Who: No. 14 Iowa State (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) at Arkansas State (1-1, 0-0 SBC)
Where: Centennial Bank Stadium (30, 406) – Jonesboro, Arkansas
When: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 – 3 p.m. CT
The Links
WATCH: ESPN2
PxP: Mike Monaco; Analyst: Kirk Morrison; Sideline: Dawn Davenport
LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network – Varsity App, TuneIn Radio or Radio Affiliates
PxP: John Walters
; Analyst: Eric Heft; Sideline: Ryan Harklau
Last Time Out
The Iowa State Cyclones exorcised the demons on Saturday afternoon, defeating Iowa by a final
score of 16-13. The leg of Kyle Konrardy delivered a victory once again for the good guys, who has cemented himself into legend status in 2 seasons in Ames.
Outside of the first quarter, Iowa really outperformed Iowa State for the duration. Iowa State dominated the first quarter but only managed to turn it into 6 points on two field goals. The Iowa offense could do nothing in the first half, going 3 and out twice before eventually stringing together a 5-playm 21 yard field goal drive.
There were 2 pivotal moments in the game – first, Jeremiah Cooper intercepted a Gronowski pass and returned it to the 15 yard-line, leading to a Benjamin Brahmer touchdown.
Towards the end of the 2nd quarter, the officials, a Big 10 crew who were possibly biased, picked up a kick-catch interference flag and proceeded to award Iowa the ball, saying it touched Xavier Townsend on the catch. Iowa would go on to score a touchdown before the half, making it 13-10 and sucking the air out of the stadium.
Running the ball was clearly the plan for the Hawkeyes, who at one point ran it 12 straight plays in the second half. This would lead to some long Iowa drives resulting in a tying field goal.
With the game tied, Iowa State got a drive when they needed to, with Gabe Burkle catching two key balls on 3rd down to keep the drive going. Kyle Konrardy nailed a 54-yard field goal (AGAIN), and the Iowa offense failed to get a single yard on the final possession.
Iowa State Offense Vs Arkansas State Defense
Iowa State is going from playing two of the toughest defenses it will face all season in Kansas State and Iowa to playing one of the worst in Arkansas State. The Red Wolves rank near the bottom of the country in stopping the pass and the run. This past weekend against Arkansas, they gave up over 300 yards rushing as well as 300 yards passing.
In their 2024 matchup, Iowa State did a lot of damage via big throws and chunk runs. Against Arkansas State in 2024, they piled up 490 total yards and 237 rushing yards. This game stacks up to be much of the same, considering the Arkansas State defense really hasn’t seen much of an improvement from a season ago. So far this season, Arkansas State hasn’t gotten off the field defensively as well.
The Red Wolves are one of the worst teams in the country for getting off the field on 3rd down. So if the Cyclones do find themselves in that position, considering their inability to sustain long drives this season so far, they will have an opportunity to keep the drives rolling on Saturday.
So far statistically, Iowa State is behind their marks from a season ago in nearly every category, but this game possesses an opportunity to turn those up a notch. With the heat that will be in Arkansas this weekend, this game will be a perfect opportunity to get Carson Hansen and Abu Sama flying up and down the field.
Iowa State Defense Vs Arkansas State Offense
So far this season, the Cyclones have the 39th overall offense in the country in terms of total yards allowed defensively. Allowing only 160 yards passing per game and 108 yards per game on the ground. Arkansas State averages 388 yards of offense per game, 238 through the air, 150 yards on the ground. ground. All that leads to them scoring 29 points per game.
While I think this Arkansas State team is a little more dangerous on the ground, especially with the legs of Quarterback Jaylen Raynor. They do throw the ball enough to make you think twice about selling out for the run. What makes me think this game may be a feast for Jon Heacock and company, Jaylen Raynor is plagued by inaccuracy issues, and he does tend to turnover the ball alot. So for this season, he has thrown 2 interceptions, both coming last weekend against Arkansas. Last season, he threw a total of 10, two of those coming in Ames.
If you go back to last week, one of the ways Iowa was going to hang around with Iowa State was to control the clock and suck the air out of the stadium. We saw that with one 9-minute drive in the second half. Much like that, Arkansas State is going to try to do the same and limit the possessions of Iowa State. So far this season, their time of possession is a strong 34 minutes per game. Much of that may have come from having the ball so much against Arkansas, but it certainly is an element of their rushing attack.
Three Keys To The Game
1- Beat The Heat and Environment
It’s one thing to play a game in perfect weather conditions one weekend, but to follow it up with extreme heat the following week is another. The Cyclones will not only have to beat the heat but also be extra hydrated for this one. They are going to have to rise to the occasion with their own juic,e as one may expect, the enviroment at Arkanas State won’t be the absolute best.
2- Impose Your Will
One can argue that Iowa State played with its food a bit in the games with Kansas State and Iowa. You can go back about two years ago to a similar situation in the game at Ohio, where the Cyclones did the same thing and eventually fell to Ohio. The Cyclones don’t need to mess around in this one. You have the better team across the board, show it, and put Arkansas State down early on.
3- Run The Ball
Hard for me to say this when you have a quarterback like Rocco Becht, but I think this run game could use a little more refining before heading into a ful Big 12 slate. What better way to do that than against one of the worst run defenses in the country.
Prediction
I am not worried about Iowa State losing this one at all, but I am worried about them looking crisp. This team has gone through a ton to start the 2025 campaign. A trip to Ireland against your biggest Big 12 rival. Followed up by a physical rivalry game at home two weeks later. A bye week is looming, and this team may need a bit of a break before taking on the Big 12 schedule. Can the Cyclones create enough juice in their legs in a weak environment at Arkansas State is the biggest question to answer. I think they will do enough and come away Saturday with a comfortable win at the end of the day.
Iowa State- 38
Arkansas State – 10
