AMES - Iowa State has spent enough time living in the neighborhood of the quarterback. Now the Cyclones want the full address.
That was the message behind Blake Hawkins’ breakthrough last week at Baylor, when the Iowa State defensive end finally turned pressure into a sack on third-and-16 in the first half of the 42-31 loss. It was Hawkins’ first sack for the Cyclones, and it came with the kind of force Iowa State has been chasing as it heads into Saturday’s 11 a.m. game against Cincinnati at Jack Trice Stadium.
“It was just a fantastic moment,” Hawkins said. “Just hope for more of those.”
The problem for Iowa State was what followed. The sack helped set up a moment that looked like it might swing the game, but star tailback Aiden Flora muffed the ensuing punt, the Cyclones’ 10-point lead disappeared, and Baylor rolled off 28 straight points to finish the job.
That sequence fit a larger theme for ISU this season: flashes of real impact, then too many missed chances when the game tightens up. Head coach Jimmy Rogers said the answer starts with the players deciding not to accept the team’s current level as the final product.
“We’re not always guaranteed to be the most athletic (team), but we can play with great effort and be physical at the point of attack and control the things that we can control better than other teams if we make that choice,” Rogers said. “So it’s on us as individuals to change the tide of where we want to go and not settle on, ‘Well this is what we are now.’
We have to keep chomping at the bit to grow this program to be better. And it starts with me, the whole staff and the players.”
That’s the tension hanging over the Cyclones as they sit at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12. They’ve had standout individual production - Flora’s big-play running has him atop the conference rushing chart with 1,119 yards through nine games - but the bigger picture has been less forgiving, especially on defense in league play. Injuries have thinned the unit, and younger players with limited game experience have been forced into bigger roles.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit said that kind of exposure is part of the process, even if it comes with mistakes.
“The game is fast,” Bobbit said. “You’re playing at a really high level against some really talented players.
Mistakes are gonna happen. And to say that you want those, no, but they are gonna help (younger players) grow.
So when you look at (the Cincinnati) game, the next three weeks, ideally a bowl game, into next year’s spring ball, all of those reps stack up.”
Hawkins has been one of the players making the most of those reps. The third-year defensive end from Gretna, Neb., is listed at 6-4 and 235 pounds, and he registered one of Iowa State’s five tackles for loss against Baylor. Bobbit called him “an elite pass rusher,” and said the staff has leaned on him more on base downs because of the injuries up front.
“He’s an elite pass rusher and he’s continued to work his way into base downs, as well,” Bobbit said. “We’ve needed that, obviously, with some of the injuries at D-line, so he’s stepped up in a big way the last couple weeks, and that (sack) was a huge momentum play.”
Hawkins said the push from the coaching staff was direct. Before the Baylor game, defensive line coach Jalon Bibbs told him, “We’re done with those.
We’re done with the pressures. We’re done with the hurries.
Like, we want to get after the quarterback.”
That message hit home.
“We’d been getting pressures, getting QB hurries,” Hawkins said. “And before the Baylor game, (defensive line coach Jalon) Bibbs told me, ‘We’re done with those.
We’re done with the pressures. We’re done with the hurries.
Like, we want to get after the quarterback.’ So that kind of gave me a little boost, pushed me over the edge to go get after it, and we should continue that trend.”
Iowa State has already shown it can create those kinds of moments. The challenge now is making them stick.
In Other News...
Iowa State Has Aiden Flora Problem Fans Didn't Want To Face
Aiden Flora has become impossible to ignore in Ames, turning into Iowa States leading rusher and putting together a season that has him on pace for one of the best ground campaigns in Cyclones history. For a program that has leaned on physical, efficient football for stretches this year, Floras rise has been one of the clearest reasons the offense has stayed grounded and productive.
Jimmy Rogers has already acknowledged how important Flora is to the team, but the conversation around him now goes well beyond this seasons box scores. In a college football world where player movement is constant, Flora is expected to draw plenty of attention in the upcoming transfer portal cycle, which leaves Iowa State facing a familiar but uncomfortable reality: a breakout season can quickly turn into a retention battle. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Already Has An Unexpected New Player Driving Everything
With several key stars gone, Iowa State has had to lean on new faces early in the 2026-27 season, and one transfer guard has quickly become the engine behind the Cyclones start. Ryan Prather Jr. has settled in as the teams most impactful player by ESPN Analytics net point metric, a notable development for a roster trying to replace a lot of production while still keeping its usual defensive edge.
Prathers value has shown up on both ends, with the guard averaging 13 points per game on efficient shooting while also giving Iowa State real disruption on defense. He even leads the team with seven steals, which helps explain why he has edged out returning guard Tamin Lipsey in the early analytics picture and why his role looks bigger than anyone might have expected when the season began. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnatis Ground Game Could Decide Everything At Iowa State
Iowa State heads into a key home game with Cincinnati knowing the path to a bowl bid can get a lot clearer with a win. The Bearcats bring an offense built around the run, with Cole Tabb leading the way, and that identity has made them a tougher out when they can stay on schedule and keep drives moving.
For the Cyclones, the challenge is simple in theory and harder in practice: slow down the ground game and make Cincinnati lean on a passing attack that has been less effective, especially away from home. If Iowa State can do that, the matchup tilts in its favor, but if the Bearcats control the line of scrimmage, the game could turn into the kind of grind that leaves the outcome hanging late. [Read more 🡒]