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Iowa State Cyclones Offense Being Plagued by Ineffectiveness in One Key Area

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 7:05 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones' season has gone off the rails over the last two weeks. After starting the campaign 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, they have lost two in a row. They have fallen out of the polls, making their path to the conference championship and College Football Playoff virtually impossible to navigate.

In Week 6, the Cyclones went on the road and were defeated by the Cincinnati Bearcats 38-30. This past weekend, in what was viewed by many people as a get-right spot, Iowa State was defeated by the Colorado Buffaloes, 24-17.

There are a lot of things that head coach Matt Campbell is going to have his team working on this week during their bye. Getting healthy is the No. 1 priority, with injuries becoming too much to overcome.

Alas, injuries are not something the coaching staff can control. However, there is one thing that stood out as a major weakness in both games that Campbell and his staff need to figure out some answers for during the bye.

Iowa State failing to convert on third downs

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The head coach mentioned an inability to convert clutch plays. Third downs would certainly qualify as such a play, and the Cyclones have fallen woefully short executing in the crucial part of the game during their two losses.

Against the Bearcats, Iowa State went 4-for-16 on third downs. Against Colorado, things weren’t much better, converting on only 2 of 12 attempts.

Third down conversion numbers are what fans will look at, but a lot more goes into succeeding on that down than the singular play run at the time. For an offense built in the fashion that the Cyclones are, it is imperative to get the offense heading in the right direction on first and second down.

That didn’t happen against the Buffaloes. On third downs, Iowa State had an average of 8.4 yards to gain. The first four times they got to third down, they were faced with minuscule odds of converting, needing at least 12 years each time.

On only one occasion did the team face a third down that was fewer than five yards. That kind of inability to execute is almost certainly what Campbell was referencing when speaking on attention to detail.

Matt Campbell taking onus for team's struggles

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"Disappointing," Campbell said after the game, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). "I have higher expectations for myself. I apologize to our kids. I apologize to our fanbase. But it's really disappointing.

Converting on only 21% of third down attempts in a two-week stretch is bad enough before taking into consideration that the Cyclones are without star kicker, Kyle Konrardy. Earlier in the year, the offense could take some consolation knowing points would be put on the board by the sophomore.

That was not the case the last few weeks, and it came back to haunt them. Not being able to convert on third down, combined with Konrardy being sidelined, led to a lot of fourth-down attempts and drives stalling out that should have resulted in points.

Figuring out a way to avoid long yardage to gain on third down and executing better once they get to that down will be a point of emphasis for Campbell and his staff this week in practice.