Iowa State Cyclones' Defense Fairly Receives Poor Grade for Week 3 Performance

Was a poor grade for the defensive performance of the Iowa State Cyclones fair?

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock reacts during the fourth quarter against Iowa in the Cy-Hawk football at Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones get some rest on their bye week, they have to be thankful that they were able to escape with a win in Week 3 on the road against the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Despite being a sizable favorite this one was anything but easy.

It was not a great all-around performance for the Cyclones in their first road game of the year, but they found a way to win by eight points. In the first half, Iowa State was actually losing this game for a little while. Furthermore, the Red Wolves were within just one point of the Cyclones in the fourth quarter. 

There are multiple reasons why it wasn’t overly shocking that the team didn’t have their best performance, but this was still a disappointment regardless. While the offense did get some things working, especially on the ground, it was the other side of the ball that struggled. Eugene Rapay of the Des Moines Register recently graded the units for the Cyclones in their win against the Red Wolves. For the defense, he gave them a poor grade of a ‘C-’ for their performance. 

Iowa State’s Defense Struggles

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming into Week 3, this was a unit that was performing extremely well and had done well against some quality opponents. Against the Kansas State Wildcats, they allowed just 21 points in Ireland, and they held the Iowa Hawkeyes to just 13. 

However, whether it be the extreme heat or the fact that they were coming off a physical game against their rival, the defense simply didn’t have it against Arkansas State. Coming into the game, the team knew that they were going to have to slow down the talented dual-threat quarterback, Jaylen Raynor. 

Raynor ended up giving the Cyclones’ defense major problems in this game, both with his arm and with his legs. The talented quarterback totaled 222 yards passing and 83 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown. The success of Raynor, especially on the ground, allowed the Red Wolves to control the time of possession, and they finished with nearly 10 more minutes played on offense. 

For a defense that has performed so well in the early part of the campaign, it was shocking to see them struggle to get off the field against Arkansas State. Their inability to stop the opposing offense on third down resulted in some extended drives and really put pressure on their offense to make the most of their opportunities. 

With a week to rest, this unit must perform better if they are going to beat the Arizona Wildcats in Week 5. Hopefully, Week 3 was just an outlier for a team that clearly was gassed from a tough schedule to start the season.