Iowa State Football vs. Iowa: What SEMO Win Taught Us Heading Into Cy-Hawk Game

The Iowa State Cyclones hosted the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in Week 1 of the college football season and got the Jimmy Rogers era started with a bang.

Iowa State won their home opener 38-10, putting together a relatively strong performance in every facet of the game. There were a lot of positive takeaways from how the team played, but there are also some areas that need to be improved.

It was a great start for the Cyclones, but they don’t have much time to bask in their success, with attention quickly turning to the Cy-Hawk Rivalry Game with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa State is heading on the road this year to Iowa City and will be looking to pull off a massive upset.

Let’s take a look at some of the things the win over Southeast Missouri State taught us about the Cyclones heading into the Cy-Hawk game.

Backfield split

Iowa State Cyclones running back Aiden Flora (21) scores a touchdown against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. — Sep 5, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Aiden Flora (21) scores a touchdown against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aiden Flora earned the nod as the starting running back with the work that he put in this offseason. However, this is a committee approach to the ground game, with multiple players involved in the 31 rushes in the game.

Flora handled seven carries, which tied him with quarterback Jaylen Raynor for the second most on the team. Leading the way in rushing attempts was Cameron Pettaway, who had eight. Arnold Barnes III had three and Easton Miller added two.

Freshman Caleb Francois received one carry as well. With the new 5-in-5 eligibility rule, there is no reason to keep a freshman on the sidelines if they prove ready to play. Getting him reps early on will only help down the line.

A playmaking defense is emerging

HIM 😤 @beni_ngoyi pic.twitter.com/pOxQRCnlJh
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) September 6, 2026

Coming into the season, the Iowa State defensive line was considered the strongest unit on the roster. They certainly lived up to that billing against the Redhawks, owning the line of scrimmage and making life difficult for quarterback Braylen Ragland.

The Cyclones had six sacks on the afternoon, led by Isaac Terrell, who had three. Middle linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen had three pressures of his own, recording one sack, a hit and a hurry.

As a team, they totaled 12 tackles for loss, with Terrell, Malcolm Jones, Carson Willich and Jack Janikowski all recording multiple. Iowa State also created turnovers, with Beni Ngoyi recording a highlight-reel interception, while Terrell and Drew Surges forced fumbles that were recovered by Kaleb Bilal-Jones and Beau Goodwin.

Jaylen Raynor's accuracy woes

wa State Cyclones quarterback Jaylen Raynor (1) looks to pass against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. — Sep 5, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Jaylen Raynor (1) looks to pass against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl wants to play a hard-nosed, run-first, pro-style offense. The running game is what will dictate how much success the Cyclones have, but they need Raynor to be more efficient.

He scored four touchdowns in his Iowa State debut, but he completed only 8-of-16 pass attempts. That isn’t going to cut it, especially when the Cyclones are facing tougher competition, as the case is in Week 2 against Iowa.

Downfield accuracy was something Raynor had to work on this offseason, but this will be worth keeping an eye on moving forward. The offense produced enough, but he has to raise his performance to another level for the team to truly succeed.

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