Iowa State stumbles on the road vs. Kansas: 5 takeaways from Cyclones’ stunning loss to Jayhawks

Second straight loss leaves no margin of error left for Iowa State’s Big 12 title game hopes

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht was unable to generate a comeback on the road vs. Kansas Saturday, as the Cyclones fell for a second straight week. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Iowa State football team likely entered Saturday thinking it was a perfect opportunity to get back on track and remain ahead of the pack in the race for a spot in the Big 12 title game.

Instead, the Cyclones were dealt a second consecutive defeat at the hands of Kansas from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a large following of ISU supporters, 45-36. 

With the loss, Iowa State (7-2, 4-2) didn’t see its hopes of earning one of those year-end spots completely evaporate; they just left themselves one more misstep away from doing so. 

Here are five takeaways from Iowa State’s loss to the Jayhawks:

The Iowa State defense works to bring Devin Neal of Kansas down Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks picked up a Big 12 Conference win, 45-36. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Run defense has been rough as of late

Granted, the Big 12 is loaded with top-level running backs, and Iowa State has seen its fair share of them as of late. Last week, it was Tahj Brooks from Texas Tech who put the hammer down on the Cyclones in Ames. This time, it was Kansas’ Devin Neal who did the brunt of the damage.

Neal became the school’s career rushing leader with 116 yards and also set the career record for rushing touchdowns with two trips to the end zone. He surpassed marks previously set by June Henley, as he now sits at 3,951 yards and 43 scores. 

As a team, Kansas ran the ball 46 times for 237 yards and three touchdowns, averaging just a shade over five yards per carry. Last week, Texas Tech’s Brooks had 122 yards and a score, posting just under five yards per carry. 

Opponents are now averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 173 yards on the ground per game vs. the Cyclone defense. With games against Cincinnati, Utah and Kansas State on the horizon, lowering those numbers will be key in getting back on track.

Iowa State's Abu Sama III was unable to get going as the Cyclones fell Saturday to Kansas. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Carson Hansen, Abu Sama have to be more of a feature on offense

Now, given that the Cyclones were playing from behind much of the afternoon, it limited the offense from handing the ball off to Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III very much. But even before the game got out of reach, neither back seemed to really be going anywhere.

Hansen still doesn’t look 100 percent healthy after getting injured a few weeks back. He finished the loss to Kansas with 48 yards on eight carries, finding the end zone late in the game. Sama, a sophomore who exploded late last year, was held to just 20 yards on five carries. 

As a team, Iowa State had only 24 rush attempts for 78 yards, averaging 3.3 per tote. They are now sitting at 168 yards per game on the ground for an average of 4.5 per rush. But those numbers pale in comparison to the 256-yard outing they had in a win over UCF, which was the last time Iowa State left field as winners.

Iowa State's Jeremiah Cooper makes a tackle on Devin Neal of Kansas Saturday. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Where has the defensive pressure gone? 

Back to the defensive side of the ball for a moment. The Cyclones finished with zero sacks and only two tackles for loss vs. Kansas, as they also did not force a turnover. That is a recipe for a loss at any level of football.

Jalon Daniels, the ever-improving quarterback for the Jayhawks, had 24 pass attempts and ran another 12 times. He was able to complete 12 of those for 295 yards, averaging almost 25 yards per completion. 

Against a dual-threat like Daniels, you have to be careful to not overpursue, but you can’t just sit back and allow him that much time to pick your secondary apart. The ISU defense needs to be more aggressive moving forward. 

Jaylin Noel had a season-high 167 yards receiving with two touchdowns in a loss to Kansas on Saturday. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaylin Noel is a star, and he’s performing like it right now

Noel, a senior from Kansas City, had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season in front of his hometown. He finished with eight receptions for a season-high 167 yards, finding the end zone twice. 

That marked his second 150-plus-yard game over the last three weeks after clearing triple digits in the first two games of the season way back in August and September. Over the last five, he is averaging seven receptions and almost 108 yards with three touchdowns.

Noel continuing to force defenses to plan around him will open lanes up for Jayden Higgins, who is as solid of a No. 2 as there is in the league. He had seven receptions for 88 yards vs. Kansas. 

Rocco Becht had a big day for Iowa State but it wasn't enough, as the Cyclones suffered a second straight loss Saturday vs. Kansas. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Rocco Becht is going to be a special, special QB

Yes, he wasn’t able to bring the Cyclones all the way back like he has in the past, but Becht showcased why the future is very bright for the program. The sophomore passed for 383 yards and three touchdowns, completing 24 of 37.

Becht, who led a comeback vs. UCF and had Iowa State in position to win after a late drive vs. Texas Tech, has nine touchdowns over his last five games. He has surpassed 265 yards in all five while also completing at least 64 percent of his passes in three of those. 

On the year, Becht 16 touchdown passes and 2,394 yards against seven interceptions. He is also completing over 61 percent of his attempts while adding another 162 yards and four scores on the ground.