Three Things Iowa State Cyclones Must Improve During Final Bye Week

Here are three things the Iowa State Cyclones must improve during their final bye week.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell looks on during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones will be on their bye in Week 12 with just two games remaining for the regular season. 

This year might not have gone according to plan, with a five-game winning streak to start the campaign being followed by a four-game losing streak. However, the Cyclones were able to recently snap that losing skid with an upset victory against the TCU Horned Frogs. 

The program will now be entering their final bye week of the regular season with just two games left on the schedule. With a 6-4 record, the hope will be that they can finish strong and win the next two. That would secure them an 8-4 record heading into bowl season, which wouldn’t be a terrible record. 

However, if the team is going to be able to accomplish that, they will need to make some improvements. As they come out of their final bye week of the campaign, here are three areas they should improve. 

Limit Mistakes

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One of the things that has really been plaguing the program of late has been the constant mistakes. Whether it be turnovers, dropped passes, or penalties, the team has hurt themselves quite a bit. 

If the Cyclones were able to limit some of these problem areas, they likely would have another win or two on their resume. Unfortunately, that is something that they can’t go back and change. However, if they clean things up, they could finish the campaign strong.

Improve Passing Defense

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This has been a unit that has been hit extremely hard by injuries this year, and unfortunately, they are never going to be as good as they were at the beginning of the year. With the depth and talent of the unit being tested, they have shown some severe vulnerabilities. 

While their final two opponents aren’t the best, a bad passing defense can make any game close if an opposing quarterback gets going. Hopefully, some of the inexperienced players can continue to grow and develop heading into bowl season. 

Get Becht Going 

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The key reason for most of the struggles for the team has been that their star quarterback hasn’t performed well. Rocco Becht has been guilty of turning the ball over quite a bit of late, with seven interceptions in his last four games, which simply has to improve. 

Furthermore, things might have hit rock bottom in the win over the Horned Frogs, with the junior throwing for just 111 yards on nine-for-24 passing. It was shocking that the team was able to win with their quarterback performing as poorly as he did. If they are going to finish the year strong, Becht needs to be better.