Despite a dominant blowout win, the Cyclones must spark a stagnant deep ball and ignite a dormant pass rush before facing elite Big 12 competition this season.
Even though Iowa State put on a dominant showing against Bowling Green with a 55–7 win and showed off its strength in all three phases of the game, Saturday's win still left me with some questions.
Here are three questions we still have after the 55-7 win over Bowling Green.
Will The Passing Game Improve?
There are still concerns about the Iowa State passing game. In the 16-13 loss to Iowa, quarterback Jaylen Raynor had a disappointing day, throwing for 117 yards and one touchdown on 17 attempts (average of 6.2 yards per attempt). Against a Falcons secondary that has struggled all season, Raynor threw for only 133 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on 17 passes. This came after Tyler Roehl, the Cyclones' offensive coordinator, discussed wanting to try to improve the passing game consistency in a press conference.
A lot of passing was expected against the Falcons this past Saturday. The deep ball was one of the few things missing in what was expected to be a game that would help develop consistency in the Cyclones' passing game. Raynor has shown during his time at Arkansas State that he can throw the deep ball, so it is troubling that he didn't show it off against a defense that allows 38.0 points per game and has been riddled with secondary problems.
Where is the rush?
This Iowa State defense has been impressive early in the season, allowing only 11.0 points per game (2nd in the Big 12, 13th nationally) and 210.3 total yards per game (2nd in the Big 12). This defense has been stout. But with only 6 sacks on the season being able to get home on pressures is a question.
This defensive line has proven to be stout against the run, allowing only 83.3 rushing yards per game (6th in the Big 12). The issue is bringing the quarterback down. Six sacks in three games isn't terrible, but the lack of production over the past two games is concerning. On 22 pass attempts by Bowling Green, this Iowa State defensive line never got home. This will be a big question mark as the Cyclones get ready to face Utah, possibly the best team of the season.
Why Can't The Defense Force Takeaways?
Over the past three games, this defense has been stout but has only produced three turnovers two interceptions and one forced fumble. This defense will need to force more turnovers to flip the momentum of games this season, beginning with next weekend's Big 12 opener against Utah.
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