Why Iowa State's Win Over OSU Was Big For The Future Under Jimmy Rogers

Jimmy Rogers and the Iowa State Cyclones secured a big 51-49 win over the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Halloween night at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones came into this one and did exactly what they needed to do to get the win: outscore the Cowboys. This gives the Cyclones their fourth win of the season and one that really shakes things up the conference standings.

This win looks to be a big one for the Jimmy Rogers era in Ames, though. Here is why. 

The offense we saw in last night's performance isn't the same offense we've seen throughout the season. So far this season, the offense has been one of this team's biggest question marks. These questions are raised mainly because of the passing game or the lack of one to be exact.

This Cyclone offense, led by offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, has been a run first team all season, and that is expected to continue to be the case since that's how they want to play, but their issue is that they haven't been able to throw the ball consistently, especially deep. This has led them to become more of a one-dimensional team. 

That makes you wonder whether or not they can hang in a shootout. But in last night's game, they proved they can keep up with one of the most explosive offenses in college football in Oklahoma State, led by one of the best quarterbacks in college football in Drew Mestemaker. Iowa State tallied 581 total yards - its most in a Big 12 game since 2016. 

That performance gives hope that the Cyclone can compete in any situation as the team develops under Rogers' leadership.

In this massive Big 12 game Rogers' crew demonstrated the ability to out-execute and match the offensive firepower of an established Power Four program with a top quarterback by defeating a top 25 opponent in a explosive 51-49 shootout.

This win is not just a victory over a good team in the Oklahoma State Cowboys; it also speaks to the strength of the program that Rogers is building and their ability to compete in a high-stakes environment. It could become a huge tool for recruiting and a major part of the programs transfer portal strategy. It gives recruits and the fanbase confidence that they have a solid base for their program that they could build upon and can compete against the best in the conference.

The bottom line: Iowa State is making great strides under Rogers and may even surprise everyone by reaching a bowl game after all.