Iowa State Cyclones' Talent at Tight End Have Helped Offense Immensely

The Iowa State Cyclones have been led on offense by a talented duo at tight end.

Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones tight end Gabe Burkle (84) makes a catch against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for their Week 5 matchup against the undefeated Arizona Wildcats in what should be an exciting matchup. This game will be featured under the lights on Saturday night in a ‘white out’ game for the Cyclones. 

Iowa State will be hoping for an added boost from their home fans in this one, and it should be an electric atmosphere. Even though the Cyclones are favored in this one, they shouldn’t be taking the Wildcats lightly. This is a team that is 3-0 and recently beat the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Arizona is going to be led by their talented quarterback Noah Fifita, who is having really strong start to the year. The quarterback has yet to throw an interception this campaign and is having the type of year that the program was hoping he would in 2024. 

For Iowa State, they also have a talented quarterback in Rocco Becht leading them. The junior signal caller has performed very well so far this season, despite losing some talented weapons from last year. However, he has had some others step up so far and the offense for the Cyclones has been good. 

Tight Ends Have Excelled

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Iowa State might not be the most explosive offense, they have been a fairly efficient one so far in 2025. Becht has had a really strong campaign so far for the Cyclones and has been one of the top quarterbacks in the conference. 

This season, he has totaled 860 passing yards, seven touchdown passes, and one interception. Considering he has played some strong defenses, these are some impressive numbers. As he gains some confidence with a young and new wide receiver corps, he has leaned heavily on his tight ends so far. 

Even though he missed the last game, tight end Gabe Burkle has been one of the top weapons for Becht and the passing offense so far. In 2025, he has totaled 10 receptions, 149 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. The talented tight end is expected to be back against Arizona, which will be a boost for the offense. 

Furthermore, while Burkle might be the top pass-catcher at tight end, Tyler Moore has also been productive for the program. While he has been mostly used as a blocker, he is coming off a strong game in Week 3, proving that he can be a good pass-catcher as well. 

Having two capable tight ends like Iowa State currently creates a lot of flexibility for the Cyclones on offense. Even in two tight-end sets, this is a team that could be throwing the ball very well. Overall, Iowa State has been helped immensely so far by both Moore and Burkle.