Iowa State vs. KSU report card: Jace Gilbert gets redemption as Cyclones offense struggles

AMES — Iowa State football dropped its third straight game Saturday when Kansas State kicked a late field goal to pull out the 10-9 win.

It was a rough showing at times for both the Cyclones offense and defense, but the defense had more bright spots. As for special teams, Jace Gilbert did a complete 180-degree turn from last week and was the only Iowa State player to put points on the board.

The Cyclones' loss to the Wildcats was met with heavy criticism on social media, with fans disappointed in yet another loss. Iowa State has scored one touchdown in the last two games, and it won’t get much easier from here on out.

Here is how Iowa State graded in its loss to Kansas State.

Offense: Jirehl Brock’s limitations weren’t the only issue

There was hope when Brock warmed up in full pads after leaving last week’s game against Kansas during the first drive.

There was hope when Brock started the game on Iowa State’s first drive against Kansas State.

And there was hope when Brock was the first player to move the ball for the Cyclones, taking it five yards on the opening drive.

But after that, it was all disappointment from Iowa State’s offense. Sure, there were flashy moments such as when Hunter Dekkers completed a long pass to Xavier Hutchinson. But those moments – few and far between – were not good enough against a ranked team with an equally solid defense.

Hutchinson and DeShawn Hanika reeled in a couple of passes that bailed out Dekkers on possible interceptions on overthrown balls.

The offense consistently failed to capitalize on big defensive plays, and it cost Iowa State the game.

Grade: D

Defense: Helped Iowa State hang on, but not without fault

You would think in a game with two huge Will McDonald sacks and a touchdown-preventing forced fumble by Anthony Johnson Jr. – that Colby Reeder recovered in the end zone – that the Cyclones would have won this game.

You would be wrong.

Those moments were highlight-worthy and breathed life into an Iowa State team that looked deflated at times. But the defense was not as consistent as Cyclones fans are accustomed to, and that unit wasn’t without its own mistakes by any means.

Reeder missed a sack that resulted in the first and only touchdown pass of the game. Iowa State came prepared to stop Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn in the run game but didn’t seem to have many answers when the quarterback threw the ball.

Still, it was Iowa State’s defense that kept the Cyclones in this game. Without those big plays and even the little moments – like third=down stops to put the ball back in the offense’s hands – there could’ve been a very different score Saturday.

Grade: B-

Special teams: Jace Gilbert gets his redemption story

Let’s start with the bad.

The special teams were not great. Right after Kansas State’s touchdown, Myles Purchase seemed to assume the kickoff would go into the end zone. Instead, he was forced to pick up the bounce and made it only to the 8-yard line. And it didn’t get much better than that.

But let’s talk about the good.

Gilbert went three-for-three against Kansas State, scoring all of Iowa State’s points. That performance came a one week after he went zero-for-three and missed the possible game-tying field goal at Kansas.

He was the bright spot, and it’s hard not to root for a comeback moment like that. Iowa State will need to continue that into the back half of the season if the offense continues on its current trajectory.

Grade: B

Coaching: Questionable decisions to blame for third straight loss

It is easy to see why fans were frustrated with the result of this game.

When nothing was working, Iowa State just tried more of the same. It didn’t work.

Iowa State's offense wasn't difficult to defend, and the play-calling didn’t help. On defense, there were few solutions to Kansas State’s dominant offense. And those game-changing moments? Well, pretty much all of them were highlighted above.

As for the offense, there’s no better word to describe it than lackluster. When an entire unit cannot consistently convert defensive success into offensive momentum, that isn’t completely on the players. Dekkers has not been the same quarterback Iowa State fans saw early in the season, and it seems like the Cyclones coaching staff has little faith in the run game. There were several times when Iowa State lined up without a tailback on third-down attempts.

Grade: D

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football report card: Jace Gilbert's redemption, offense fails