AMES - Iowa State is 1-0 after a 28-point win over Southeast Missouri, but Jimmy Rogers made it clear Saturday that the real measuring stick is coming fast.
The Cyclones head to rival Iowa in Week 2, and Rogers called it a much tougher evaluation than what his team got in the opener. Iowa is No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 rankings after opening with a 40-0 win over Northern Illinois, a game in which running back Kamari Moulton stood out for Kirk Ferentz’s team.
For Iowa State, this year’s Cy-Hawk trip carries a couple of familiar goals. The Cyclones have won the last two meetings, with Kyle Konrardy drilling a game-winning 54-yard field goal in both games. They’re trying to make it three straight in the rivalry for the first time since a five-game run around the turn of the century, and they’re also chasing a third straight road win over Iowa for the first time since victories in Kinnick Stadium in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Rogers spoke with local media for about 20 minutes Saturday, and one of the clearest themes from his comments was how much he values walk-ons and the role they can play in building a roster.
“Yeah, I can't speak enough about the players that come onto this team and bet on themselves and work to gain a role, whether it be on special teams or starting spot on any unit. But when they get in the game, it matters to them because the time that they invested into this, they bet on themselves and coming to whatever school that they went to.”
He pointed to several players as examples of that path.
“There’s numerous players on this team. I mean, Aiden Flora was that.
Kyle [Konrardy] was that. Vince [Benetti] was that.
I think there’s a humility in their work ethic. They’re hungry.
They put in the time.”
Rogers said he doesn’t like the roster limits that shape the sport now, even if he has to work within them.
“I don't love the whole roster deal. I wish that they had still the same opportunity and there was no roster limit, but I don't make the rules.”
Even with those limits, he said the approach stays the same: keep finding players who fit, keep giving opportunities, and keep building the best team possible.
“The big thing is just to continue to look at those same type of players and give them opportunities, and whether they count as a spot or not and they get money is irrelevant. It's still the opportunity.”
Rogers also said every roster has to be built with the current year in mind, because each season is different.
“But when you're trying to build the best team possible, you're always looking at initially who fits, who has the talent, and how can you win with the roster that you create in that one year because every year is different.”
He said he feels fortunate to have inherited a program with players willing to compete and stay, and he credited their growth for helping shape the team.
“And I was blessed to walk into a great situation with a lot of guys that were willing to come here and compete and stayed here and have been given an opportunity and their role has grown. So I'm happy for a lot of our guys that were that.”
Rogers closed that thought by connecting it to his own background.
“But my past is loaded with a bunch of guys that started their careers not on scholarship and then became some of the best players that we've ever coached.”
In Other News...
Iowa State Has A New Defensive Force Ahead Of Cy-Hawk Week
Isaac Terrell gave Iowa State exactly the kind of disruptive afternoon that gets noticed beyond one box score, earning Big 12 defensive player of the week honors after piling up three sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry in the win over Southeast Missouri. For a defense trying to set a tone early in the season, that kind of edge from the front seven is the sort of development coaches and teammates can build around.
The timing only makes it more interesting with Cy-Hawk week arriving, especially with the 2026 meeting at Kinnick Stadium set for an NBC broadcast and a designated commentary crew. Iowa State personnel, including head coach Jimmy Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, are lined up for their game-week media availability, and Terrells emergence gives those conversations a little more urgency as the Cyclones turn from one opponent to a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Isaac Terrell Just Changed The Feel Around Iowa State's Defense
Iowa States season opener against Southeast Missouri State offered the kind of defensive tone-setting performance coaches love to point to in September. Defensive end Isaac Terrell was right in the middle of it, piling up three sacks and three tackles for loss in the Cyclones 38-10 win while giving the front seven a disruptive edge that was hard to ignore.
Terrells effort also came with some immediate recognition, as he earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping turn a manageable opener into a convincing result. For Iowa State, the bigger question now is whether that burst off the edge becomes a weekly feature, because early in the season it already looks like the defense found a player capable of changing the feel of a game. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Already Looks Like A Different Test For Iowa State
Iowa State handled Southeast Missouri State in Week 1, but the bigger value of that opener may be in how it frames the road ahead. Around college football, some teams turned in performances that changed the way their schedules now look, and the Cyclones can already see how a few early results are reshaping the feel of their own slate.
The most immediate effect is in how certain opponents are being viewed after the opening weekend. Some teams that had been expected to provide a stiffer test did not look the part, while a few others showed enough early strength to make later matchups appear more daunting than they did in August. For Iowa State, the shifting perception matters just as much as the win itself, because the margin between a manageable stretch and a tricky one can change quickly in September. [Read more 🡒]