Iowa State Football Will Have To Watch This Arizona Defensive Star

This weekend, the Iowa State Cyclones are going on the road to take on the No. 25 Arizona Wildcats in a Week 8 matchup.

Coming into the game, Iowa State is 3-3, with wins over the West Virginia Mountaineers, Bowling Green Falcons, and Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. Their losses have all come to ranked opponents: the No. 2 BYU Cougars, No. 10 Utah Utes, and No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes.

Arizona has had a successful start to the season going 5-1, getting wins over the Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Washington State Cougars, Northern Illinois Huskies, and Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Their only loss came on the road against the No. 2 BYU Cougars by just 11 points.

The biggest strength on this Wildcats roster is a linebacker who does everything defensively. Taye Brown is a veteran in college football. He is in his fourth year with the Arizona program and has been more impactful every single season.

Iowa State has to keep an eye on Taye Brown

As a junior, he recorded a career-high 93 tackles throughout the season. That came along with an interception, a pass deflection, and 1.5 sacks. To say he has been the heartbeat of the Wildcats' defense would be an understatement.

Going into 2026, he’s been as good. He’s recorded 39 tackles so far, along with a pass deflection and 0.5 sacks. He’s by far the team leader in tackles.

But Brown hasn’t had one game where he shone amongst everyone. Every single game is another opportunity and a job well done. He’s gotten at least three tackles in every single game this season, including a season-high 11 against Northern Arizona in the season opener.

He had four against BYU, a top team in the country, as well as nine and seven against West Virginia and Cincinnati, respectively. Not only does he show up against smaller opponents, but he’s been great against tough Big 12 competition.

Last season, he had just three tackles against the Cyclones, a positive sign for the team. But it was a very different Iowa State team, and this Arizona team is much better than it was last year.

This game against the Cyclones is a big one, and Iowa State needs to find a way to get around him. Whether it’s forcing him into coverage or trying to throw the ball to the outside and let playmakers work, the Cyclones absolutely have to take Brown out of this one if they want to succeed.

Brown has been a top defender in the Big 12 this year, and if Iowa State can’t find a way around him, it could be a long night for the Cyclones out west.