Three Biggest Negative Takeaways From Iowa State’s Win Over SEMO

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to take down the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in their opening game of the season, winning 38-10 in a strong showing. Under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, it was a solid performance to begin the year.

But with that being said, there were a lot of negative moments that dragged the game down. Iowa State had many opportunities to really dominate the game, but they beat themselves in many plays throughout all four quarters.

Let’s take a look at three negative takeaways from the Cyclones’ season opener, after breaking down the positive takeaways, and give a few examples of moments that dictated the game as a whole.

Jaylen Raynor

Jaylen Raynor didn’t necessarily play badly, but he wasn’t the star quarterback and dominant force we had thought. Raynor is known to be a dual-threat quarterback, but he seemed to be pretty one-dimensional, doing well only on the ground.

While he did throw for two touchdowns in the air and scored two on the ground, he completed just eight passes all game and missed some big throws that could have turned the big win into a bloodbath. Raynor had his moments and looked good enough, but it’s going to be really hard to go into Iowa City, IA, next week and get a victory if he plays like that again.

Undisciplined

Iowa State was immensely undisciplined in the win. They had a ton of penalties on all fronts, and SEMO benefited greatly as a result. For example, a walk off the field rather than a run caused too many men on the field penalty, giving away easy yards.

That play resulted in a sack as well, meaning the momentum swung a ton due to just a simple mistake. In addition, a holding penalty stopped Cameron Pettaway from breaking out a long touchdown run. Simple dumb plays turned the game from a dominant showing to a questionable performance.

Special teams mistakes

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers reacts after a touchdown against Southeast Missouri. — Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers reacts after a touchdown against Southeast Missouri during the first quarter in the week one NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cyclones are known as the special teams team, but looked poor against the Redhawks. Aiden Flora bobbled the ball when fielding a punt, resulting in a close field goal that was luckily missed.

Later in the game, SEMO kicked the ball off short, catching Iowa State off-guard and giving them a new set of downs they would never have expected.

Little things like that seem like no big deal against an FCS opponent, but are immensely important against teams like the Iowa Hawkeyes, whom they will have to play next week.

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