Jaylen Raynor has found something that looks a lot more dangerous for Iowa State than perfection ever did: freedom.
After getting benched at halftime in the Cyclones’ 39-3 loss at No. 24 Arizona, Raynor responded by playing the loose, aggressive brand of football that has defined his best stretches.
He delivered the sharpest outing of his Iowa State career in last week’s 51-49 win over then-No. 24 Oklahoma State, then turned the page toward Saturday’s 11 a.m. trip to Baylor.
“Obviously we had a bad tase in our mouths, but I think we did a great job of coming out with energy; coming out and kind of cutting it loose, playing free on both sides of the ball,” Raynor said after last week’s win before turning his focus to Saturday’s 11 a.m. matchup between his Cyclones (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) and Baylor (5-3, 3-2) at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
That version of Raynor looked the part against the Cowboys. He threw for 309 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, all while adding 48 rushing yards and a score on the ground. It was the kind of performance Iowa State has been chasing as the season moves into its final third.
First-year offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl said the staff has kept shaping the offense around what Raynor does best.
“(We’re) continuing to work and put him in a position to find success,” Roehl said of Raynor, who also rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown against there Cowboys. “I think that’s paramount for us just as an offense.
And as you look at it from probably week one on, what we’ve been able to do (is) continue to tailor (things) to what he does best. For me, simplicity equals velocity, and when we can simplify maybe a protection plan, so he’s not looking all over the place pre snap, to concepts, to us just making sure the right person’s in the right spot at the snap of the ball and in the matchup - and just letting him cut it loose, you know?”
Raynor will make his 45th consecutive start as a college quarterback in Waco, and he enters the game as the FBS leader in game-winning fourth-quarter drives with 10. Baylor’s defense figures to make life difficult.
The Bears have 34 sacks, tops in the Big 12 and tied for second nationally with No. 15 LSU.
“They’ve got a really stout front,” Roehl said. “(No.)
91 (Baylor defensive lineman Traevon Mitchell) is a heck of a player. He’s probably one of the best guys we’ll see to date.”
Mitchell, a fifth-year player, is one of five Baylor defenders with at least three sacks this season. He also anchors a front seven that is holding opponents to 99.4 rushing yards per game.
“I fully respect the way those guys play ball,” said ISU’s first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, whose team seeks its first road win of the season. “They play hard, so we’re gonna have to match their effort.”
That edge has been there for Iowa State, even when the results have been uneven. The Cyclones have battled through injuries in the receiver room, and younger players like Jamal Polite Jr. and Malcolm Watkins have stepped into bigger roles. Polite became Raynor’s top target in the win over Oklahoma State, finishing with 171 receiving yards and a touchdown.
His biggest catch may have come on the first play of the drive that ended with another Raynor-led finish. Polite stretched out for a 33-yard gain that immediately moved Kyle Konrardy into field-goal range, and the kicker delivered the winner a few snaps later.
Those kinds of plays have helped Raynor settle back into the “fast and free” approach that suits him best, with trust replacing the urge to force perfection.
“Jaylen’s gonna be successful in whatever he wants to do, post his football career, because of his character, who he is, the way he carries himself, how mature he is,” Roehl said. “He’s an unbelievable human being. His leadership never wavered and I’m excited to continue to build and grow together for the next month, hopefully, plus.”
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