Jaylen Raynor is back in the starting lineup, and the timing could not be more unforgiving.
Iowa State has already shown it will make a quarterback change if the offense stalls. That happened in the most recent game, when Raynor was benched at halftime on the road against Arizona and Connor Moberly took over. Now Raynor gets another shot against Oklahoma State at Jack Trice Stadium under the lights on Halloween, with the leash looking awfully short.
The Cyclones have had no trouble putting away weaker competition. They rolled through non-conference opponents like Southeast Missouri State and Bowling Green, and they also found success against West Virginia, which has the worst passing defense in the country.
But once the schedule tightened, the offense lost its rhythm. Iowa, Utah, BYU and Arizona all bottled them up.
Injuries have played a part in the slowdown. Iowa State is without four wide receivers: Evan Boyd, Carter Pabst, Dominic Overby and Jordyn Bailey. Omari Hayes and Cody Jackson are still available, but getting the ball to them has been a problem.
That puts even more weight on Raynor, especially with a veteran offensive line that has done its job in pass protection. According to PFF, Iowa State’s 81.7 grade ranks eighth in the country.
Oklahoma State is built to make opponents work for everything. The Cowboys sell out to stop the run, and that approach should show up again this week. They will try to make anyone but Aiden Flora beat them, which means Raynor will have to create with both his arm and his legs.
The Cowboys also bring some danger on defense, with seven interceptions already on the season. At the same time, they have been vulnerable lately because their pass rush has not been operating at a very high level over the last few weeks. That gives Iowa State a clear edge up front.
Still, the challenge is obvious. Oklahoma State’s offense is expected to put points on the board in bunches behind quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, so Raynor may need to answer score for score.
For Raynor, the setting and the stakes line up neatly. First night game at Jack Trice Stadium.
Halloween. A coach who has already shown he’ll pull the plug if things go sideways.
This feels like a chance to settle things once and for all, and another rough outing would almost certainly send the staff searching for other answers at quarterback.
In Other News...
Iowa State Answered A Bad Loss In The Wildest Way Possible
After a rough loss, Iowa State needed a response, and the Cyclones got one in the most chaotic way possible against Oklahoma State. The game swung back and forth all afternoon, with lead changes, long scoring drives and the kind of special-teams moments that can turn a Big 12 matchup into a track meet in a hurry.
Aiden Flora and Jaylen Raynor helped keep Iowa State on the front foot offensively, while Drew Mestermaker kept Oklahoma State in the fight with multiple touchdown passes of his own. In the end, it came down to one more late push and Kyle Konrardys field goal, with Raynor helping set up the final drive that gave the Cyclones a hard-earned finish and a much-needed answer. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cyclones Are Making Noise In The NFL For Better And Worse
Week 7 brought another busy NFL weekend for Iowa State alumni, with eight former Cyclones getting on the field and combining for 368 snaps across offense, defense and special teams. It was a reminder of just how wide the programs professional footprint has become, with familiar names showing up in all three phases while a few others watched from the sideline because of injuries.
Brock Purdy and Darien Porter were among the Cyclones who started and logged significant playing time, keeping Iowa State tied to some of the leagues bigger stages. Elsewhere, the injury list was part of the story too, with Breece Hall and Kene Nwangwu among those unavailable, and several other former Cyclones carrying practice status questions that will be worth tracking as the NFL calendar moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Showed Something Fans Needed To See In Big 12 Chaos
In a Big 12 game that felt like it was spinning in every direction, Iowa State found a way to steady itself at the end. Kyle Konrardy drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Cyclones past Oklahoma State, 51-49, in a matchup defined by offense, tempo and very little margin for error. Both teams piled up more than 500 yards, but Iowa State did enough in the key moments to come away with a win that mattered in the league race.
For a team trying to navigate the chaos of conference play, this was the kind of finish fans needed to see. The Cyclones did not win by controlling the game, but by taking advantage of Oklahoma State penalties and miscues when it counted most, a sign of resilience that can travel in the Big 12. It was messy, tense and far from comfortable, but it also pushed Iowa State forward in the standings and gave the program a result it can point to as the season keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]