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Iowa State football: 5 numbers that stood out in Cyclones’ 45-19 loss to Arizona State

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Iowa State football: 5 numbers that stood out in Cyclones’ 45-19 loss to Arizona State


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The Iowa State football team looked to make a bang in the college football world Saturday, but instead went down with a whimper.

The Cyclones lost to Arizona State, 45-19, in the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas. Matt Campbell’s squad held tough early on, but as the game progressed it was clear the Sun Devils were the much stronger team Saturday.

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The loss all but confirms that Iowa State will be on the outside looking in of the 12-team College Football Playoff and will instead go to one of the Big 12’s upper-level bowl games.

Here are five numbers that stood out in the Cyclones’ loss to the Sun Devils.

3 … as in 3 total touchdowns given up to Cam Skattebo

The Cyclones came into Saturday’s game knowing that Skattebo, Arizona State’s superstar running back, was the man they needed to focus on. After all, he averaged 127 yards per game with 19 total TDs on the year.

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Iowa State’s defense knew what its biggest task was but failed to accomplish it against the Sun Devils. Skattebo had 140 rushing yards and two total touchdowns before the end of the second quarter. In the third frame, when Arizona State really pulled away, he added a touchdown reception on a swing pass that he took 32 yards to the house.

21 … as in 21 points given up off turnovers

After a back-and-forth first quarter, ASU was able to pull away a bit in the second quarter. The Cyclones went into the halftime break down 24-10. A two-score game is by no means an insurmountable lead, but a disastrous third quarter ballooned the deficit to an impossible margin.

On Iowa State’s first three possessions of the third quarter, the Cyclones gave the ball away with two Abu Sama fumbles and a Rocco Becht interception. The Sun Devils used the short field to their advantage to put up 21 straight points in the third quarter and head into the final frame with a 45-10 lead.

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113 … as in Iowa State will have to wait at least 113 years between conference crowns

Coming into Saturday, Iowa State had a chance to claim its first Big 12 football title and the program’s first football title in any conference since 1912 when the Cyclones were in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

That drought will extend to at least 113 years now following the drubbing the Cyclones took at the hands of Arizona State on Saturday. It was the team’s second appearance in the Big 12 title game, making the game previously in 2020. That game was much closer, a 27-21 loss to Oklahoma.

17 … as in 17 straight games with a TD pass from Rocco Becht

Outside of the aforementioned interception in the third quarter, Becht had a pretty solid day. He completed 21-of-35 attempts for 214 yards and two scores. His second score showed how resilient and gutsy he is, tossing a 25-yard dime to Jaylin Noel shortly after getting pulled from the game after a punishing sack.

But his first score of the game, a 3-yard strike to Carson Hansen in the opening quarter, officially gave Becht his 17th straight game with a passing score. That extends his record for the longest streak in Iowa State history. It’s also the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.

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103 … as in 103 total points for Kyle Konrardy in 2024

The freshman kicker has had a strong first season with the Cyclones, going 40-for-42 on PATs and 21-for-28 on field goals. On Saturday, he was 1-for-1 on PATs and hit two of his three field goal attempts. Those seven total points allowed him to eclipse the program’s single-season points record, which was set last year when Chase Contreraz scored 99 points.

His two made FGs also tied the program’s single-season field goal record, tying Contreraz’s mark of 21 last year.



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Iowa Football Depth Chart: Projecting Hawkeyes’ Week 1 Special Teams

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Iowa Football Depth Chart: Projecting Hawkeyes’ Week 1 Special Teams


It’s an underrated storyline that I can’t help but think will rear its head at some point this season for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The complete overhaul of the special teams unit is a massive change for this team after years of continuity under LeVar Woods, who is now coaching at Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes will see a new placekicker, punter, and return man. Drew Stevens is kicking in the NFL, Rhys Dakin followed Woods to Michigan State to punt, and Kaden Wetjen took his return talents to the NFL as well.

Chris Polizzi is at the helm now and has a blank canvas to fill out with his depth chart before Week 1 versus Northern Illinois.

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Kicker

Kicker: Eli Ozick

The Hawkeyes only roster two kickers, Eli Ozick and Caden Buhr, who will compete for the starting job.

Ozick comes to Iowa from the North Dakota State Bison, where he was 16-for-18 last year, which earned him Second-Team FCS All-American notoriety. That performance translates well to Iowa, where I think he gets the nod in Week 1.

Should things go sideways, Caden Buhr could step in to kick. He was with Iowa last year and has one kickoff under his belt.

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Punter

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Punter: Boston Everitt

Only at Iowa is the starting punter such a focus. It’s what makes Iowa, well, Iowa. Iowa has dipped into its Australian pipeline with Boston Everitt, who comes from the University of Melbourne. Iowa’s trend of Australian punters gives Everitt the slightest of nods.

The other punter rostered is Tanner Philpott, a D3 AP All-American last year at Simpson College. Philpott has much more collegiate experience and could easily push for the job. It won’t be a shock to see Iowa give him in-game opportunities.

Long Snapper

Long Snapper: Ike Speltz

Long snappers simply don’t get enough love. No one knows their name or hears of them unless the snap has gone bad. It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it.

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Ike Speltz saw some long snapping action in 2025, which gives him the track here. He is also Iowa’s only long snapper listed on the roster.

Kick and Punt Returners

Punt Returner: Zach Lutmer

Kickoff Returner: Nathan McNeil

I make this prediction very begrudgingly. Zach Lutmer is going to be such a focal point on defense that exposing him to injury here is a bit scary. He is that talented with the ball, though.

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Other names to watch for in the return game come from the running back room. I think Iowa could give kickoff return duties to the running back room. Nathan McNeil or Brevin Doll, two athletic backs, could get their chance on kickoffs.

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Iowa basketball star slides down CBS NBA Draft board in new mock

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Iowa basketball star slides down CBS NBA Draft board in new mock


On the eve of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, Iowa basketball’s Bennett Stirtz has been talked about on several mock draft boards as potentially being the Hawkeyes’ first opening-round selection since Kris Murray was chosen No. 23 overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2023.

As the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder from Liberty, Missouri, prepares to join a collection of future stars in the NBA draft green room on Tuesday night, CBS Sports’ most recent NBA mock draft projects the former Hawkeye to slide to the back of the first round and be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers at the No. 29 overall slot.

Here is what CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno had to say about his projection for Stirtz:

One of the point guards is bound to slide a bit on draft night. I could see that being Stirtz. The Iowa star has had an incredible rise from playing at the Division II level to being a likely first-round pick. This would be a BPA (best player available) pick from the Cavs.

In his one season with the Hawkeyes after transferring from Drake, Stirtz was the centerpiece of Iowa’s historic March Madness run that saw the program reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987, averaging 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game on 47.7% field goal shooting and 35.8% 3-point shooting in his 37 games played.

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While a slide for Stirtz is not ideal given his immense talent, falling to a Cavaliers squad that has appeared in back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals is certainly not something to scoff at.

With a 36-year-old James Harden at the starting point guard position alongside 32-year-old Dennis Schroder, the Cavaliers will likely look for more youth at the position to add alongside Craige Porter Jr. and 2025 2nd-round pick Tyrese Proctor.

The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft will be nationally broadcast on ABC from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT on June 23.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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Iowa home sales up 17.3% in May – KBOE 104.9FM Hot Country

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By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Iowa Realtors Association data shows the number of Iowa home sales in May jumped 17.3% compared to April.

Iowa Realtors President Erik Melloy says Iowa’s housing market was active and balanced in May. Homes were on the market for about 10 days, compared to 12 days in April. The median sales price for a home in May was $260,000. That’s 5.1% higher than April.

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The number of pending home sales was up 4.1% in May compared to the same month a year ago. The Realtors report tracks the sale of Iowa condos and townhomes, too, and shows both a reduction in the median time on the market and an increase in the number of closed sales of condos and townhomes in May.





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