Taylor Mouser Heaps Ton of Praise on Iowa State Cyclones Star Playmaker

A key offensive playmaker has received a ton of praise from Iowa State Cyclones offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser.

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

There weren’t many positives to take away from the Iowa State Cyclones' performance last weekend against the Cincinnati Bearcats. They suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12.

Head coach Matt Campbell took full responsibility for his team not being ready out of the gate. The Cyclones trailed 17-0 before the first quarter was even over, a deficit that proved too big to overcome.

This week in practice, there was certainly an emphasis put on some areas of the game. Defensively, the team needs to figure things out. But it had to be nice to see the offense operating at the level that it did.

Normally, 30 points is more than enough for Iowa State to come away with a victory. Quarterback Rocco Becht had the team moving up and down the field, taking full advantage of a porous Cincinnati pass defense.

Chase Sowell gaining confidence from coaching staff

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

One of the players who stepped up once again was wide receiver Chase Sowell. His performance drew praise from offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser. Confidence in the talented playmaker is increasing every week.

“And he's been as consistent as anybody that we have and as trusted as anybody that we have on the offense to go out there and make plays. And he's going to have his hands full this week, too. So, he's going to have a great week and he's done a great job getting better each week,” Mouser said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network.

Sowell was forced to the sidelines with what looked to be a potential head injury early in the game, but he was eventually able to return to the field. Becht was certainly happy about that, targeting him whenever a big play was needed.

He ended the game with five receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown. All five of his catches went for first downs, and he converted one of two contested catch targets thrown to him.

Chase Sowell officially breaking out for Iowa State

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Since the Cyclones came out of their bye week, Sowell’s role has increased exponentially. Against the Arizona Wildcats, he caught four passes for 146 yards. In the first four games of the season, he caught only four passes for 32 yards.

A transfer from East Carolina, the coaching staff had high hopes for Sowell. An injury in the offseason derailed him a bit, but they were still confident he would eventually explode onto the scene.

“Yeah, absolutely. That guy is so electric and he's so talented. And we knew it was just him getting dinged up in camp and his journey back. We didn't know how long it would be. But we knew at some point that guy was going to break through,” Mouser added.

Just a tad short . But Rocco Becht is dialed early - as you can see here to Chase Sowell 🌪️#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/IERZ7YBJKw

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 27, 2025

That breakthrough has officially occurred. And, from the sounds of it, that train of momentum isn’t going to be slowing down any time soon.

Set to play against the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 7, you can expect another motivated performance from Sowell. He began his collegiate career in Boulder in 2022 before transferring to the Pirates following the hiring of Deion Sanders, the current head coach.