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Pat McAfee hypes Big 12 standout and epic nickname

Joe Cox|
Pat McAfee used his College GameDay spot to point out a Big 12 contender and a great college football nickname
Pat McAfee used his College GameDay spot to point out a Big 12 contender and a great college football nickname | Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa State Cyclones

ESPN analyst Pat McAfee isn't shy about point out a team he likes, or about having a chuckle at an epic college football nickname. The punter-turned-personality used his platform on College GameDay to shout-out No. 14 Iowa State ahead of a big conference battle with 3-0 Arizona. He also noted the epic handle of big-time defensive tackle Domonique "Big Citrus" Orange.

Pat's take on the Cyclones

The Iowa State team, I love them. I love everything about them. I like the way Rocco Becht operates. He looks like a mature veteran on the field, because he is.
Pat McAfee

The No. 14 Cyclones are 4-0 and can claim a pair of power-conference victories already over Kansas State and Iowa. That said, a team that claims three close wins isn't an analytics darling, as ESPN's FPI ranks the 4-0 Cyclones 36th. Still, the Cyclones persist, largely with a defense that allows just 14.3 points per game.

Offensively, Becht, who can claim a pair of 3,000 yard seasons already with Iowa State, is one of the Big 12's veteran passers. So far in 2025, he has managed 860 passing yards and seven touchdowns against a single pick.

But an efficiently QB might not be the most notable story for McAfee-- or for collectors of epic nicknames.

"Big Citrus"

They have one of the greatest nicknames in all of sport. They have big Domonique Orange, a/k/a Big Citrus, who's the defensive tackle for Iowa State. I think Big Citrus is going to get loose today on Noah Fifita.
Pat McAfee

At 6'4" and 325 pounds, few would miss Orange, even without his colorful nickname. He actually started his Iowa State career around 350 pounds, but has slimmed down to his current weight. He was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick last year with 24 tackles. Already in the current season, he was Bednarik Player of the Week in Week 2 for a six tackle effort with a QB hurry in the Cyclones' win over Iowa.

Iowa State's effort against Fifita and the 3-0 Wildcats may indeed come down to the big man with the bigger nickname up front.

Published
Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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