Oct 4, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) reacts to teammates during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones' Rocco Becht Rightfully Receives Strong Grade in Week 6

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off their first loss of the season, with the team being unable to keep up with the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 6. The loss has nearly taken them out of the AP Top 25, and there is some work to do going forward.

Against the Bearcats, the Cyclones came in short-handed in the secondary, and this game figured to have the potential to be a high-scoring affair. That certainly ended up being the case with 68 points scored combined.

The defense was a major issue for Iowa State in the loss. Even though it was the secondary that was banged up, the run defense was absolutely gashed in this game. This put the offense in a tough position, but credit has to go to that unit for being able to score 30 points in the loss.

As expected, there were a lot of good players on the offensive side of the ball for the Cyclones, but one player in particular really shined. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently gave Cyclones’ Rocco Becht the strong grade of a ‘B’ for his performance against the Bearcats.

Becht Deserving of a Strong Grade

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

In the loss, it was arguably the best game of the season for the junior signal caller. However, it didn’t come without a scare. During the first half, Becht suffered a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit in which a defender grabbed his face mask as well. He was forced to go into the tent but somehow was able to return.

It was a good thing that he was able to come back and was certainly a sigh of relief for the program. Overall, he totaled a season-high 314 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns as well.

There was a lot of attention coming into this game with him going against Brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati. The Bearcats’ quarterback has been regarded as one of the best in the conference, and Becht proved that he could compete with that caliber of quarterback.

Unfortunately, despite the strong performance, it wasn’t enough to get the win for the team. Becht has really had an impressive campaign both with his arm and with his legs. Overall, he has totaled 1,417 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, two interceptions, and seven rushing touchdowns.

He has proved to be one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the entire country, and the Cyclones will be hoping for more performances like he had in Week 6. With the defense seemingly being an issue, a lot of pressure will fall on Becht to carry the team.