Injury Report Continues to Grow for Iowa State Cyclones Heading into Week 6

Will the Iowa State Cyclones be able to overcome a lengthy injury report?

Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back Jontez Williams (3) runs with the ball after an interception against Arizona during the second quarter in the Big-12 conference showdown on Sept. 27, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for their first true conference road game of the season against the Cincinnati Bearcats, but the team is coming into the matchup a bit banged up. Following their impressive win against the Arizona Wildcats, the Cyclones are starting to see the effects of the long college football season. 

Despite Iowa State being 5-0 and 2-0 in the conference, they are a slight underdog on the road against the Bearcats, and that is a bit surprising. This is a Cyclones team coming off their best win of the year against the Wildcats, with both the offense and defense performing well. 

Even though they are coming off their best win of the season, injuries are starting to pile up and that could be a concern. With conference play really starting to get going, these games are critical for Iowa State to win. This is a team that will likely need to win the Big 12 to get into the College Football Playoff, and that leaves little room for error. 

Injuries Piling Up

Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading into the matchup against Cincinnati, there weren’t too many surprises on the injury report for the Cyclones, but there are a number of key players who are going to be out, especially in the secondary. 

***FOOTBALL*** The first availability report is out for #IowaState & Cincinnati on Saturday. No surprises on who's listed as out. One wide receiver (Carson Brown) & three key defensive backs (Cam Smith, David Coffey & Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman) all listed as questionable.… pic.twitter.com/VS1SMwDWUn

— Bill Seals (@williamseals) October 2, 2025

When looking at the report, the two main names that jump out for the team are defensive backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. Both of these key defensive players are going to be out for the rest of the year, and it will be interesting to see how the unit reacts to both not being on the field.
The defense was really good against Noah Fifita and the Wildcats with Williams in the lineup. However, he was on the field in the blowout late and suffered the injury that has ended his season.

Even though the list is a lengthy one now for the team, there aren’t too many surprises as of now this week for Iowa State. On the flip side, the Bearcats have their star defensive lineman Dontay Corleone listed as questionable. He has missed the last two games for Cincinnati, and his availability could have an impact on the game. 

As a slight underdog, this is projected to be a challenging game for the Cyclones in Week 6. The Bearcats’ resume isn’t the best as of now, but they are clearly getting a fair amount of respect heading into this one. With some key players out in the secondary, Iowa State will need some players to step up.