Iowa State secondary taking responsibility for causing more turnovers and sacks in 2024

AMES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa State had 16 interceptions in 2023, good for second in the Big 12, and tied for 10th in the country.

Junior Jeremiah Cooper accounted for five of them. He says forcing turnovers isn’t all about what the team does on the field.

Much of it comes before the first snap.

“Everything is pretty much mental, so if you know what you’re doing, and you know what everybody else is doing you can play faster and put yourself in the right spot,” said Cooper. “But then, that comes with just learning, studying, 24/7, we gotta get in that film room.

“That’s what makes us play freely.”

The Cyclone defense has room for improvement when it comes to getting after the quarterback. They ranked outside of the top 100 in the country with 21 sacks last year.

The defensive back room is taking responsibility, saying if they improve even more, it helps out the defensive line.

“Defense is all complimentary, so if we’re not doing our jobs in the back end there’s no way they can get sacks,” said senior defensive back Myles Purchase. “I would say we could take that as a challenge as a secondary.”

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