It may (or may not) interest you to know that Iowa State starting quarterback Rocco Becht is the son of 11-year NFL star tight end Anthony Becht. These days, the senior Becht acts as head coach for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. For the son of a tight end, Rocco (6’1″ 210-pounds) is no slouch at quarterback, having tossed 3,100 yards and 23 TD passes as a freshman last season. His top two weapons from last year – senior Jayden Higgins (6’4″ 215-pounds) and senior Jalin Noel (5’11” 200-pounds) – are back for more yards and scores. Noel has already posted two 130+ yard games this season.

And yet, we don’t really associate Iowa State football with prolific offense. Last year, the Cyclones ranked just 10th in scoring among its Big 12 mates, putting up 26 points per game. The defense, however, ranked 3rd, surrendering a mere 23 a game. It will be the Iowa State defense that the Red Wolves must crack, not necessarily the Cyclones offense the Red Wolves must stop.

Butch Jones Wasn’t Amused By Michigan

Last week’s 28-18 outcome to the 17th ranked Wolverines didn’t please Michigan fans, the AP pollsters (who dropped the Wolverines to 18), or Butch Jones, who was clearly aggravated by the Red Wolves offensive output.

“We did a great job of taking the ball away defensively, but we had zero to show for it offensively,” said Jones post game. The Red Wolves collected three interceptions off Michigan quarterback Davis Warren, but only collected 3 points from the effort. “We only had two explosive plays, and those were at the end of the game,” added Jones.

Starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor (like Becht, also a sophomore) was able to move the offense in short burst between the 20s, focusing on sure-handed Courtney Jackson and Reagan Ealy for short to mid-level gains. In the red zone, the offense sputtered, with Arkansas State settling for field goals that Clune Van Andel could not convert. It wasn’t until 5:00 minutes left in the contest, when Michigan had an insurmountable lead, did the Red Wolves score on two TD connections between back-up QB Timmy McClain and sparingly used receiver Reginald Harden.

In Monday’s SBC presser, Jones felt that the red zone breakdown was a result of poor execution, with too many assignments missed. Perhaps the learning opportunity in Ann Arbor will yield fruit in Ames.

The Red Wolves Offensive Line Will Be Challenged Again

With freshman OL Riley McGehee showing amazing promise at left tackle, Arkansas State surrendered just one sack to Michigan and only three tackles for a loss. Now the offensive line gets another test against NFL sized defensive lineman JR Singleton (6’2″, 300-pounds), who has a pair of sacks on the season.

However, it is prudent to note that you can run on the Cyclones defense. North Dakota ran for 173 yards in the season opener. Iowa put up 204 – with Kaleb Johnson compiling 187 yards by his lonesome. This games projects to see more success on the ground than we saw against Michigan. And the Red Wolves will need that success. Iowa State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper leads a secondary that has allowed just 200 total passing yards in two games this season.

Cyclone to Mitigate: Stevo Klotz, Senior, Fullback and Tight End

Stevo Klotz is listed as a tight end, but he’s a Big 12 second-teamer at fullback, where the big 6’4″, 260-pound bruiser can deliver a block or catch a ball out of the backfield. Klotz’s size makes him a problem for A-State linebackers, whom he considerably outweighs.

Butch Speak

“Everybody is responsible for their own self determination.”

Defense Will Have to Play Lights Out

In two games (admittedly, a small sample size), Becht has completed 70% of his passes while compiling 270 yards of passing per game. That puts a ton of onus on the Red Wolves secondary, which allowed Michigan’s Davis Warren to compete every single pass (that wasn’t intercepted). The man Butch Jones may be relying on heaviest is junior defensive back James Reed (5’10” 192-pounds). “If there is one guy who’s been consistent since spring practice it’s been James Reed,” said Butch Jones in Tuesday’s presser. “He’s doing a great job at the safety position and with special teams.” Reed has two pass deflections and seven tackles on the season.

However, the key starter might be junior defensive end Jayden Jones (6’5″ 262-pounds). “Jayden Jones had his best game as a Red Wolf so far,” said Butch Jones. Jayden Jones recorded a sack and 1.5 TFLs against the Wolverines, and he has proven to be a force alongside Bryan Whitehead (6’1″ 252-pounds). Whitehead and Jones will be called upon to provide pressure on Becht – and perhaps force a few turnovers.

Cyclone Warning: Jayden Higgins, WR, Senior

Jalin Noel has had the big games for Iowa State thus far, but Jaden Higgins is the NFL-look wide receiver that was named a Big 12 First Team All Conference wideout. A transfer from Eastern Kentucky, Higgins averaged 18.5 yards per catch for Iowa State last season, the seventh-best single-season average in school history. Higgins has two touchdowns this season, tied for best on the team.

Red Wolf Rising: Devin Spencer, RB, Freshman

A 5’8″ 183-pound three-star recruit from Florida, Devin Spencer had an opportunity to show his quality against Michigan, where he averaged four yards on seven carries. He looked strong on those carries, especially when running between tackles where Butch Jones has long coveted domination. With fellowing running back Cedric Hawkins out for the year, expect to see Spencer as a fresh set of legs of entrenched starters Zac Wallace and Ja’Quez Cross.

Will We See More Timmy McClain?

Reading the tarot cards, it seems Butch Jones wasn’t completely happy with Jalen Raynor’s decision making against Michigan. UCF transfer Timmy McClain (6’1″, 192-pounds) was brought in with a bit more than five minutes left to play, and there was an evident size and physicality difference. McClain was able to shed tacklers and get out of trouble, providing him time to find open receivers. The result was a couple touchdowns to Reginald Harden, the 6’5″ transfer from Benedict College who seemed to lose favor with the staff after UCA.

Does that mean we’ll see more playtime for the more experienced McClain? For now, not likely. Whether Jones intended to rest his starter or teach him a bit of a lesson, Jaylen Raynor is The Man in the Red Wolves offensive huddle. Look for Raynor to be on a mission this Saturday.

The Final Analysis

Rocco Becht is an accurate quarterback who will likely want to test the Arkansas State secondary early. Will the three picks the Red Wolves nabbed against Michigan play with Iowa State’s head? Will it compel Matt Campbell (who has tormented the Red Wolves since his days in Toledo) to give more carries to Abu Sama, the sophomore running back? After all, it’s known how well Michigan ran the ball on A-State in Week 3.

However Campbell chooses to attack Arkansas State, the Red Wolves will need to focus on executing their own game. Having hardened their nerves at the Big House, Kinnick Stadium should seem cozy by comparison. Vegas has Iowa State winning this game by 21 points. Don’t be surprised if Butch Jones and his Red Wolves take that as a challenge.

IMAGES: some AI and some of my photos