Jaylen Raynor’s first game in an Iowa State uniform showed both sides of the ledger. In the Cyclones’ 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State, he accounted for four touchdowns - two through the air and two on the ground - but the overall passing line left room for plenty more.
Raynor finished 8-of-16 for 184 yards, a stat line that worked just fine against an overmatched opponent but will need to sharpen up fast if Iowa State wants a shot at an upset of Iowa in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry Game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The setting only raises the difficulty level, and after a debut that was encouraging without being clean, he enters the week with a clear lane to settle in.
That lane starts with the run game. Offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl needs the ground attack to keep the Hawkeyes honest, because Raynor’s best work against Southeast Missouri State came when the play fake was part of the picture.
Pro Football Focus said 52.6% of Raynor’s dropbacks were play-action looks, and that’s where the production lived: he went 6-of-10 for 145 yards and two touchdowns on those snaps. Without play action, he was just 2-of-6 for 39 yards.
The downfield passing game also offered a promising sign. One of Raynor’s offseason goals was to improve throwing the ball deep, and in Week 1 he looked noticeably better in that area, connecting on 3-of-6 attempts of 20 or more yards for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Those shots matter because they force a defense to back up. Iowa State may also catch a break with the way Iowa plays on defense, since the Hawkeyes do not lean heavily on blitzing.
That should help Raynor, who struggled when pressure came his way against Southeast Missouri State. He was blitzed on 26.3% of his dropbacks and completed only 1-of-3 passes for 20 yards in those situations.
If the offensive line does its part and the run game keeps the defense from sitting on the pass, Raynor has a path to a much more comfortable afternoon through the air.
In Other News...
Cy-Hawk Just Got More Tense For Iowa State's 2028 Recruiting Push
Jimmy Rogers and his staff at Iowa State are still in the early stages of rebuilding the programs recruiting board after the wave of decommitments that followed Matt Campbells departure, and the 2027 class is starting to take shape. That group sits No. 43 nationally with 24 commits, a workable foundation that includes names such as Isaiah Hansen and Will Slagle, while the next cycle is already becoming part of the conversation as the staff works to reestablish its footprint.
The more immediate concern may be 2028, where Iowa State has already brought in several prospects and tried to get ahead of the competition. Defensive lineman Hunter Mosolino and quarterback Chase Grove are among the recruits who have been on campus, but both are headed to visit rival Iowa this weekend, a reminder that even the earliest stages of this recruiting battle can carry real weight for the Cyclones. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Has One Backcourt Challenge Before Big 12 Play Arrives
Iowa State still has the look of a program that should stay in the national conversation next season, even with some significant roster turnover ahead. T.J. Otzelberger has built enough credibility in Ames that the Cyclones are already drawing early top-25 attention, a sign that the foundation remains sturdy as the roster keeps evolving.
The wrinkle is in the backcourt, where the team will have to sort out ball-handling and tempo without one of its key pieces right away. With Killyan Toure recovering from a shoulder procedure and not expected back until January, Iowa State will need returning guards and transfers to steady things while the Big 12 season looms. [Read more 🡒]
Cy-Hawk Always Feels Personal And This Year Brings More Tension
The Cy-Hawk game always carries a little extra weight, but this one arrives with even more edge for Iowa State. The series still tilts toward Iowa, yet the Cyclones have made real headway in recent years and have turned the matchup into something closer to a yearly argument than a regional formality. With both programs familiar with each others personnel, coaching backgrounds and tendencies, there is very little mystery when these teams line up.
What has made the rivalry feel so combustible lately is how often it has come down to the final possessions, final drives and final kicks. Iowa State has been able to stack enough momentum to make the annual meeting feel less like a chase and more like a test of nerve, and that changes the way every snap is viewed in Ames. The tension around this years edition is baked into the history now, with the margin for error shrinking every season and the next chapter still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]