Well, well, well. Look at who’s 5-0 again. That’s right. Iowa State has now gone two consecutive years winning their first five games of the season, and is on the hunt to become bowl eligible in the first week
of October after an almost perfect game by Rocco Becht and co. The only streaks on what was an amazing game in Jack Trice on the offensive side were Rocco’s consecutive passing touchdown games and Rocco’s pick while trying to force it.
Iowa State
This week, I think the player to watch is Rocco Becht. He has been playing better and better throughout the season, and going into Cincinnati, where it might be a barn-burner, we need him to show up with a Heisman-like performance. Cincinnati’s defense has been battle-tested in the sense that they played Dylan Raiola and Jalon Daniels. Still, when you deep dive into the stats, they let the Dollar General Patrick Mahomes throw for almost 300 yards, and Daniels, who isn’t exactly a thrower, pass for 445 yards and gave them all sorts of time.
Here’s where I think things get tricky. Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator is a Matt Campbell guy whom we all thought would be Heacock’s successor in Tyson Veidt. Yes, our offense has changed since he was here in 2023, but that defense has been on the rise, and he should know how to scheme against our 13 and 14-personnel groups. There’s a flip side to this, however, and that’s Cincinnati allowing 249 yards per game through the air and 11 yards per completion. That realistically tells me even with that defensive line, Veidt doesn’t bring pressure.
Rocco this season is currently 79-out-of-120 (65.8%), 1,103 passing yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions, and has a QBR of 159. He also has rushed for a total of 38 yards (sack yards included) with five touchdowns. With Cincinnati potentially living by the “bend, don’t break” Heacock motto, there will be strong opportunities for Rocco to shine and put us in the best chance to go 6-0.
Cincinnati
This weekend is going to be the battle of the quarterbacks, which, if we are being brutally honest, should be our conference’s tag line. Brendan Sorsby will be Cincinnati’s game-changer. He has started to show poise and patience, but there are moments where a lapse in judgment leads to a swing in momentum for the Bearcats.
Sorsby has improved since transferring to Cincinnati at the end of the 2023 season, and has so far gone 74-out-of-107 (69.2%), 1,043 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception for a QBR of 180. With Iowa State losing Cooper and Williams at cornerback, it’s up to the backups, who have seen plenty of reps this season as well, to step up and keep Cyrus Allen in check. Even with the backups, this will be the toughest defense Sorsby and Cincinnati have faced all season. Sorsby’s inconsistency could show up under pressure, like we saw in their season opener against Nebraska.
