Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell celebrates after an interception by defenders against Kansas during the fourth quarter in the senior day on Nov. 22, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
If I have learned one thing this season, it is that you should judge a team based on its entire body of work rather than swaying your entire opinion of a team based on how they played for three hours on one Saturday.
Does the four-game losing streak against a handful of beatable teams sting? Absolutely, yet this Cyclone team is one of the best ever when they are on their ‘A’ game. I genuinely believe if the Cyclones brought their first five week or most recent two week level of play to the table throughout the entire 12-game stretch, this team would be playing for a slot in the Big 12 Championship in the season finale.
This is not a shot at the Cyclones for being inconsistent. It is extremely difficult to play your best over the course of four months of football. It is just important to put into perspective how special this roster is.
As Senior Day passes and Iowa State improved to 7-4 with a nice and easy 38-14 win over Kansas, it felt right to celebrate this class on a positive note. With offseasons now stuffed to the brim with a coaching carousel, transfers and recruiting, sometimes it is important to remember the players that will graduate as some of the most decorated athletes in team history.
An All-Around Masterpiece
Beating a mid-table Big 12 team is never a given, so it was a positive sign to see Iowa State make quick work of the Jayhawks.
Some of the big boys up front were paving the way for the offense in their final home game. The line is packed with senior leaders including long-time starters James Neal III, Jim Bonifas and Tyler Miller. With clear holes drilled, junior running back Carson Hansen took 22 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown.
The air raid was also cooking, with junior Rocco Becht completing 18 of 23 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. The youngster, sophomore Brett Eskildsen, lead the team once agains with six catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns. He set the tone with a first quarter touchdown and ended any hopes for Kansas with a griddy on the second touchdown that was so bizarre I almost forgot how to griddy myself.
The offensive creativity was really impressive Saturday. One critique I have made about this team is the versatility of some of the skill position players. There is plenty of talent, but having the ability to put your receivers, running backs and tight ends in dozens of situations comfortably can make a world of difference. We saw this Saturday, and it made Becht’s life easier than it had been in recent weeks.
The opening 12-play touchdown drive was the outcome of that creativity.
Steel Neal
Sophomore defensive back Marcus Neal Jr. has it all. He is fun to watch, flies around the field, hits hard and puts a smile on the face of anyone who loves defense.
It makes complete sense why the sophomore is already being listed as a Cyclone great. Few plays go by that he is not involved in. His stat sheet is nice with 75 total tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack on the year, but it does not even begin to explain his impact.
Any time Iowa State needs a big third or fourth down stop, Neal is always nearby to make the play that needs to be made. On his interception against Kansas, he got held up by a route over the middle, still managing to lurk nearby his matchup to float in and secure a win.
If Neal can even maintain the level of play he is at, let alone improve further, his NFL stock will be astronomical.
Finish Strong
The final game of the year is against 1-10 Oklahoma State, a team whose offense is tough to watch. No wins are automatic these days, but this is about as close as it gets to that. Considering the way the Cyclones were playing in the middle third of the schedule, an 8-4 season would leave a significantly less sour taste in the mouths of fans that came into the year with conference-contending expectations.
Players Era Festival
Not going to dive too deep into the weeds on men’s basketball. We have a whole season ahead. I will; however, give a quick layout for the Cyclones’ two best opponents of the year thus far.
Tonight, Iowa State plays St. John’s, a team ranked No. 14 in the nation that started the year at No. 5. St. John’s is 3-1 with a 103-96 loss to now No. 11 Alabama.
St. John’s comes into the game averaging an astounding 98.5 points, so slowing the scoring will be key. The game is 3:30 p.m. Monday in Las Vegas and airs on truTV.
Game two is against Creighton, a rematch from an exhibition loss in their house during the preseason. The Bluejays lost 90-63 to a really strong No. 13 Gonzaga team. This Vegas bout is at 1 p.m. Tuesday on truTV.
