No. 17 Iowa State

Rocco Becht, Quarterback

Over the past couple of weeks, Becht has struggled to find consistency within the Iowa State offense.

In the slim 38-35 win against UCF, Becht had his worst game of the season, completing only 43% of his passes while giving up two interceptions that resulted in scores for the Knights.

But despite this inconsistency in the passing game, Becht made up for it with his legs for the Cyclones’ final touchdown, while rushing in the two-point conversion for the final points of the game.

Following the game against UCF, Iowa State headed into its bye week before taking on Texas Tech at home, who had statistically the worst passing defense in the Big 12.

Although Becht improved, the Cyclone offense struggled to move the ball against the Red Raider defense and blew multiple opportunities to get ahead of a Texas Tech team that had been on a two-game losing streak.

Becht also threw an interception, making it twice in two straight games.

Becht will take on a Kansas defense that he is familiar with, as he has previously faced this defense a year ago when the Jayhawks came into Ames and took down Iowa State 28-21.

In that game, Becht was efficient and completed 20 of his 26 passes but threw a costly interception to Kansas cornerback Mello Dotson, which was returned 50 yards for a Jayhawk score.

As the team prepares to head to Kansas City, Becht will look to seek revenge against the team that got the best of him the first time around.

Carson Brown, Wide Receiver

One of the biggest questions heading into the 2024-25 season for Iowa State was who would come out as the third receiver option to seniors Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.

Through eight games this season, there still hasn’t been a clear and obvious answer.

Tight end Benjamin Brahmer currently sits third on the team in receiving with 179 yards but has missed the past two games from a leg injury that was sustained in the UCF game.

The next guy following Brahmer is North Dakota State transfer Eli Green. On the season, Green has caught six passes for 90 yards, with a majority of those statistics coming in the first game of the season against North Dakota. The next time Green caught a pass was when he caught two for 46 yards against West Virginia.

Then there is redshirt sophomore receiver Carson Brown. 

The Ankeny, Iowa, native has become more of a third option for Becht and the offense during the Big 12 slate. Brown has caught all of his five passes during conference play. 

In those five catches, Brown was able to gain 90 yards and score his first collegiate touchdown this past Saturday in the loss to Texas Tech.

With Higgins and Noel expected to have their hands full with the likes of Cobee Bryant and Dotson, look for Brown to make an impact as a third option for Becht and the Cyclones offense.

Kooper Ebel, Linebacker

For Ebel, his role within this Iowa State defense wouldn’t have come to fruition without the unfortunate injuries to the linebacking core.

With players like Caleb Bacon and Will McLaughlin dealing with injuries, it gave way for Ebel to step up and make key plays from that position.

Now heading into week 11, Ebel has answered that call, as he’s been an integral part of this dominant Cyclones defense thus far.

The Hartley, Iowa, native has played in every game this season and currently leads the linebackers in solo (23) and total tackles (45). Those totals put him third on the Iowa State defense in tackles, only behind defensive backs Malik Verdon and Beau Freyler.

His skills will be especially needed this Saturday when the Cyclones defense has to face yet another dual-threat quarterback and a dynamic running back that can make plays all over the field.

Kansas 

Devin Neal, Running Back

For the third straight game, Iowa State is faced with another running back who has found a lot of success on the ground this season, and on Saturday it will come from Neal.

This season, Neal has rushed for 758 yards on 130 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Along with the yards, Neal has found the endzone eight times this season and is currently on a five-game streak with at least one touchdown scored.

Neal has also made his presence known in the passing game, as he’s currently fourth on the Jayhawks in receiving with 137 yards on 14 catches.

The senior running back has played an integral part in Kansas’ success over his four seasons with the program. Last season was his best season, when he had over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns.

In 2023 against the Cyclones, Neal found his way into the endzone twice in the Jayhawks’ 28-21 win. However, Neal struggled to find a lot of yardage that game, as he was limited to only 57 yards on 21 carries, which would be the second worst statistical game he had in terms of yardage that season.

But now, especially with Iowa State’s track record of trying to stop the run game, Neal should be in for a field day and expose the Cyclones rushing defense like past running backs have done this season.

Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson, Cornerbacks

Bryant and Dotson present probably the most talented cornerback duo that the Iowa State offense will face this season.

The senior cornerback duo has been infamous for forcing opposing quarterbacks to throw their way and make them pay for it, as each cornerback has amassed four passes defended and three interceptions this season. 

Bryant and Dotson are tied for third in the Big 12 in passes defended, while Bryant is in a tie for first place in the Big 12 for most interceptions.

Both cornerbacks had also played a part in the game last season between these two teams, with Dotson making the biggest statement, that being the aforementioned 50-yard pick-six in last season’s game.

With the pass-rushing abilities of the Jayhawks, look for this cornerback duo to cause some problems for Becht and the Cyclones’ offense Saturday.

JB Brown, Linebacker

Another senior defensive player that has played a significant role in Kansas’ demeaning defense has been Brown.

While the record may not show it for the Jayhawks, their defense has shown to be problems for opposing offenses in all facets.

One of the few players on that team that can do such a thing has been Brown, who currently leads Kansas with 47 total tackles, 34 of them being solo. Along with the tackles, Brown sits second on the team in sacks with four and has two passes defended.

Even as a linebacker, Brown has found ways to impact a game on the defensive end by either commanding the middle of the field or by rushing the quarterback.

Although not having the biggest part in Kansas’ win over Iowa State in 2023, Brown still played a part by having two total tackles, with one being for a loss.

The familiarity with this offense should help Brown and the Jayhawks defense come Saturday.