The Iowa State Cyclones fell to the BYU Cougars 24-10 in this Friday night matchup. The Cyclones now fall to 3-3 with a 1-2 conference record, while the Cougars move to 5-0 and have real College Football Playoff chances.

Here are some of our instant takeaways from Iowa State’s loss:   

This Iowa State offense struggled all game, finishing with only 200 total yards and struggling in both through the air (98) and on the ground (102). It seemed like the offense was always playing behind the line of scrimmage, like they were playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

Now, although you got to see some efficient offense late when they were playing with more tempo, BYU’s defense was able to do exactly what they wanted to do in this one: stop the run, get a lead, and force you to try and put it in the air. Improvements will need to be made on offense.

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier picked apart this Iowa State defense both in the air and on the ground. Bear finished the game with 329 passing yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 109 yards on only nine carries (12.1 YPC), leading the Cougars in both passing and rushing.

This Cyclone defense has struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks all season, and it has been evident over the past two weeks with Bachmeier's 109-yard performance this week and West Virginia's Michael Hawkins Jr.’s 149-yard performance last week.

Now the Cyclones' defense is starting to show weaknesses in their passing game by allowing quarterback Bachmeier to pass the ball efficiently. Iowa State allowed explosive plays throughout this game, such as when they allowed Bachmeier to connect with Legend Glasker on a 75-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. This defense is starting to become an issue, and adjustments need to be made.

Aiden Flora is one of the few who stood out in this game, even though the team has struggled in the passing game and on defense. His versatility and ability to make plays in tough situations have been impressive. He showed grit by making key plays in this one while the Cyclones were down. In the fourth quarter, Iowa State ran a trick play featuring an attempted running back pass through Flora, but Flora couldn't get the pass off, so he reversed field to move the chains and get a first down. The third-year finished with a team-high 86 rushing yards on 17 carries. 

Considering the persistent issues the Cyclones have in the passing game, Flora is probably going to be their best chance to generate offense. 

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