Good morning, Cyclone fans. There’s plenty going on in Ames today, from a clearer picture of how Jimmy Rogers is spreading snaps to a season-ending blow for Iowa State volleyball and fresh details on a major summer concert at Jack Trice Stadium.
On the football side, the first two games have already shown that Rogers and his staff are willing to mix things up with personnel. In the Week 1 win over SEMO, Iowa State used 31 different players on offense for at least one snap. Roughly 10 of them logged 20 or more snaps, while 10 others finished with fewer than 10.
That changed in Week 2 against Iowa. The Cyclones used only 23 offensive players, and eight of them played fewer than 10 snaps.
Neither backup running back - Cameron Pettaway or Arnold Barnes - reached 10 snaps against the Hawkeyes. At receiver, first-year wideout Jamal Polite Jr. played 16 snaps, four more than veteran Cody Jackson.
Defensively, the distribution has been just as interesting. Iowa State used 35 players against SEMO, with linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen leading the way at 45 snaps. Drew Surges was right behind him with 43, and Rogers is hoping to have him back in Week 3 after Surges injured his ankle at Iowa.
The most notable trend might be up front. Iowa State has only played two defensive linemen more than 35 snaps in a game this season.
Against SEMO, no pass rusher topped 35 snaps. In that game, only Isaac Terrell (43) and Bryson Lamb (39) were above 35 among Iowa State’s 60 defensive reps, while Zaimir Hawk finished exactly at 35.
That usage pattern could change quickly if Saturday goes the way oddsmakers expect. Iowa State is favored by more than three touchdowns in most places against Bowling Green, and if the Cyclones build a comfortable lead, more players could get a chance the way they did in the opener.
The volleyball program, meanwhile, took a major hit. Right side hitter Lilly Wacholz will miss the rest of the season after getting injured against Iowa more than a week ago.
“Lilly's injury is heartbreaking; she has worked so hard over her career to become one of our best players and leaders,” Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “She has handled the past several days with so much toughness and grace.
Even from the sidelines, she continues to provide inspiration and leadership to this group. She is still very much a part of our team and we hope and pray for a speedy recovery.”
Wachholz also shared a message about the setback. “This is not how I imagined my season going, but I am incredibly grateful for every opportunity and experience that I have been given at Iowa State,” Wachholz said.
“I would not have been able to get through this without the constant and dedicated support of my teammates, coaches, doctors, athletic trainers, support staff, family, friends and incredible fans at Iowa State. Although this has been a difficult time, I know God continues to give me the strength and faith to get through this.
I am so thankful to be surrounded by such an amazing team and an incredible community that has supported me every moment of this unexpected journey.”
Before the injury, Wacholz was off to a strong senior season, averaging about 2.75 kills per set with a .324 hitting percentage. She had 18 kills in Iowa State’s win at Utah State and had more than 50 kills on the year.
Iowa State has also already lost Annalise Grant to a season-ending knee injury earlier this season. Grant, a second-year player in 2026, appeared in 19 matches as a defensive specialist and finished with 57 digs and 10 assists.
The Cyclones are 5-3 and next play Friday against UCLA in the Lucky Aces Invitational in Vegas.
And on the entertainment front, Iowa State has officially announced that Kenny Chesney and Eric Church will perform in Ames on June 5 at Jack Trice Stadium. The two are touring together after previously teaming up on the 2013 “No Shoes Nation Tour.”
The concert also includes Sheryl Crow, giving fans a lineup built around two guitarists and songwriters, including a Rock and Roll of Fame inductee, a nine-time Grammy Award winner and Crow.
Jack Trice Stadium is one of several college venues on the tour. Chesney and Church are also scheduled to play at East Carolina’s stadium. Chesney’s stadium run stretches across a long list of stops, including a 13th year in Pittsburgh and Detroit, a 12th stadium show in Philadelphia, and ninth stops in New Jersey, Dallas-Fort Worth and Kansas City, with Tampa and Chicago each set for their eighth stadium concert.
“It’s crazy to think these stadiums where I see football played every week are like coming home for the band and myself, but also really No Shoes Nation, which rose out of these stadium parking lots. Stadiums are where we come most alive - and this tour's taking it to a whole other level.
In Other News...
Iowa States Last Tune-Up Puts Two Offensive Questions In Focus
The last tune-up before Big 12 play gives Iowa State one more clean look at where its offense stands, and the matchup with Bowling Green carries a little extra texture because of the familiar faces on both sidelines. The game ties together coaching and player histories from both programs, while also offering a chance to gauge how consistently the Cyclones want to lean into their offensive tendencies before the schedule tightens.
For Iowa State, the bigger questions are less about opponent quality than about how the staff manages its own depth chart and rhythm. Backup quarterback Connor Moberly is one of the names worth watching for possible playing time, and the way the Cyclones distribute snaps could say plenty about how comfortable they feel with the current offensive plan. Bowling Green brings its own set of numbers and recent form into the matchup, but for Iowa State the value of this game is in clarifying the offense before the real test begins. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State's Big 12 Path Looks Tougher Than Fans Expected
Iowa States Big 12 slate is now in place, and it gives the Cyclones a clearer picture of just how demanding conference play will be. The official release lays out the full run of home-and-home games, the single home and road matchups, and the dates attached to each one, while also spotlighting some of the themed fan nights planned at Hilton Coliseum. There are stretches in the schedule that will test the teams travel legs and others that should give the crowd a chance to build some energy around key league dates.
The harder part for Iowa State may be figuring out who is actually available when those games arrive. Sophomore guard Killyan Toure is dealing with a shoulder injury that requires surgery, leaving his status uncertain heading into Big 12 play. For a team that is already staring at a rugged league calendar, any questions about backcourt depth only add to the intrigue around how the Cyclones will hold up once conference competition starts in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces An Unusual Test Against Bowling Greens Offense
Iowa States opening two games produced the sort of early split that leaves a staff with a little bit of everything to clean up, and now the Cyclones get a Bowling Green team that has not had much success overall but does present a different kind of challenge. The Falcons lean on an offense built around tight ends as primary targets, which changes the usual pregame calculus for a defense more accustomed to tracking wideouts and traditional spacing.
For Iowa State, the matchup is less about the opponents record and more about how quickly the secondary and linebackers can sort out responsibilities against a scheme that asks them to defend the middle of the field in unusual ways. Those kinds of offenses can be awkward if you are late with your fits or communication, and the Cyclones will spend the week figuring out where to match size, where to stay disciplined, and how to keep Bowling Green from turning a quirky approach into something more troublesome. [Read more 🡒]