Sep 27, 2026 9:30 PM
Dominic Overby’s breakout performance and crucial defensive adjustments offer hope for the Cyclones, but porous tackling and stagnant line play must vanish to salvage the season.
If you're new, we list three things (the do's) from a game that the Cyclone should continue to do for the remainder of the season and three things (the don'ts) that don't need to appear again.
So here it is three do’s and three don’ts from fall to the Cyclone 31-17 loss to 15th-ranked Utah:
Do’s
Keep the second-half defensive adjustments: The Iowa State defense had a rough first half of the game; they gave up 272 total Yards and 24 points to Utah's offense. The Cyclones made major adjustments in the second half; Iowa State forced 3 punts and held Utah to 0 points in the 3rd Quarter, with multiple third- and fourth-down stops. They gave the Cyclones' offense multiple opportunities to tie or take the lead in this Big 12 matchup.
Feed Dominic Overby: The red-shirt sophomore had a breakout performance against Utah. Finishing the game with three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. He also showed the ability to make big plays in big moments after making a huge fourth-and-12 catch, where the 6’5 receiver had to use his entire frame and reach out for the first down, which led to his 22-yard touchdown on the following play.
Trust the special teams: The special teams unit had a pretty good day against Utah. They did what they needed to do, with kicker Kyle Konrardy going one for one on his field goals, hitting a 47-yard field goal, while also going 2 for 2 on extra points. Punter Jonah DuPont also had a good day, hitting three punts for an average of 40.3 yd. While landing one inside the twenty, putting Utah's offense in bad field position.
Don’ts
Get off to a slow start: At the beginning of the game, Iowa State had difficulties both in attacking and in defending. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor achieved just 98 passing yards and threw one interception, and the offensive line did not manage to open up any gaps for the running backs. The defence struggled, allowing Utah’s offense to gain 272 yards and 24 points in the first half.
Missed tackles in space: The Cyclone defense struggled in the tackling department in this game. Utah running back Wayshawn Parker ran through the defense, going for a total of 239 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Forgot to block in the run game: The Iowa State offensive line struggled in this game, failing to open holes for Aiden Flora and the other backs. This put the offense in tough second-and-long and third-and-long situations, causing multiple drives to stall. The line improved in the second half but needs to fix its run-blocking and find ways to reach the second level by next week.
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