Iowa State’s trip to BYU already looked like one of the toughest spots on the schedule. A Friday night game in Provo, Utah, against the No. 8 team in the country is a rough assignment on its own. Add the short week and the travel, and the Cyclones were staring at a serious test in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.
But the injury report gave Iowa State a little more breathing room.
BYU will be missing major pieces on both sides of the ball, according to the official availability report shared by Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert on X. The biggest blow comes on offense, where the Cougars have already ruled out leading rusher LJ Martin.
Martin, the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, went down against TCU with a lower-leg and right ankle injury. He had been the engine of the BYU ground game, and his absence changes the look of that offense in a hurry.
Through this season, Martin has 44 carries for 344 yards and three touchdowns, plus five catches for 41 yards. His 385 yards from scrimmage lead the team.
BYU will also be without another running back, Sione Moa, who has six carries for 22 yards this season. That leaves the Cougars thinner in the backfield at a time when they’re already dealing with a major absence.
On the other side of the ball, BYU is also down star linebacker Isaiah Glasker. The 2024 All-American is out with a lower-body injury, leaving a clear gap in the middle of the defense.
For Iowa State, that opens the door for offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl to lean on a run game that has been steamrolling opponents, with Aiden Flora leading the way, while quarterback Jaylen Raynor and the passing game continue to find their rhythm.
The Cyclones do have some injury issues of their own. Iowa State will be without three defenders: safety Drew Surges, defensive end Caden Crawford and defensive tackle Ka'Mori Moore.
BYU, meanwhile, comes into the game 2-0 in Big 12 play after a tough road game against TCU in Fort Worth last week. Iowa State enters at 1-1 in conference play and 3-2 overall.
In Other News...
Iowa State Is Suddenly Facing Real Year 1 Bowl Pressure
A 3-2 start has Iowa State in a familiar-looking spot on the surface, but the pressure around the program is different this fall. First-year coach Jimmy Rogers inherited a roster with significant turnover, and now the Cyclones are trying to turn early promise into something more concrete as they get ready to face BYU.
For a team adjusting to a new coach and a reshaped roster, bowl projections can feel like a small thing until they start reflecting the bigger expectations around the season. ESPN analyst Kyle Bonagura has Iowa State headed to the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against Washington, which would be a decent outcome for a transitional year, but the Cyclones still have to keep winning to make that conversation matter at all. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces A Defensive Test It Cant Afford To Flunk
Iowa State is getting a clear early warning about what awaits in its matchup with BYU, and the focus starts with quarterback Bear Bachmeier. His running style gives the Cougars a different kind of stress point to prepare for, and the Cyclones have spent the lead-up talking about how important defensive discipline will be against a quarterback who can turn a routine snap into a problem in a hurry.
The challenge comes with a little less margin for error because Iowa State is also working around the absence of starting safety Drew Surges, who is out with an injury but expected back soon. Even so, the Cyclones know the job in front of them is bigger than any one lineup note, and how well they handle Bachmeiers legs may say plenty about whether the defense can hold up when it needs to most. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Needs This From Jaylen Raynor Friday Night
Friday night has a way of bringing out a little extra in Ames, and Iowa State has a memory to lean on from a 2011 upset of Oklahoma State that still fits the mood of this matchup. The Cyclones are heading into another Friday night test, this time against BYU, with the focus squarely on how quarterback Jaylen Raynor handles the moment and whether the offense can give him enough support to make the script work.
For Iowa State, the stakes are less about style points than about finding a steady rhythm against a capable opponent. Aiden Flora is among the names to watch as part of that effort, but the central question remains Raynors comfort, command and decision-making under the lights. If the Cyclones are going to make this one feel like those memorable Friday nights of the past, they will need him to set the tone early and keep it there. [Read more 🡒]