Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) makes a catch between North Dakota Fighting Hawks defensive back Antonio Bluiett (22) and Tyler Erkman (9) during the first quarter in the season-opening game at Jack Trice Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024,  in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

 AMES — Jaylin Noel’s family members took out their phones and shared the image.

 The photo shows Iowa State’s star receiver engulfed by two North Dakota defenders as his quarterback, Rocco Becht, hoisted the football his way.

 Somehow, Noel fought for the ball and won on the 54-yard strike that opened the Cyclones’ 21-3 season-opening win over the Fighting Hawks — and the photographic evidence detailing the degree of difficulty momentarily stunned him.

 Then he smiled.

 “It’s actually pretty crazy,” said Noel, who led all receivers with eight receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. “It’s pretty cool.”

 ISU’s season opener proved to be pretty tense for three quarters against a North Dakota team that’s advanced to the FCS playoffs in four of the past five seasons. And Big plays like Noel’s must come in bunches next Saturday when the Cyclones face No. 25 Iowa in Kinnick Stadium. ISU’s beaten the Hawkeyes just once in the past eight meetings and struggled defensively against the Fighting Hawks, allowing 295 total yards.

 “We didn’t get off the field,” Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell said. “And until you watch the video, you can’t say, man, what went will and what didn’t go well. I thought what did go well was in the heat of the moment — the critical moment(s) — we were able to win those battles when it mattered most.”

 For examlple, ISU secured the only takeaway of Saturday’s game when backup linebacker John Klosterman, a former standout at Iowa City High, hit North Dakota quarterback Simon Romfo on a pass attempt on the first drive of the second half. Klosterman’s hurry sent the ball sailing directly to teammate Beau Freyler, who intercepted it at his own 15-yard line.

 “I was kind of surprised it was just coming right to me, honestly,” the all-Big 12 senior safety said. “After I saw it — we saw it on the (tablet on the sidelines) — I told him he gets half the interception.”

 Fair enough — and that’s not the only positive that came out of a sometimes shaky defensive performance. The Cyclones cycled through its three-deeps at most positions in Saturday’s win, so several players gained valuable experience. That came out of both necessity and design, as ISU lost standout linebacker Caleb Bacon to an apparent lower leg injury in the first quarter. His status this week is uncertain, which is also the case for offensive linemen Jalen Travis and Dylan Hasert, as well as linebackers Cael Brezina and Will McLaughlin, none of whom played on Saturday because of assorted “bumps and bruises,” Campbell said. 

 “I think (Brezina will) definitely be a guy that’s going to be available next week, so it will be good to get some bodies back in that linebackers room for sure, too.”

 The Cyclones’ offense shined most on Saturday, averaging 7.4 points per play while possessing the ball almost 16 fewer minutes than the Fighting Hawks did. Becht completed 20 of his 26 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Three of his passes spanned 20 or more yards and despite sailing a few throws, he played turnover-free football for the fourth time in the past five games dating back to last season.

 “Obviously, we wanted to do a little more,” Becht said. “It was kind of a weird game time of possession-wise. In those types of games we’ve got to be consistent on each one of (our) drives because we didn’t have a lot (of them).”

 ISU will have to do a lot more on both sides of the ball to have a chance to beat Iowa on the road. And big plays like Noel’s grab will be essential if the Cyclones are to emerge from Kinnick Stadium with a victory for the second straight time.

 “We know we’re going to go into a beehive, you could say, and those guys are gonna be ready,” Noel said. “We’ve just got to get our bodies right, get in the film room and prepare, because those guys are good. We know what they’re capable of so we’ll be ready to go.”