Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Jack Trice Stadium. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Head Coach Matt Campbell Wisely Believes Iowa State Cyclones Can Still Improve

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 1:00 PM ET

After a fantastic 4-0 start to the season, the Iowa State Cyclones are on their first bye week of the year. The rest comes at a great time for a team that has had to play four straight weeks, which included a trip to Ireland.

Despite some of the tough scheduling to start the year, the team has performed very well and has been able to squeak out some close wins. With victories against the Kansas State Wildcats and the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Cyclones have built a strong resume so far.

However, despite starting 3-0, they were challenged in their first road game of the year. It is rare to see a team in the AP Top 25 team go on the road to face a Group of Five team, but Iowa State traveled to face the Arkansas State Red Wolves. This matchup was a lot harder than anticipated for the Cyclones, but they squeaked away with a win.

Due to the close games that the team has been playing over the last several weeks, it does provide them with some opportunities to improve. Week 3 especially should have been a much easier win for the program, but getting off the field defensively was an issue. Recently, head coach Matt Campbell spoke about the need to be better.

"We got a lot to work on," Iowa State's head coach said to Alec Busse of 247 Sports. "These guys have really gutted it out for the last four weeks. It's been a long four weeks and these guys have responded every step of the way."

Where Can the Cyclones Improve?

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even though the team is undefeated, there are still some areas that they can improve. In the passing game, quarterback Rocco Becht has been really good for the program so far this year. However, this is a unit that has lacked explosive plays in the passing game, which is something that they will have to improve upon in conference play.

While the victory in Week 3 against the Red Wolves might not have been ideal, it did see the running game finally get going. This is a backfield that features two talented backs in Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III, but they haven’t lived up to expectations prior to the win against Arkansas State.

Furthermore, while the defense has been mostly very good, they did struggle against the talented dual-threat quarterback in Jaylen Raynor of the Red Wolves. Those struggles very well may have been contributed to fatigue, but the unit struggled to get off the field, leading to some problems.

Overall, while Iowa State should be thrilled with their 4-0 start to the season, there is still plenty of room for improvement. It is great that Campbell is seemingly aware of this and ready to push the team to the next level after the bye week.