Rocco Becht: Early 2023 loss to Ohio helped Iowa State football achieve greatness

Since a 2023 loss to Ohio, Iowa State is 16-6 overall and headed to the Big 12 title game

Rocco Becht celebrates with fans after Iowa State's 29-21 win over Kansas State Saturday night in Ames. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off a tough seven-point defeat to rival Iowa last year, things continued to spiral in the wrong direction for the Iowa State football team.

They left the comforts of Ames and headed off to play MAC program Ohio on the road. Unable to get the offense going, the Cyclones suffered a 10-7 defeat to the Bobcats, prompting many to even call into question Matt Campbell as head coach.

Flash forward a year-plus later, and Campbell has Iowa State playing for its first-ever Big 12 championship. 

The Cyclones (10-2) finished off a run as co-regular season champions of the Big 12 and will play Arizona State (10-2) Saturday from AT&T Stadium in Dallas. With a win, they will secure a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht was asked about that September 2023 loss to Ohio following a 29-21 win vs. Kansas State Saturday night. With that victory, Iowa State secured the first 10-win season in program history.

We looked at each other in the mirror and we figured each other out. It led us to this point right now

- Rocco Becht, on 2023 loss to Ohio

“We looked at each other in the mirror and we figured each other out,” Becht said. “A lot of great came from that game. We went back to work and ultimately, it led us to this point right now.”

Becht threw for 348 yards the following week in a 34-27 victory over Oklahoma State and ISU was off and running. They would finish the year 7-5 before a tough bowl game loss to Memphis.

This season, the Cyclones reeled off seven consecutive wins with Becht directing the offense to perfection. They hit a couple bumps in the road with setbacks to Texas Tech and Kansas, but rebounded by winning their last three.

“It’s belief and consistency,” Becht said. “It might not have gone our way but we overcame adversity and we’ve overcome a lot. We just trust each other and we continue to play for each other.”

Becht credits the senior class of players for helping get Iowa State through those rough patches. The group was honored during an emotional moment before kickoff vs. Kansas State.

“Achieving 10 wins, that’s never been done and it’s awesome for these seniors to go out with a legacy in this program,” he said. “People are going to remember this team and they are going to remember these seniors the most because of the way they were able to lead and bring us along the whole time this season.”

“It’s truly remarkable for those guys and I’m so happy for them.”

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