Jimmy Rogers picked up the kind of win that can settle a new era in place.
Iowa State’s 42-point shootout against West Virginia was more than just a flashy home victory. It gave the Cyclones their first Big 12 win of the season and, for their new head coach, the biggest moment yet in his early run in Ames.
The challenge was real from the start. West Virginia came in with a dual-threat quarterback and one of the nation’s strongest rushing attacks, and the Cyclones knew they were getting their toughest home test of the season. The Mountaineers had already knocked off rival Virginia, which was ranked in the Top 25 at the time, so this was never going to be a routine afternoon.
Iowa State’s defense, which had carried the team for much of the year, got pushed into a track meet. The Cyclones gave up 42 points in a game that turned into a full-blown shootout. But the offense answered with its best showing of the season, and running back Aiden Flora stole the spotlight with five touchdowns.
That kind of performance mattered for the program, but it mattered just as much for Rogers. The first Big 12 win of his tenure is a meaningful marker, especially for a coach who stepped into a situation where almost the entire team had left. There were big shoes to fill, and early on, he has handled the job well.
Rogers has built a reputation for squeezing production out of his players, and this Iowa State team has already shown signs of being better than expected. The Cyclones are 3-2, and their resume now includes the win over West Virginia along with the way they played against Iowa.
Week 5 felt like a turning point game, the kind that could swing a season one way or the other. Iowa State came through, and that makes the road ahead look a little different even with a difficult Week 6 trip to face BYU.
A Big 12 title may not be in the cards, but given how much turnover this team absorbed in the offseason, getting to a bowl game would still count as a strong result.
In Other News...
BYUs Undefeated Run Suddenly Carries One More Concern Against Iowa State
BYUs unbeaten start has turned Week 6 into more than just another road test, with the No. 8 Cougars carrying both momentum and expectations into a matchup against an Iowa State team still sorting through a transition year under coach Jimmy Rogers. Bear Bachmeier has helped fuel that rise with 10 total touchdowns in four games, and the Cougars now get a chance to keep their perfect record intact against a Big 12 opponent that has not always made life easy on the ground.
For Iowa State, the concern goes beyond simply slowing down an elite-looking team. The Cyclones have had trouble defending the run, which makes this a tricky spot even before considering the pregame questions around personnel and the betting market that has formed around the matchup. If Iowa State is going to turn this into a real fight, it likely starts with fixing the issues that have made this one of the more revealing early-season games on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Raynor Is Giving Iowa State Fans A Real QB Debate
Iowa States 3-2 start has already given the Cyclones plenty to sort through, from a pair of losses to Utah and Iowa to wins over West Virginia, Bowling Green and Southeast Missouri State. One of the biggest developments has been at quarterback, where Jaylen Raynor, the Arkansas State transfer, worked through a rough opening stretch with shaky completion numbers and some interceptions before settling in and helping steady the offense.
What makes the conversation around Raynor more interesting now is how quickly his role is growing. His passing game is becoming a more important part of what Iowa State does each week, and the recent uptick has created a real debate for fans watching this offense take shape. The Cyclones are still early in the season, but the trajectory at quarterback has become one of the clearest reasons the rest of the schedule feels worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cyclones Are Making Noise Across The NFL Right Now
A familiar Iowa State pipeline is showing up all over the NFL through the first month of the season. Ten former Cyclones were on the field in Week 4, logging snaps on offense, defense and special teams as they kept carving out roles for their pro teams. For a program that has sold itself on development for years, it was another reminder that Ames continues to send players into the league who are capable of contributing in a variety of ways.
The full Week 4 snapshot also included the less visible side of an NFL season, with some former Cyclones sidelined by injuries and others on injured reserve. Even so, the groups combined workload highlighted how widespread the Iowa State footprint has become on Sundays, from rotational pieces to bigger-minute contributors. For Cyclones fans tracking the alumni watch, it was one of those weeks that made it easy to see just how many former players are staying in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]