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Iowa State Cyclones Need To Focus on Cleaning Up This Area of Their Game During Bye

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 8:00 PM ET

There are several reasons why the Iowa State Cyclones are heading into their second bye of the 2025 college football season on a two-game losing streak. After going 4-0 in one-score games to begin the campaign, they have now been on the wrong side of one-score affairs in consecutive matchups.

In Week 6, the Cyclones lost on the road to the Cincinnati Bearcats 38-30. This past weekend, it was another loss away from Ames, this time to the Colorado Buffaloes, 24-17.

Injuries certainly played a major role in the team’s lack of success. They entered the back-to-back road games without key contributors in kicker Kyle Konrardy and cornerbacks Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. Running back Carson Hansen was lost to a concussion on the second-to-last play of the first half against the Bearcats.

Adjusting the game plan for every unit is certainly a challenge for the coaching staff. That makes attention to detail all the more important, but it is an area in which Iowa State has fallen woefully short in its last two games.

Iowa State needs to fix penalty problems

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Too many self-inflicted wounds have accumulated, resulting in losses. The most troubling area that needs to be addressed is the penalties.

In the game against Cincinnati, the Cyclones were flagged for eight penalties overall, totaling 60 yards. That is a lot of self-damage being done, but it pales in comparison to what the Bearcats did, being flagged 13 times for 128 yards.

Not being able to take advantage of such a sloppy performance by their opponent was discouraging. Iowa State didn’t play a very clean game itself, but the opportunity was there to steal the game at points.

The same thing occurred against the Buffaloes. Colorado was struggling coming into the game, a get-right spot for Matt Campbell’s squad. Unfortunately, they fumbled away momentum on several occasions, leading to another brutal defeat.

The Cyclones were flagged seven times for 59 penalty yards, and the timeliness of the infractions is what really hurt. When Abu Sama III ripped off a 23-yard run in the first quarter, it was called back because of a holding penalty on tight end Benjamin Brahmer.

Pre-snap penalties are killing Iowa State

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register, Des Moines Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

In the red zone, the offense was not crisp. Right tackle Tyler Miller was flagged for a false start when Iowa State was on the Colorado 13-yard line on second and four, making it second and nine, as detailed by Alec Busse of Cyclones Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required).

Right guard Brendan Black also committed a false start, moving the offense back five yards. That may not seem like a lot of yards to lose, but every inch counts, especially when in the red zone looking to score a touchdown.

An offense that operates in the fashion that the Cyclones do cannot afford self-inflicted wounds and being put behind the sticks. It has led to an inability to consistently convert on third down. Committing mental mistakes like that, especially on the road, can be the difference between a win and a loss.

Physical mistakes happen; everyone is prone to making an error every now and then. The mental mistakes are the ones the coaching staff will be looking to clean up during the bye.

Iowa State’s margin for error is razor-thin at this point if they want any hope of competing for a Big 12 championship and spot in the College Football Playoff. Cutting back on the penalties needs to happen for this team to get back on track.