Iowa State Cyclones Football Star Must Turn Things Around in Final Two Games

Will a star player from the Iowa State Cyclones be able to break out of his slump?

Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Iowa State Cyclones helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for their Week 13 matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks, and the team will be hoping that a key player finally snaps out of his extended funk. 

Before going on their bye week, the Cyclones were hoping to finally snap their four-game losing streak against the TCU Horned Frogs. Despite the team not putting together their best game, they were somehow able to pull off the upset victory. 

When looking at the box score, it is even more surprising that the team was able to get this done, but it was a significant victory for the program. With a 6-4 record and two games left to play, Iowa State is officially bowl eligible and will be hoping to secure a good matchup. 

In the final two games of the year, while there might not be a lot to play for besides pride, the Cyclones will be hoping to see the team finish the campaign on a positive note. Things have been up and down for them this season, and it will be important to see one player in particular have a good finish. That player is star quarterback Rocco Becht. 

Becht Must Turn It Around 

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While there are multiple reasons for the struggles of Iowa State during the middle part of their schedule, the performance of Becht was certainly a contributing factor to their losing some of the games. The junior quarterback started the season out really strongly, but after the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, things went in the wrong direction. 

In what should have been a very winnable game against the Colorado Buffaloes, Becht totaled 205 passing yards with one interception and completed just 54.5 percent of his passes. He followed that up with another poor showing against the BYU Cougars, throwing a season-high three interceptions. 

Against the Horned Frogs, things might have hit a new low. He totaled just 111 passing yards and completed just 37.5 percent of his passes with two interceptions. The turnover numbers and his completion percentage have been extremely poor of late, and his overall stats for the year don’t look very strong. 

The junior signal caller will have a couple of games to try and turn things around and salvage what has been a disappointing campaign for him. Hopefully, the bye week will do him some good, and he can come back and help this team finish strong.