Iowa State Cyclones Will Have Multiple Key Defensive Players Out vs TCU Horned Frogs

The injury report continues to grow for the Iowa State Cyclones

Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones will be facing the TCU Horned Frogs in Week 11, and they are going to unfortunately be short-handed on the defensive side of the ball. 

Coming into the week, the Cyclones are on a four-game losing streak and will be staring another potential loss in the face. The Horned Frogs are a significant favorite at home in this game, and rightfully so. Iowa State has not played good football in over a month now, and they also haven’t performed well on the road. 

Since the start of the season, this felt like it was going to be one of the most challenging games of the year, and it’s hard to imagine this is the week the program decides to turn things around. As expected in the four-game losing streak, not a lot is going right for the Cyclones on either side of the ball. 

The offense led by quarterback Rocco Becht is struggling to score touchdowns and has made a lot of mistakes. Furthermore, a banged-up defense has struggled to stop opponents and has allowed a lot of big plays. Unfortunately, this side of the ball has a lot of key players out, and things are only getting worse. The Cyclones recently released their first availability report for Week 11, and more defenders are on the list. 

The first injury report for Iowa State @ TCU.

TE Ben Brahmer is notably listed as questionable. Two starting defensive lineman, Dom Orange and Tamatoa McDonough are questionable.

Starting safety Jamison Patton is doubtful.

RB Abu Sama is probable. pic.twitter.com/76hIw0mfJ3

— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) November 6, 2025

Defense is Crippled

With linebacker Will McLaughlin and safety Ta'Shawn James being listed as out, this unit is going to have an even harder time against TCU. This is one of the best passing offenses in the conference and was going to pose a lot of problems already for the defense prior to these two being out. 

Quarterback Josh Hoover is having a robust campaign, and he is going to be set up nicely for an excellent performance against the banged-up Iowa State passing defense. This is a matchup nightmare for the program and will likely be a significant reason why they see their losing streak extended to five games. 

While there was a lot of bad news on the availability report, tight end Benjamin Brahmer being listed as questionable after being carted off the field last week is encouraging. Furthermore, Abu Sama III is also likely to see an increased role after being extremely limited in Week 10. 

Even though the injury report has some significant negatives on the defensive side of the ball, there is some reason to be optimistic about some key offensive players. Unfortunately, the team is likely to be overmatched in this one.