Iowa State football's defense keeps its elite pace in the Big 12
AMES – As the record slumped and the offense sputtered, it was easy to overlook what had become commonplace over the past six years.
An Iowa State defense being excellent has simply become rote.
“I think sometimes you take for granted how well they’re playing,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said last week. “Those guys are playing great football.”
The Cyclones’ offense finally found its footing in last weekend’s 31-14 win over West Virginia to stop a five-game losing streak and improve Iowa State’s record to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12. It’s been the defense, though, why Iowa State had even a prayer of winning any of those previous five games as the offense consistently failed to reach the end zone.
More:Postgame mailbag: Is Iowa State headed to a winnable game at Oklahoma State?
So while Iowa State may have a middling record, the defense has an elite statistical profile.
The Cyclones rank first in the Big 12 in scoring, total, pass and run defense. They’re tops in first downs allowed, giving up 22 percent fewer first downs than the conference’s second-best mark.
It has been dominant in Big 12 play.
“That’s a big motivation for us,” Iowa State safety Beau Freyler said. “It’s really the standard that we want to live up to – being the best defense in the conference.
“Whatever we’ve got to do every week to prepare and get better and fix mistakes we made is crucial. It's been a motivating factor all season for us.”
That every-week excellence is what has allowed Iowa State to stay the Big 12’s best. A high-water mark for opponents is the 31 points Baylor scored in the league opener. Every other team has failed to crack 30.
“Being the No. 1 defense, if you’re trying to do something meaningful, you don’t just mistakenly become the No. 1 defense,” defensive end Will McDonald said. “It’s all about the work ethic and doing what you’ve got to do.”
More:Meaningful November games take a different definition for Iowa State football this year
Iowa State ranks 10th nationally in total defense and ninth in scoring defense.
“They believe. They’re consistent,” Campbell said. “They’re giving us certainly a chance to win every football game.
“A lot of veterans. A lot of guys that have played a ton of snaps but they just keep improving and they keep finding ways to get better. That's huge for our program and that’s huge for our team.”
The Cyclones entered the month of November ranked ninth in stop-rate – which measures how often defenses get off the field via punt, turnover or turnover on downs. They’ve allowed just 1.46 points per drive.
McDonald said: “That’s what our side of the ball is really caring about because for us, having that mindset, you can’t just go into games thinking you’re going to do what you’re going to do. For us as a defense, we take every game, every play as beat the man across from us.”
The Cyclones believe, however, that they can get even better.
“I believe we’re still chasing that,” Freyler said. “I don’t think we’ve reached the final step of what our defense is capable of. That just comes with younger players getting experience, everyone fixing the mistakes on a personal level and then as a whole, what schematically can we improve upon and how can we minimize the errors?”
And if Iowa State can do that?
“I think it’s a scary thing,” Freyler said.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State University football's defense ranks the best in Big 12
