AMES - Iowa State’s offense doesn’t sound rattled, and Jaylen Raynor certainly doesn’t play like a quarterback chasing ghosts.
Through two weeks, the Cyclones have left some big plays on the field. Raynor has missed on a few deep chances, and he’s also had throws that his receivers didn’t finish. None of it has shaken the Arkansas State transfer, who has started 37 straight games at the FBS level and brings a steady hand into Saturday’s 11 a.m. nonconference finale against Bowling Green at Jack Trice Stadium.
“Just taking them when I have them and being able to be efficient is very important because we’re running the ball really well,” Raynor said after last weekend’s 16-13 loss at No. 18 Iowa. “So once we get those two things connected and rolling together we’ll be very explosive.”
That’s the whole blueprint for Iowa State right now: keep leaning on the run game, then cash in when the defense finally blinks. The matchup could be there for it. Bowling Green is 0-2 and just gave up a barrage in last week’s 56-7 loss at Nebraska, where the Huskers hit four touchdowns of 25 yards or more, had two receivers score multiple touchdowns in the same game for the first time since 2010, and piled up 262 rushing yards.
For first-year offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, the message since Sunday has been about precision in the biggest snaps.
“A big thing, and my message (last) Sunday, was we’ve gotta win the moment of truth,” Roehl said. “That could be at the line of scrimmage.
The moment of truth could just be the communication on the sideline, breaking the huddle, and coming to the line of scrimmage. The moment of truth could be a catch.
Could be a throw. Could be pass protection.”
That’s where Iowa State’s offense has to tighten up. The Cyclones are only completing 51.4 percent of their passes, but the story isn’t as simple as a quarterback stat line.
Raynor has been a little high on some throws that should have turned into touchdowns. He’s also put the ball where it needed to be and watched it slip away.
Head coach Jimmy Rogers said the fix isn’t some mystery formula.
“They’re all different,” Rogers said. “I don’t know what it’s gonna take.
I think it’s the same thing that it takes to have success on any play - to focus through the play and everybody executing at a high level and doing their job, and doing it physically. Like, really being in tune to what is the other team trying to get done, what is the look, and then executing it.”
Saturday should offer a chance to see that execution show up in a more complete way. Iowa State enters as a 23.5-point favorite, a sharp turn from last week when it was a two-touchdown underdog in Iowa City. If the Cyclones get the details right, the explosive plays should follow.
They already know what that looks like in pieces. Tailback Aiden Flora ripped off a 34-yard run against Iowa, bouncing outside and following his blockers all the way to the Hawkeyes’ 19-yard line.
It should have set up a much bigger moment late in the third quarter, with one defender left to beat and a chance to grab a one-touchdown lead. Instead, penalties forced Iowa State to settle for a 51-yard Kyle Konrardy field goal, and Iowa answered with two of its own in the final 6:22 to pull out the win.
“The blocking, the blocking on the perimeter, the O-line getting out, it’s probably the fastest I’ve seen (offensive tackle) Jake Taylor move in a minute,” Flora said. “He’s a big boy, but he was moving.
I really didn’t do anything special. The blocking was great.
I just had to finish it.”
That same idea applies to the passing game. The offense is built to wear teams down, create stress, and then strike when the opening appears. Iowa State believes the ceiling is there if the details line up.
“(Our ceiling) is as high as we want it to go, and as high as we want to take it,” said Omari Hayes, who has five catches for 93 yards and two carries for 23 yards. “I would never limit ourselves to anything, but I feel like we could be a great offense as long as we continue to harp on the details and the small things we need to focus on.”
For now, there’s no sense of alarm inside the program. Just a clear standard, repeated by the quarterback at the center of it all.
“It just comes down to executing when that moment is needed,” Raynor said.
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Iowa State Suddenly Has One Huge Question At Receiver
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Now the attention shifts to how the rest of the depth chart sorts itself out. Dominic Overby, Cody Jackson and Carter Pabst are among the players who may need to absorb a bigger share of the workload, and the next stretch of games will show whether Iowa State can patch together enough production to keep the passing game on track. [Read more 🡒]