The Iowa State Cyclones are facing another major test coming out of their bye week with a 3-3 record.
For the second game in a row, they are heading on the road. After losing to the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah, on Oct. 9, they will be in Tucson, Arizona, taking on the No. 25-ranked Arizona Wildcats.
This will be the fourth-ranked opponent of the season that the Cyclones face off against. Those ranked teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes, Utah Utes and BYU, are responsible for their three losses. A major reason why Iowa State has struggled against those teams is that their offense hasn’t generated any production consistently.
The Cyclones’ offense has been Jekyll and Hyde this season, performing well against below-average defenses but struggling mightily against top units. Most teams struggle against good defensive units, but the stark difference is staggering to see.
Iowa State offense has not executed in important situations
If Iowa State is going to become bowl-eligible and earn a bid to a game, they will have to pick up an upset victory or two along the way. To achieve that goal, they need to start playing better on the offensive side of the ball, with a few key statistics standing out as areas to improve.
Their schedule has not been easy, but they could have certainly beaten Iowa on the road with a more efficient offensive performance. Thus far this season, the Cyclones are ranked No. 121 in the nation in three-and-out percentage, having 25.4% of their drives end in that fashion.
That puts a lot of pressure on the defense to continually play at a high level without much rest. Essentially, a quarter of the time they get off the field, they are right back out there four plays later because the offense cannot move the ball effectively.
Given how many three-and-outs the team has had, it should come as no surprise that the offense is struggling to convert on third- and fourth-down. Iowa State is currently 127th in the country converting third downs at only 31% and is in a tie for 102nd in fourth-down conversion rate at 44.4%.
Iowa State passing game has left a lot to be desired
It is easy to point to their lack of success on those downs as an inability to produce when it matters most. However, their struggles are as much a product of the team failing to remain on schedule on first and second down.
This isn’t an overly explosive offense, with the passing game, led by quarterback Jaylen Raynor, struggling mightily. They have lost multiple wide receivers to injury this season, which has complicated things even more.
The Cyclones do have a dynamic running back in Aiden Flora, who has emerged as a bona fide star. But it takes more than one player to prop up an offense; even with his excellent performance, the team is still failing to move the ball with any consistency.
That has to change, or victories will be tough to come by. If Iowa State continues to struggle in those areas, it is going to be a long remainder of the season.
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