Iowa State Cyclones Offense Struggling With Efficiency in Important Area

The Iowa State Cyclones are leaving a lot of points on the field, resulting in losses being racked up.

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The Iowa State Cyclones have fallen on some tough times over the last few weeks. After starting the season off ranked in the top 25 with a 5-0 record, they have suffered four losses in a row, send them plummeting in the standings and power rankings.

Iowa State has suffered losses to the Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, BYU Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils. A lot of attention has been paid to their defensive woes, where injuries are decimating the depth chart.

Multiple starters and key contributors are sidelined on that side of the ball. Opposing quarterbacks have been carving up the secondary while also making big plays with their legs to keep drives alive.

It is tough to win games when a defense cannot consistently keep a team off the board, but that unit isn’t the only one struggling. The offensive efficiency has waned, with the team consistently struggling to pay off good drives.

Iowa State offense struggling to convert quality drives into points

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As shared by Parker Fleming on X, the Cyclones have had no real issues moving the ball this season. They are gaining yardage at an impressive rate, generating what constitutes a quality drive more than half the time they have taken the field.

How are offenses doing in creating quality drives and finishing those quality drives?

Quality Drive Rate and Points Per Quality Drive
FBS vs FBS through Week 10 pic.twitter.com/T86uaj0mBp

— parker fleming (@statsowar) November 5, 2025

That is well above the average in college football this year, which sits just above 40%. Where Iowa State has failed is in converting those drives into points.

The Cyclones are averaging under three points per quality drive, which is well below the average of just under 3.5.

Essentially, what the chart is showing is that there isn’t a team in college football that creates quality drives as effectively as Iowa State, who fail to convert them into points as frequently as they do.

Iowa State offense not producing when it matters most

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A lot of factors could go into those struggles. For a large chunk of the season, Iowa State was without a kicker they trusted to attempt field goals. It led to a lot of empty drives attempting to convert on fourth down instead of having a chance to add three points to the board.

There have also been some untimely turnovers by quarterback Rocco Becht with the team in scoring position. An interception against BYU stands out because it turned the momentum of the game when the Cyclones had a chance to push their lead to multiple scores.

Iowa State has struggled mightily in recent weeks with self-inflicted wounds, being flagged for penalties at a high rate. That is a quick way to derail what looks like a productive drive, and has contributed to their inability to succeed on third downs.

Based on the chart, there aren’t a ton of teams that move the ball down the field as effectively as the Cyclones. Alas, there are more teams that do not put together quality drives that are scoring at a higher clip than them, a recipe for disaster.