Rocco Becht Should Do This To Help Improve Iowa State Cyclones' Passing Attack

What does Rocco Becht and the Iowa State Cyclones need to do to improve the passing offense?

Oct 25, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) celebrates after a Cyclone touchdown against the BYU Cougars at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones will be entering Week 10 on a three-game losing streak with their season feeling all but lost at this point. The last month has been a struggle for the program, but they are going to have to push through to try and finish strong. 

In the recent loss to the BYU Cougars, mistakes were too much for the team to overcome, and it ended up costing them. In their last two losses, it has felt like the team has hurt themselves in key spots, resulting in the poor outcomes. 

Now, Iowa State will have a great opportunity to snap their losing streak in Week 10 against an Arizona State Sun Devils team that is really banged up. The Sun Devils very well could be without their two best offensive players, including their starting quarterback. 

When Leavitt has been out of the lineup, the offense for the Sun Devils hasn’t been good. Furthermore, missing a potential first-round pick in Jordyn Tyson would also be a big break for the Cyclones’ secondary. While the defense might be catching a break in this game, the offense is going to have to be better than it has been, especially in the passing attack. 

Passing Offense Should Feature Tight Ends More

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

In the last two games, the passing offense and Rocco Becht have had some bright moments, but the unit overall has been disappointing. Things started out with a bang against BYU in Week 9, but critical mistakes and missed throws by Becht ended up costing them. 

One area that was encouraging to see was the junior quarterback getting his tight ends involved more in the passing attack. Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle each had strong performances, with the duo combining for 10 receptions and 119 receiving yards. 

Iowa State has the fortune of having one of the best tight end groups in the nation and this is a unit that should be featured more often. Becht got away from these players the last couple of weeks, but perhaps part of the gameplan was to feature them more often in Week 9. 

If that was the plan, it was indeed working out prior to the mistakes made by Becht and on special teams. As Iowa State tries to snap their losing streak, getting back to the basics and featuring their tight ends in the passing offense more might simplify things for their quarterback and help them avoid costly mistakes.