Iowa State is back to work this week after a 31-17 loss to No. 15 Utah on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium, a game that kept first-year coach Jimmy Rogers in search of his first Big 12 win.
The Cyclones had a real chance to flip the afternoon late. Down 24-3, they put together a second-half push and nearly forced Utah into another punt, but a roughing-the-passer penalty on third down kept the drive alive. Utah finished it off with Wayshawn Parker’s third touchdown of the day, and that was that.
Parker was the difference for the Utes. He scored three total touchdowns and led Utah in both rushing and receiving yards as the visitors improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 play.
For Iowa State, the loss came with a mix of frustration and a few notable individual performances. Jaylen Raynor threw for a season-high 205 yards and also ran a season-high 10 times.
Aiden Flora added a career-high five catches for 53 yards, while Omari Hayes set single-game highs in a Cyclone uniform with five receptions for 55 yards. Cody Jackson also got involved, catching his first three passes as a Cyclone, all in the second quarter.
The ground game stayed productive, too. Iowa State has now topped 100 rushing yards in 21 straight games, the longest streak in the Big 12 and the sixth-longest in the FBS.
Flora’s 382 rushing yards through four games rank 12th among Cyclones going back to 1995 and are the most since Breece Hall had 428 in 2021. As a team, Iowa State’s 722 rushing yards through four games are the eighth most since 1995 and the most since the 2009 team had 831.
Utah, though, changed the feel of the game on the other side of the ball. The Utes ran for 205 yards and snapped Iowa State’s streak of holding five straight opponents under 100 rushing yards, a run that had been tied for the longest in America. Utah’s 14 first-quarter points also matched the total Iowa State’s first three opponents had combined for in opening quarters.
Defensively, there were some bright spots for the Cyclones. Sullivan Schlimgen finished with a career-high 12 tackles and logged a tackle for loss for the third straight game.
Carson Willich picked up his first career sack and has now recorded at least one tackle for loss in every game this season. Donovan Fitzmaurice notched his first tackle for loss as a Cyclone, while Duhron Goodman and Brody Miller both set career highs in tackles with nine and eight, respectively.
The crowd was there, too. More than 52,000 fans attended Saturday’s game, extending Iowa State’s streak to 94 straight home games with at least 50,000 in Jack Trice Stadium.
Across the Big 12, Week 4 brought a full slate of results. Baylor beat Colorado 23-13 behind DJ Lagway’s return, which included 221 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Colorado benched JuJu Lewis.
UCF handled TCU 21-13 as Jaden Craig threw two interceptions and Keyone Jenkins went 19-for-20 through the air. Cincinnati knocked off Kansas State 31-26 behind 271 rushing yards, and Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 41-24 after scoring 28 second-half points and getting 389 yards and three touchdowns from Drew Mestemaker.
The league’s nonconference results included No. 11 Texas Tech over Sam Houston 49-14, No. 25 Houston over Georgia Southern 42-28, and Arizona over Washington State 34-24.
Now attention turns to Week 5, when West Virginia visits Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday. The Mountaineers enter at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12, while Iowa State is 2-2 and 0-1 in league play.
The betting line has already shifted. Iowa State opened as a 1.5-point underdog to Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia on Sunday at FanDuel, but the Cyclones moved to a three-point favorite. The over-under is 52.5 points.
Both teams have leaned heavily on new faces this season, with about 80 newcomers on each roster. West Virginia is led by dynamic running quarterback Michael Hawkins and Jacksonville State transfer running back Cam Cook. The Mountaineers also picked up a top 25 win over Virginia in Week 3.
Against the spread, both teams sit at 2-2.
In Other News...
Iowa States Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Half
Iowa States 31-17 loss to Utah did more than hand the Cyclones a setback on the scoreboard. It put a spotlight on a stretch of football that looked out of sync in almost every phase, with the run game stalling, the passing attack lacking consistency and the defense getting pushed around early before settling in a bit after halftime.
The second-half response at least suggested there was some fight left in the group, but the bigger concern is how much had to go wrong before the Cyclones found their footing. Third-down struggles, missed tackles and quarterback Jaylen Raynors accuracy and decision-making all stood out as issues that cant be chalked up to one bad half, and they leave Iowa State with real work to do before the next opportunity to reset. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Is Still Missing The One Thing That Changes Everything
Oklahoma State looked a lot more like the team it hoped to be after shaking off an early setback and handling West Virginia 41-24, with quarterback Drew Mestemaker throwing for 389 yards and three touchdowns. The result mattered beyond Stillwater, too, because it left West Virginia already trying to regroup at the start of Big 12 play while the rest of the league continued to sort itself out, including Iowa States place in the early-season picture.
For the Cyclones, the larger concern is the same one that hovers over a handful of contenders in the conference: the difference between looking capable and looking complete. Iowa State has had enough good stretches, and enough individual bright spots, to stay in the conversation with teams like Utah, Cincinnati and Kansas State, but the Big 12 tends to expose any missing piece fast. Until that one thing shows up consistently, the margin for error stays thin. [Read more 🡒]
Tamin Lipsey Changes Everything For Iowa State At The Perfect Time
Iowa State got the kind of offseason boost every program hopes for when Tamin Lipsey was granted a legal fifth year of eligibility and will be back in the Cyclones backcourt. His return matters even more because the team is already dealing with an injury to guard Killyan Toure, making experienced perimeter play a priority as the roster takes shape.
Lipsey brings more than familiarity. Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, production that touches nearly every part of the floor and gives Iowa State a steadying presence on both ends. For a team trying to absorb one setback while keeping its upside intact, getting him back changes the outlook in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]