Matt Campbell Reveals Two Reasons Iowa State Cyclones Struggled Against BYU

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell spoke on his team's struggles against the BYU Cougars.

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Things have not been going well for the Iowa State Cyclones on the gridiron in recent weeks. But, there was some hope that their bye in Week 8 would help them overcome some of the issues that have been plaguing them.

For a little while on Saturday afternoon, it certainly looked to be the case. The Cyclones were playing great in every facet of the game, building a 17-7 and 24-10 lead over the visiting BYU Cougars.

Undefeated with a 7-0 record and ranked No. 11 in the country, BYU was getting everything it could handle from Iowa State. And then, all of a sudden, momentum shifted, and the Cyclones could not recover.

Matt Campbell shares why Iowa State fell short against BYU

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What led to such a rapid turnaround in the game, when Iowa State looked to have gained control? Head coach Matt Campbell highlighted two reasons: precision and detail.

“Yeah, our precision and detail, I know it's going to be on repeat. And the reality of it is, man, there was a lot of really good football. And, every moment we had the opportunity to kind of break this thing open, we kept them in the football game. And unfortunately, you can't do that against a really good football team,” Campbell said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required).

The first time it occurred was in the second quarter. Rocco Becht had the offense humming, scoring on each of the first three drives. The Cyclones were in a position to get a commanding 24-7 lead.

On 1st-and-10 from the BYU 23, Becht threw a brutal interception. Instead of potentially pushing the lead to three scores, the Cougars started flipping the momentum in their direction.

BYU took full advantage, scoring on five consecutive possessions. The go-ahead touchdown drive was aided by another Iowa State mistake. Backup cornerback and special teamer Beni Ngoyi accidentally kicked the ball on punt coverage, creating a live opportunity that the Cougars jumped on.

Rocco Becht struggled to step up against BYU

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That attention to detail was essentially what determined the game. Iowa State had several opportunities to put the game away or stall the Cougars' momentum, but fell short each time.

It was pretty much the first time this year that Becht failed to step up when the team needed him most. His three interceptions played a huge role in the team falling short, especially with his second one being a pick-six after BYU scored a go-ahead touchdown.

Of course, it wasn’t only the offense’s fault. The defense giving up so many points in a row, even with the Cougars turning one-dimensional because of their running back injuries, proved incredibly costly in a 41-27 loss.

The Cyclones will now be turning their attention to the Arizona State Sun Devils, looking to snap a three-game losing streak next week.