Three Things We Learned: Iowa

It’s almost like 2022 is on full repeat minus the major special teams issues. Anyway, here are three things that are sticking out to me following the loss to Iowa.

Kirk Ferentz still has Matt Campbell’s number

Despite notching his first win in the CyHawk series in 2022, Matt Campbell still doesn’t appear to have a good formula figured out for beating Kirk Ferentz. Whether due to a scheme mismatch or it being a psychological thing, Ferentz continues to hold dominance over Matt Campbell, and it’s incredibly frustrating.

Offense is still a problem

Point to a position group and you can find a few things that need to improve. The offensive line through two weeks has generated zero push in the run game. The Cyclones are averaging 3.8 yards per rush, which is nowhere near a winning formula. The wide receivers continued insistence on not catching the football when thrown to them made Rocco Becht’s job significantly more difficult and stalled out multiple drives. While it still remains a work in progress, Iowa State has some teams coming up that appear to be better than advertised. It’s time to get the offense moving.

The defense will carry this football team

This won’t come as a shock to anyone, but Iowa State’s defense is really damn good and will almost certainly be the primary reason for whatever team success the Cyclones end up having this season. Jon Heacock’s unit has been carrying an outsized portion of the water for years now, but they may be doing so even more this season, at least as long as the offense continues to struggle mightily.