Iowa State’s first win under Jimmy Rogers came with the kind of mixed bag you’d expect from a season opener, but one of the clearest takeaways had little to do with the names most people circled before kickoff.
The Cyclones beat Southeast Missouri State 38-10 in a game that was delayed by half an hour because of inclement weather. It wasn’t spotless, and there’s still plenty for the staff to sort through in practice this week, but there were also enough encouraging signs to build on in Rogers’ debut.
Isaac Terrell, viewed by many as the team’s top player, made his mark with three sacks to introduce himself in the Big 12. Jaylen Raynor had an uneven day through the air, but he still found the end zone four times in his first outing.
Even so, the most surprising impact came from wide receiver Dominic Overby.
One of the few holdovers from the 2025 roster under former head coach Matt Campbell, Overby didn’t crack the first official depth chart even though Iowa State listed three wide receiver spots. Evan Boyd opened as the WRX starter, with Carter Pabst behind him.
At WRF, Omari Hayes was first with Ty Claiborne second. And at WRZ, Cody Jackson was listed ahead of Overby.
But when the ball was in the air, Overby was the one making the biggest noise.
He finished tied for the team lead with two catches, and with Iowa State quarterbacks completing only nine passes all game, those two grabs stood out even more. He also led the Cyclones with 85 receiving yards, and both receptions went for more than 40 yards.
That gave the offense a much-needed downfield spark in a system built to be physical and grind away on the ground.
One of those catches was initially marked as a 73-yard touchdown, but Overby had stepped out of bounds at the Southeast Missouri State 33-yard line. Iowa State still cashed in later, with Raynor punching in a seven-yard touchdown run to make it 38-10.
The early signs suggest Overby is a name worth watching. At 6-foot-5, he gives Iowa State its best vertical option and a real target on jump balls and contested throws.
It was only one game, but the fact that he caught multiple passes while the receiver ahead of him on the depth chart did not is going to draw attention. Jackson was expected to have a major role, and he still may, but Overby made a strong case that he’s going to be part of the plan too.
In Other News...
Iowa State Needs To Know These Hawkeyes Before Kinnick Turns Hostile
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Jaylen Raynors first outing in a Cyclone uniform gave Iowa State a glimpse of what the passing game can look like when he is comfortable, and that makes the stakes in this one even more interesting for a team looking to build on that start. Still, the setting matters too, because Kinnick Stadium has not exactly been a welcoming place for the Cyclones in this series, and the recent run of tight finishes suggests this one could come down to the same kind of late-game edge that has defined so many of these meetings. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Enters Cy-Hawk Night With One Huge Edge To Defend
The Cy-Hawk rivalry is headed back to Kinnick Stadium in a familiar spot, with Iowa hosting Iowa State on Sept. 12 in a matchup that already carries the usual bragging rights pressure and a little extra juice. It will be only the fifth night game in the history of the series, and both teams will arrive at 1-0 after season-opening wins, setting up another early-season measuring stick between two programs that know each other too well.
Iowa still owns the edge in the all-time series, but the recent trend has belonged to Iowa State, which has taken the last two meetings and will go into this one trying to keep that momentum intact. For the Cyclones, it is a chance to protect a rare bit of recent success in a rivalry that can swing quickly, especially with the crowd, the time slot and the pressure all waiting at once. [Read more 🡒]