3 Biggest Iowa State Football Takeaways From Arizona Loss

There wasn't much to be excited about with the Iowa State Cyclones in their loss to the Arizona Wildcats.

Oct 24, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Aiden Flora (21) is tackled during the third quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones had a tough outing against the BYU Cougars in Week 6 before heading into their bye week.

Coming out of the bye, the Cyclones were on the road again to face the Arizona Wildcats. Disappointingly, Iowa State got worse on the field, with Arizona destroying them, 39-3. The Cyclones were dominated in every facet of the game.

Iowa State has not been up to the challenge when facing off against good competition. They have faced four ranked teams thus far in 2026, and they have been less and less competitive each time, heading in the wrong direction.

There is a lot of work to do, with all of the takeaways from this week’s game against the Wildcats being negative.

Quarterback Change

Oct 24, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats linebacker Cooper Blomstrom (48) attempts to tackle Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Connor Moberly (5) during the fourth quarter at Casino Del Sol Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The biggest takeaway from the loss to Arizona is that a quarterback change could be made. Jaylen Raynor was benched at halftime with the team trailing 25-3 after completing 8-of-10 passes for 106 yards. But he lost 21 yards on four rushing attempts.

This could very well be the end of the Raynor Era in Ames. He has been struggling to find a rhythm this season, and he didn’t do anything to put the team in a position to win on Saturday evening in Tucson.

Connor Moberly took over for him. He didn’t perform much better, going 7-of-17 for 63 yards, adding 20 rushing yards on 10 attempts. It would not be a surprise to see him get involved more during this week, with Zane Flores possibly getting some opportunities as well.

Offensive Woes Continue

The Cyclones have one consistent performer on the offensive side of the ball: running back Aiden Flora. Unfortunately, he was taken out of the game right from the start, with the offense being stuck in the mud.

The Wildcats were daring Iowa State to throw the ball, playing a lot of man coverage. It worked because Raynor and Moberly were unable to take advantage or put any pressure on them, scoring only three points.

The Cyclones were abysmal on third down once again, converting only 3-of-14 attempts. They weren’t much better on fourth down, converting only once on three tries. Only 221 total yards were gained.

Opposing Quarterback Dominates Again

Oct 10, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) throws a pass during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Against BYU, Iowa State caught a break because their star running back was sidelined, but it didn’t matter, with Bear Bachmeier dominating them with his arm and legs. Noah Fifita tore them up as well.

The Big 12 leader entering Week 8 in completions and completion percentage, Fifita kept that up against an overmatched Cyclones defense. He completed 27-of-34 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. His backup, Sawyer Anderson, even went 3-for-3.

Isaiah Mizell was unstoppable, catching eight passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Iowa State did get one sack, but their inability to generate pressure with any regularity leads to some easy conditions for opposing offenses to work against.