Iowa State Football Has a Defensive Coverage Problem

There are some major obstacles for the Iowa State Cyclones to overcome on defense.

Oct 9, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars wide reciever Reggie Frischknecht (18) dives for a ball while being defended by Iowa State Cyclones cornerback David Coffey (18) during the first half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones have a big problem with their football team.

Since the start of the season, many have offered similar analyses of the squad’s defense. They couldn’t tackle on the sideline but were great in coverage, and they didn’t put enough pressure on the quarterback. Many fans loved how the team played in coverage, which led to few points given up early in the season. But now, it’s Iowa State’s biggest problem.

A few weeks ago, the Cyclones took on the West Virginia Mountaineers. They were able to come away with the win, but there was a clear issue when it came to coverage. West Virginia wasn’t even known as a passing team, but still found a way to find open receivers and mismatches all over the field. The defense allowed 42 points.

It got worse when Iowa State went on the road to play the BYU Cougars. They were able to hold the top-10 team to just 24 points, but if you watched the game, you would understand that BYU’s offense was much better.

Iowa State passing defense has a lot of work to do

Oct 3, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones cornerback David Coffey (18) defends the pass thrown to West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Jaden Bray (5) during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A few last-ditch efforts by the Cyclones helped them stay in the game. In addition, Bear Bachmeier, a quarterback known for his run game, was able to dominate through the air, finding players consistently on almost every single play.

When Iowa State took on the Arizona Wildcats this past weekend, many hoped that a bye week would help fix that big issue. But it was the complete opposite. Quarterback Noah Fifita looked extremely comfortable in the pocket, despite having a poor offensive line. He found players with ease, and it felt like every play was at least a seven-yard gain.

It is definitely true that the cornerback room isn’t exactly full of talent. But that shouldn’t take away from the potential that they have. They were able to stop the Bowling Green Falcons and Southeast Missouri State Redhawks completely, and gave a heck of an effort even when playing on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It also doesn’t help that many of the players have spent time injured. That has played a big role in the recent failures within the room and has significantly reduced the depth they once had in abundance.

There are some solid players in the cornerback room: David Coffey, Seth Johnson, Beni Ngoyi, Jaheim Singletary, Keyon Washington. But the reality is that the entire group hasn't proven to work well together and needs to find a way to mesh soon, or it could be a long season for the Cyclones ahead of us.