6 Lowest Graded Players for Iowa State Cyclones Against Arizona Wildcats

The Iowa State Cyclones picked up an impressive victory over the Arizona Wildcats last weekend, winning 39-14 at Jack Trice Stadium.

There were a lot of players who made positive contributions to lead to the team’s fifth victory of the season and second win in the Big 12. Alas, it wasn’t all great for the Cyclones, who lost star cornerback Jontez Williams to a season-ending knee injury late in the game.

Along with the unfortunate injury, there were a few players who didn’t have their best performances. Here are the six lowest-graded players on Iowa State from PFF in their Week 5 win.

Defensive End Tamatoa McDonough

There is a good amount of depth in the trenches for head coach Matt Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to rely on. That makes earning snaps a challenge, especially when someone isn’t performing too well.

That was the case for McDonough, who was the lowest-graded player on the team with a 36.8. The good for him was that he created two hurries against Noah Fifita. The bad: he missed both of his tackle opportunities. That resulted in a brutal 22.6 tackling grade, contributing to his low overall mark.

Wide Receiver Dominic Overby

There were a lot of big plays created by the Cyclones' offense against the Wildcats. Transfer Chase Sowell had a big game, catching four passes for 146 yards. He is moving up the pecking order, likely at the expense of Overby.

Against the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Overby was on the receiving end of a 27-yard touchdown pass from Rocco Becht. He looked to be in line for an expanded role out of the bye, but he struggled against Arizona.

His 41.6 overall grade was the lowest on the offensive side of the ball. He was targeted once and dropped the pass. Given how the offense is run, it is going to take some work for him to move back up the depth chart with Sowell emerging.

Middle Linebacker Cael Brezina

Brezina saw his playing time increase heading into the bye week. He played 35 snaps against the Iowa Hawkeyes and 41 against Arkansas State. But he saw his playing time cut back drastically against the Wildcats.

He was on the field for only five defensive snaps, a season-low number. Carson Willich returning, along with a poor performance by Brezina, will likely keep him in a deeper reserve role.

Brezina had a 42.3 overall grade, second-lowest on the defense and third-lowest overall.

Tight End Keaton Roskop

Iowa State has no qualms about going deep into its depth at tight end. Their passing game has been funneled through the position, with Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle leading the team in receptions.

Six different tight ends got into the game for the Cyclones, but not all of them made positive contributions. Roskop was one of them, receiving an overall grade of 46.1. He struggled with his run blocking, receiving an underwhelming 42.2 grade, which was the worst mark on the squad.

Weakside Linebacker Zachary Lovett

It was a tough day at the office for Lovett, who played 15 snaps defensively against the Wildcats. Six were against the run; he had two pass-rushing attempts and seven plays in coverage.

He didn’t succeed in any area, receiving an overall grade of 48.7. Lovett didn’t record a tackle and allowed a 21-yard reception on the play he was the targeted defender.

Tight End Cooper Alexander

Another member of the tight end room who struggled to make an impact. He was called upon as a blocker in the run game, but didn’t get the job done. On the field for only six snaps, he received a grade of 48.9 and a run-blocking grade of 47.9, which was the fourth-worst mark.

The lack of production could have certainly contributed to him playing fewer than 10 snaps for the second time in a game this season.