Mistakes Cost Iowa State Cyclones Once Again in Critical Loss to BYU Cougars

The Iowa State Cyclones their third straight game with mistakes being costly.

Iowa State Cyclones' wide receiver Xavier Townsend (4) breaks a tackle from BYU Cougars linebacker Max Alford (30) as running for a first down after making a catch during the first quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones hosted the BYU Cougars in Week 9, and it was an expected close game that lived up to the hype. 

This was a game that was extremely important to both teams, but for different reasons. For the Cyclones, coming off of two straight losses in the conference, they were in desperate need for a conference win. For the Cougars, they entered the week as the 11th ranked team in the country with their eyes set on the College Football Playoff. 

Unfortunately for Iowa State, they came up short in this shootout and now their hopes of playing in a Big 12 title game and making the CFP are basically done. This feels like a really disappointing game with a number of self-inflicted mistakes that hurt the team. 

Early on, the Cyclones were well in control with a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter. Unfortunately, with a lot of momentum and being in scoring range, Rocco Becht threw an interception on what seemed like some sort of miscommunication with a receiver not really being in the area. 

Things Went Downhill Soon After That

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Even though Iowa State was up by seven at halftime, they had a tough time slowing down the Cougars' offense. BYU lost their star running back, LJ Martin, early on in this one, but that didn't slow this unit down. 

Despite being a freshman on the road, Bear Bachmeier didn’t appear to be afraid of the moment at all. He was able to make big plays with mostly his arm in this one, exposing weak Iowa State secondary. Even though it felt like if the Cyclones would have been able to slow down this rushing attack they would have been in a good position to win, that was not the case. 

While the first interception that Becht threw in the first half was bad, the team had a chance to get the ball back in a tie game. Inexcusably, a bad special teams mistake resulted in a live ball with the ball ricocheting off a player on the Cyclones. 

Still, with it being just a one-score game and having the ball, Becht then threw a pick-six to seal the deal. Overall, this was a game that Iowa State really threw away. They were the much better team early but didn’t put BYU away early. Mistakes and turnovers once again cost the Cyclones in this game, and their hopes of playing for a Big 12 title are now over.