries decimated the Cyclones’ secondary. Becht took his share of hard hits. Dropped passes and missed throws coalesced to put ISU (6-4, 4-4 Big 12) on its collective heels, but that troubled recent past morphed into an efficient and ebullient present and future —and now a two-game win streak heading into next weekend’s regular season finale at Oklahoma State.
“Our seniors, they just led from the front,” said Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell, whose team clinched its eighth winning season in the past nine years. “They never complained. They never pointed fingers. And quite honestly, they’re gonna have a chance (in) the next eight quarters to do what I think four teams in the history of this school have ever been able to do.”
That’s win nine or more games in a single season — and ISU’s already done it twice in the nine-plus seasons under Campbell.
“We were very efficient this (game),” senior offensive tackle James Neal said. “As long as we’re able to keep that up, we should have a pretty good end to the season.”
Becht, a junior, completed his first 10 passes against the Jayhawks (5-6, 3-5) and finished 18-for-23 through the air for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Junior tailback Carson Hansen eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fourth game in a row, and ran four yards for a touchdown that gave ISU a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Cyclones would lead by at least 10 points the rest of the game.
“Back-to-back years where these seniors can win (on Senior Day),” said Becht, who three two touchdown passes to receiver Brett Eskildsen, and one to tight end Ben Brahmer. “But we’ve still got two games left with these guys and we’re gonna put everything we’ve got into the rest of them.”
ISU converted on seven of its first 11 third downs, and each of its first three fourth down conversion tries — and two of the latter plays turned into touchdowns. The first, on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas 20-yard line, Becht found Eskildsen in the end zone for the second time. And on the ensuing drive while facing fourth-and-2 from the Jayhawks’ 12, Becht connected with a wide-open Brahmer for six points.
“When we’ve played really well in situational football, we’ve been at our best,” said Campbell, whose team scored on six of its eight possessions. “I thought today we played in that rhythm.”
Sophomore safety Marcus Neal added an interception for the Cyclones, and backup tailback Aiden Flora jetted for a 38-yard touchdown to cap the game’s scoring.
So tough times have turned into good times again for the Cyclones, and Becht’s been front and center for all of it. Whether winning or losing, or healthy or ailing. So consider him an honorary senior.
“When things are down, he’s there,” Eskildsen said. “When things are up, he’s the first guy celebrating with you. Having him, honestly, as a mentor (and) leader for this team, it’s unreal.”
