Wide receiver Dimitri Stanley becoming a standout for Iowa State football
AMES – Dimitri Stanley lined up at the top of the formation. He fired off the line of scrimmage and, as he began his break, saw the Kansas secondary shift toward the bottom of the field where Xavier Hutchinson, one of the Big 12’s best wideouts, was running his route.
That left Stanley with a single Jayhawk defender in an ocean of open field.
“I like me in a one-on-one matchup,” Stanley said.
So did Cyclone quarterback Hunter Dekkers, who fired to a wide-open Stanley for a 53-yard completion that set up Iowa State’s lone touchdown in last week’s loss to Kansas.
It was something of a culmination of two weeks of increased production from Stanley, who arrived at Iowa State after four years with Colorado. In the previous two seasons – shortened by COVID-19 and injury – Stanley caught just 35 passes. He’s got nine in the last two games for Iowa State.
“Just staying the course, honestly,” Stanley said of his recent success. “Trying to build that relationship and give trust to Hunter that he can count on me to make those big plays.
“I feel like I’m starting to earn that trust.”
It’s a process that started back when Stanley got to Iowa State, which hosts Kansas State on Saturday (6:30 p.m.; ESPN2).
“The thing I’m really excited about that he’s done for us is he was a guy that came in and had a great summer and a great fall camp,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.
Practice, though, can only go so far in building a rapport between quarterback and receiver.
“It definitely starts in practice,” Stanley said, “and when (Dekkers) sees me do that kind of stuff in a game, it helps that confidence grow.”
That became apparent two weeks ago against Baylor, when Stanley had a breakout with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. The score came from 24 yards out, foreshadowing Stanley’s ability to stretch defenses as he did last week against the Jayhawks.
“To watch him now, to have the ability to take the top off the defense at times, the ability to have strong hands and make the contested catch,” Campbell said, “those are things that will guide us moving forward.
“I think the confidence he’s gained in the last two weeks, it’s been really big, especially with the amount of coverages we’ve seen shifting toward Xavier, allowing (Stanley) to really be a big threat for us.”
Hutchinson’s presence looms large for Iowa State’s offense – and its opponents. He has 49 catches for 503 yards and five scores despite being the center of defenses’ game plans.
“A lot of attention is on No. 8 at all times whenever he’s on the field,” Stanley said. “You just have to take advantage of those holes they leave because of that and the opportunities he helps open up.
“You kind of saw it on that post I had last game. They rotate over trying to guard X and leave me one-on-one."
Iowa State sophomore Jaylin Noel has parlayed a strong freshman season into a solid sophomore campaign with 23 catches for 253 yards, though Iowa State prefers to use him more in the short and intermediate passing game with 183 of his yards coming after the catch.
That leaves Stanley as a deep threat capable of making defenses pay if keeping an eye on Hutchinson means taking one off the Colorado transfer.
“It’s big time,” Stanley said. “I’m actually glad we got that deep ball out of the way because (Dekkers) just knows he can count on me if it’s a one-on-one matchup at this point.
“Just continue to keep building, continue to try to get up and have him hit me deep again. However I can help the team is how I’ll help the team.”
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: Dimitri Stanley becoming a standout WR for Iowa State football
