Iowa State at The Voice of College Football

Iowa State Live with the Voice of College Football — instant reaction to Iowa State 45, West Virginia 42. Homecoming at Jack Trice. Host Carter Hanson, with Austin joining around the 7:45 mark. Jimmy Rogers’ first Big 12 win. Combined offense: Iowa State 577 yards, West Virginia 518. Final: Iowa State 45, West Virginia 42 (7–7, 14–7, 7–14, 17–14). ISU 3–2 (1–1 Big 12). WVU 3–2 (0–2). Open / tone (0:32–2:05) Carter calls it a game “on crack.” Offense was the best of the year. Defense made him want to pull his hair out. West Virginia’s run game is one of the hardest schemes to prep for — two backs with the ball about 90 percent of the time. Clip: 0:46–1:11 — “This game was just on crack… I wanted to pull my hair out so much only from the defense.” Aiden Flora (2:17–3:38, revisited 18:21–19:13, 26:22–28:07, 29:33–30:40, 40:18–44:28) Five total touchdowns. Career-high 22 carries, 212 yards, three rushing TDs, plus two halfback-pass TDs. Walk-on his first two years; Rogers put him on scholarship to keep him. 46-yard halfback pass to Cody Jackson (2nd quarter, 11:04). Fake bubble; three defenders crashed the screen; Jackson leaked out wide open. Goal-line toss to Vince Benetti with about nine seconds left in the half. Carter’s point: if Benetti isn’t open, throw it away and still kick. Either way they score. Made it 21–14 at the break. 24-yard TD run early in the third to make it 28–14. 63-yard TD run (4th, 6:08) to retake a 38–35 lead. Carter walks the blocking: three pullers, Benetti seal, Dom Overby on the DB, Flora threads the needle. Go-ahead 2-yard run with 1:57 left after a hold on Benetti put the ball at the 2. Fifth score. Six-OL package on the drive; Gavin Proudfoot as the sixth lineman. Patience on the ground, not much as a receiver. Fifth-string last year. Austin: Lions-style RB passes, but only sustainable because the toss already has to be respected. Clips: 2:54–3:27 (both throw TDs and the clock logic); 26:33–27:37 (Jackson screen fake breakdown); 29:48–30:10 (nine seconds, TD or FG); 33:53–34:44 (63-yard run blocking); 43:40–44:24 (go-ahead, six-OL). Other Iowa State skill (2:20–5:00, 15:10–17:30, 21:43–22:20) Cody Jackson: coming-out party. 46-yard score, YAC, blocking, wide-open sideline catch after Raynor pumped and stepped up. River Peppers: change of pace, including a 15-yard run off the right side. Took some Cam Head carries. Austin compares him to a younger, thinner Flora; camp GPS had him top-three in speed. Battle-back from the Colorado flat drop. Dom Overby: juggling first-down catch and a jump ball that set up the Omari Hayes score. Austin: “Dom Overby or Allen Lazard?” Omari Hayes: 20-yard TD from Jaylen Raynor (1st, 2:31) after the Tyler Moberly red-zone sequence (penalties on Fortenberry and Masai King; Fortenberry drop). Hayes also got hit on mesh concepts early. Ty Claiborne: solid first-half catches, no drops noted. Arnold Barnes: Austin wants more volume. Needs four to six carries to get going; two or three isn’t enough. Jaylen Raynor: 19-of-27, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (season high in yards). Halftime about 10-of-15, 100 yards, a TD, no turnovers. Rough first two drives (happy feet, indecision), then pocket presence and base. Killer INT in the third — tried to squeeze it over a linebacker/DL, ball tipped and picked, momentum flipped. Austin thought they were headed for 42–21 before that pick. Moberly almost entered if the turnovers continued. Under center only about 12–15 snaps; mostly gun. Clips: 4:05–4:36 (Jackson); 16:10–16:35 (Overby / Lazard); 17:08–17:30 (Raynor pocket presence); 15:32–15:43 (“that pick, man, that was a killer”). Offensive line (19:23–21:38, 34:47–35:04, 45:49–46:08) Best unit on the field. Pass pro and run game both. DeAndre Carter stepped in clean. Gavin Proudfoot (No. 45/46) in six-OL stretches — more extensive than earlier this year. Depth named: Colin Amick, Gavin Brocious (started six to eight games at Michigan State last year, can’t crack the two-deep). Braden Smith took a shot to the face on a near-pick; Trevor Bendell came in at center. Carter likes the positional flexibility for November. Carter Pabst (hurt last game) and Caden Moss both out for the year — Moss a real OL loss. Clip: 19:26–19:32 (“DeAndre Carter, man. Wow.”) and 34:47–34:53 (“Offensive line kicked ass.”) Defense (5:00–11:20, 23:00–23:30, 24:37–26:00, 28:44–29:30, 35:11–43:18) Theme is missed tackles and bad angles, not a total absence of pressure. D-line got stops in the backfield; pressure often didn’t finish. Linebackers and DBs were the weak point. Willie Breland beaten on WVU’s first score: Hawkins to Cyrus Traugh, 33 yards (1st, 6:53). LB matched on a receiver, turned around immediately. Sullivan Schlimgen 12 tackles. Willick seven. Both, plus Breland, took bad angles on Hawkins out of the pocket. Malakai Tayasi strip-sack. Austin: only real pressure home. Benny Ngoyi had a pick go through his hands that led to a WVU score. David Coffey near-INT late; control questionable. Broadcast down-and-distance confusion after a prior first-down run. Seth Johnson slipped and got beat over the top on the Hawkins-to-DJ Epps 47-yard TD (4th, 5:04) that made it 42–38. Sold out for the run all day, then got cooked over the top. Cam Cook 8-yard TD (4th) and another Cook score off pullers. Hawkins 8-yard TD run when the strong-side tackle and guard pulled, Willick missed, Schlimgen got blocked. Keon Washington: not supposed to be a 60-snap pure coverage guy; Jaheim about a week from full health. Carter credits Washington with the late strip. Official recap: Schlimgen jarred it loose from Epps, Seth Johnson recovered with about 40 seconds left. Flora then ran for 11 to ice it. AP credited Beni Ngoyi with the force/recovery — show and box-score accounts don’t fully match. Clips: 8:10–8:20 (dipping heads, over-pursuing); 9:11–9:33 (one-dimensional until you sell out, then the pass kills you); 42:38–43:10 (Johnson on a knee, four guys containing the run, nobody over the top). West Virginia (6:03–7:30, 9:06–9:33, 12:38–14:00, 37:52–38:04) Hawkins: 20 carries, 149 yards, 2 rush TDs; 11-of-23, 228 yards, 2 pass TDs. Cam Cook: 20 carries, 142 yards, scores. Carter hadn’t seen either live before and calls both crazy. WVU defense “a new level of bad.” ISU scored more on them than Oklahoma State did. Pre-game with Jacob Prophet (WVU VOCFB; not Mountaineer Paul): DBs coming back from injury, expected a spark, didn’t get one. Austin: slightly above-average Big 12 team at best — if they did this, BYU is a problem. Austin segment (7:45–24:15) Almost a heartbreaker. Offense finally looked right; defense keeps repeating the same mistakes. Early mesh looked like a Tom Manning offense; Hayes got hit for short gains. Creativity (QB power fake / pop pass with Moberly) is something they can steal on fourth-and-1 later. Close-game composure matters — they played Iowa tight and won a shootout here. Rogers will adjust week to week instead of banging his head on a wall. On3 had them 2–10; they’re already at three wins. .500 in the Big 12 feels realistic. Penn State lost; Iowa–Ohio State on in the background. Looking ahead (46:20–50:27) Next: at No. 10 BYU, Friday, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN, then at Arizona. BYU is smash-mouth (Bear Bachmeier a purer passer, less elusive than Hawkins), not another WVU/Utah lateral-quickness test. Carter watched part of BYU–Arizona and wasn’t fully sold. A win in Provo would be a shock. BYU was at TCU at 6 p.m. the same night. Carter and Levi back Tuesday for the recap/preview. Postgame live timing after the Friday night kick still TBD. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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Iowa State Live #84 — Utah Recap | West Virginia Preview IowaStateVOCFB | Hosts: Carter Hanson & Levi Stevenson Tuesday night episode after Iowa State’s loss to Utah (Cyclones 2-2). Intro (0:00–1:20) Carter welcomes viewers; Levi joins. Iowa State is 2-2. Carter missed the second half Saturday; both agree the second half was better than the first. Utah is one of the best teams Iowa State will see all year (alongside BYU). The loss should age better if Utah stays elite. Utah Recap — Big Picture (1:20–6:00) Utah’s run game “tore” Iowa State. Wayshawn Parker specifically. Utah played clean: few turnovers (one tough chance for Sullivan Schlimgen), limited penalties, good scheme and blocking. Tight end No. 99 (big, ~5-10/320, runs well) was an excellent lead blocker who sealed ends/LBs and sprung runs. Devin Dampier showed why experience matters — NFL-level TD throw, useful size as a runner. Both Utah QBs ran well. Jimmy Pollard quote from media availability: the team “makes you want to pull your hair out and we can all be bald together.” Hosts love it. Most issues look coachable rather than “Utah is just unstoppable.” Defense vs. Utah (3:30–9:30, 37:00+) First half tackling and pursuit angles were poor. Carson Willick had a rough day on angles/tackling. Seth Johnson also struggled. Sullivan Schlimgen led the team in tackles (~12) but missed several wraps. Jace Gilbert made some good plays but drew a “really dumb” roughing-the-passer flag. Pattern: Iowa State would get Utah into second-and-long, then take a penalty, miss a tackle, or lose assignment. Seth Johnson as CB: teams are motioning their fastest receiver onto him and sending go/post routes. He got beat by Tony Diaz (Iowa) and again vs. Utah (recovered when the throw was behind). Hosts suggest evaluating him more as a safety or adding high help. Third/fourth-quarter 35-yard completion to the 1 looked like LB/DB miscommunication. Second half improved: better tackling, more pocket pressure, some bad throws forced. Donovan Fitzmaurice solid (PFF ~64 overall). Jace Gilbert and others seeing more snaps; Caden Crawford injured. Eye discipline improved in the second half — key for West Virginia. Offense vs. Utah (9:30–14:00, 31:00+) Skill players (positive) Aiden Flora: confirmed as a true lead back. Omari Hayes: one of the best route-runners since David Hutchinson; open constantly (~85% of routes), especially on short cuts/crosses rather than verticals. Dom Overby: best game of the year — converted a first down with a stretch, then scored on a good route. Levi had called the Utah game a “put up or shut up” week after quiet earlier games. Jamal Polite: one drop (should have been caught; late hands on a drag), otherwise fine for a true freshman. Cody Jackson got involved. Carter Papps appears done for a while (ankle then knee). With Hayes/Polite/Overby, the receiving group is good enough if they get the ball. OL Pass protection generally good. Run blocking inconsistent — some push, a lot of “not good.” Left side (Jake Taylor, Caden Moss) anchoring well. Cy King good. Braden Smith mixed (PFF: 77 SEMO, 58 Iowa, 87 BGSU, 61 Utah; 58 run / 66 pass vs. Utah). DeAndre Carter taking more snaps at RG over Barrett/Bendell. Opponents are starting to “pop” a DE into contain on kick-out/cross-formation runs, which messes up assignments. Seen vs. Iowa, BGSU, and Utah. Something to watch vs. WVU. Quarterback — Jalen Rainer (the main topic, ~13:00–29:00) “Terrible” / “bad” Saturday. Missed ~10 throws, including the first completion to Flora (should have been a big gain or score) and a wide-open Hayes crossing route (missed by 10–15 feet). Utah stacked the box 7–8; Iowa State couldn’t punish it through the air. Late pick on a behind throw with the game already basically over. Not using his mobility — his actual strength (elusive in space, not a burner). Looks like he’s trying to be a pocket passer he’s not. Multiple times he had 10 yards of green and still threw a duck. Stats called out: aDOT falling (18.2 SEMO → 12.4 Iowa → 6.2 BGSU → 9.5 Utah). Often throwing at or short of the sticks. Adjusted completion % stuck ~61% (65% vs. BGSU with drops). 4 batted balls vs. Utah. Sidearm throws called out. PFF: 47.9 passing grade with no play-action; 67.7 with PA; 66.5 on screens, 52.5 without. Standard dropback with no screen/PA is a bad play call for him right now. Accurate on designed timing routes (hitches, slants, drags, screens, Flora in the flat) when he knows exactly where the ball is going. Breaks down on progressions, off-timing, or first read covered. Decision-making and field vision poor — “in his own head,” lacking confidence in throws/scheme/teammates. Mechanics secondary to that. Hosts want it to work with Rainer (athleticism upside, ~40th consecutive start) but he has to justify the job. If he isn’t markedly better vs. a weak WVU defense, they need to look at Moberly or Flores. They’d like Moberly to get at least one drive. Tyler Rohl not blamed — WRs are getting open; Rainer isn’t hitting the throws. West Virginia Preview (36:00–46:30) Heavy run team: 45–50 carries, ~300 rush yards, ~160 pass per game. Similar concepts to Utah (motion, eye candy, QB run, lead blockers, fast backs through holes). Cam Cook good; Michael Hawkins called the best running QB in CFB. Iowa State must be better on eye discipline and tackling. Rain would be a problem. Scheme debate: 4-2-5 more aggressive (more TFLs, but bigger runs if someone misses). 3-3-5 more contain/spill, safer against speed-option outside. Hosts lean toward being more aggressive — Iowa State has played “not to lose” too much; this is a winnable game. WVU defense is not good. Iowa State should move the ball, eat clock, stay ahead. Falling behind would be a nightmare because WVU can just run and sit on the clock. Prefer long scoring drives or three-and-outs that still end in FG range. Must-win feel heading into BYU. Pop-Tart Bowl talk is a long shot (need to win out / Big 12 title and miss playoff). Beat WVU first. Jack Trice Field / Turf Debate (46:30–53:30) Kickoff return TD partly because Kyle lost his footing (not an intentional squib). Adds fuel to turf talk. Natural grass looks great Weeks 1–2, then late-September/October rain (record September rain + three straight home games) wrecks it. Upper Midwest weather is brutal on grass. FIFA hybrid turf looked good because it was new + summer weather. Sewing more fiber helps durability but raises the “Ship of Theseus” question: how much fake grass before it’s just turf? Field replaced before 2023 or 2024. Next replacement should include a real conversation about a reliable October/December (playoff) surface. Hosts aren’t demanding an immediate switch but Saturday was the first time they seriously considered it. Close (53:30–end) Levi planning a “six-pack” tape breakdown for Wednesday (bad reads, run-game counters). Postgame show Saturday after the 11 a.m. WVU kick — Carter hosting, likely live ~2:30 p.m., link in Discord/YouTube. “Go Clones.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Iowa State Live #83 — Cy-Hawk Recap | Bowling Green Preview | Lipsey Back? Hosts: Carter Hanson & Levi Stevenson | IowaStateVOCFB 00:00–00:33 — Intro / Moving on from Cy-Hawk Easy to move on after the Iowa loss. Levi mentally checked out after the third-and-1 false start (Mosi King) that set ISU back. Pre-game expectation from media: lose by ~20. ISU leading / close into the fourth took some of the sting out. Levi: Cy-Hawk has limited resume upside for Iowa State. A Big Ten win doesn’t move the committee needle the way a real conference win does. He’d take BYU on the road, Utah, or K-State over Iowa this year. Timing matters: Iowa is Week 2; K-State is late-season confidence heading into bowls. Cy-Hawk is stressful, not fun. Even walk-off wins (Kyle Conradi) are horrifying for 98% of the game. K-State games are close and actually enjoyable. 00:05–00:16 — Rivalry culture Levi grew up in Eastern Iowa as an ISU fan — “vicious bullying” as a kid; that subset of the fanbase carries the most vitriol. Rivalry should stay forever (organic, state identity, blue-collar vs white-collar). Personally he no longer enjoys Cy-Hawk week: sensory overload, personal insults instead of banter, burners saying things they wouldn’t say face-to-face. Iowa fans: worst winners. Barstool kickoff beer-can incident, post-game nastiness after they “escaped.” Kirk Ferentz calling it “like a conference game” is their highest compliment. Basketball contrast: ISU has owned the modern men’s series (Hoiberg era onward; last five; Hilton rarity for Iowa). Football is the toxic one. 00:16–00:25 — Saturday recap Came out firing; first true environment test, not intimidated. Defense: D-line and LBs impressive. Constant pressure. Run game dead — Iowa’s longest rush 9 yards. Moulton ~60 yards, most of it late; non-existent until mid-4th. OL: Clear growth Week 1 → Week 2. Run game opened more; Arnold Barnes good carries. Petaway quieter. Receivers: Concern going forward. Omari Hayes the exception — perfect slot, jet sweeps, options, YAC. Rainer “fine enough not to lose,” zero turnovers, but living in “don’t lose” mode. Fourth quarter needed “make a play to win.” Difference down the stretch: Iowa’s experience / comfort in the system vs ISU still learning each other (example: Cade Moss steps on Jake Taylor’s foot, play blown up). Iowa can be aggressive because everyone has been there. Field position flipped the game. First punt pinned inside the 5; ISU playbook shrinks inside own 10 (no Hayes reverse, play-action is a safety risk). “Fighting in a phone booth with Iowa’s back to the open door.” Special teams: DuPont 70-yarder (“DuPunting is winning”) then immediately shanked the next one. 00:25–00:33 — Play-calling / Rainer’s legs Jimmy Rogers: they didn’t run more boots because Iowa would have an answer — Cam Buffington as a dedicated QB spy a huge chunk of the game. Staff watched five years of tape. Tyler Ruhle: run packages for Rainer exist and have not been opened. Trust the staff; they’ve seen more of him than the public. If legs were the best option right now, they’d use them more. Pocket-passer vs dual-threat decision still hanging. Moberly: size/arm/mobility on tape, but limited real snaps; nothing yet that screams “QB of the future.” Hasn’t been asked to run an offense. ~00:33–00:45 — Tamin Lipsey (basketball) Lipsey declared, went through the draft process, never signed a pro contract / Exhibit 10. Seeking an injunction (decision expected later this week / next week). If the injunction lands, he is a Cyclone — period. He wouldn’t have filed unless the plan was “TJ needs me, I’m back.” Either Iowa State or nobody. Court language referenced competing for minutes with other fifth-year guys (Algis Kuntz, Curtis Jones, etc.) — argument for a fifth year. Money not the driver; he wants to play for Otzelberger. If he returns and Killyan Toure is back by February: ISU could be historically good defensively — Lipsey + Toure as two of the best defensive guards in the country, plus Jaquan Johnson (MVC Defensive Player of the Year caliber), Leon Bond, Buchanan/Plata/Singleton stepping up. 00:45–01:14 — NIL / portal / salary structure rant Portal + unlimited transfers + agents have tarnished the sport. G6/FCS upsets and NCAA Cinderellas are dying because talent floats to the top. One free transfer is the clean rule everyone should like. Public sentiment in a future CBA fight will likely side with schools/conferences on limits, not unlimited player movement. Soccer-style transfer fees / buyouts + tiered standardized contracts floated as a workable model (Tier 1 stars, Tier 2 rotation, Tier 3). Hard to value across P4 vs mid-major. NCAA is just throwing logs in front of the wheels at this point. Side quests: baseball needs a cap and a floor (“A’s and Dodgers rule”); NHL cap keeps the league dynamic; NBA structure/supermaxes and regular-season product get roasted. 01:14–01:16 — Bowling Green preview Not a real threat if ISU minds P’s and Q’s. Score picks: Carter 38–10, Levi 31–3 (Levi baking in a garbage-time / backup-QB fumble short-field TD). Rogers would lose his mind at a sloppy backup turnover. Monday practice would be ugly. Question of how much of the playbook they open vs just running the ball and getting out. 01:16–01:29 — Big 12 respect / realignment spitball Path back to national recognition: win a title — and not with BYU or Texas Tech (everyone already knows those two spend). A K-State / Utah / ISU-type run would sell depth. 2024 ASU (Leavitt, Skattebo) “should have beaten Texas” and would have had a real shot. 2026 dark horses besides Tech/BYU: Utah (run + defense; need Dampier as a reliable passer) and Kansas State (if Avery Johnson’s light finally comes on under Klein). Houston not bought in yet; Arizona a stretch. Kick-out list: UCF first (contributed nothing), maybe Cincinnati, Utah if they don’t want to be here. Replacements dreamed: FSU, Clemson, Louisville, SMU, maybe Boise. Memphis no. Texas A&M would never leave the SEC. UCF “sleeping giant” talk is dead; Orlando as a November trip is overrated vs Tucson / Texas schools / even Lubbock. 01:29–end — Housekeeping Utah kickoff 2:30 — both like it (whiteout finishes in twilight). Carter live after Saturday’s game from Ames. Levi back next Tuesday: Bowling Green recap + Big 12 opener preview. Roll Clones. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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IowaStateVOCFB Instant Postgame LIVE Iowa 16, Iowa State 13 — Cy-Hawk at Kinnick Host: Carter Hanson | Caller: Austin Saturday night, Sept. 12, 2026 | ~43 min Final: Caden Buhr 42-yard FG with :15 left. Iowa 2-0, Iowa State 1-1. ISU led 10-0 in Q2 and 13-10 after Kyle Konrardy’s 51-yarder in Q3. Iowa tied it 13-13 on a 32-yard Buhr FG at 6:22 of Q4, then won it. Opening tone (0:36–3:05) Carter: not the result they wanted, but also a success. “This game was a success, but also a disappointment.” Defense looked fantastic most of the night; late fourth quarter was the exception. First true road test for a rebuilt roster at a rocking Kinnick. Composure early was the headline. “I don’t see how you take this as a bad loss.” Sweep it, beat Bowling Green, then Utah at home for the Big 12 opener. Offense / run game (3:13–8:00, 12:22–16:37) Aiden Flora: 19 carries, 89 yards (34-yard long). “Stats don’t do this game justice.” Fought in the trenches. Omari Hayes jet sweep ~15 yards that set up scoring. Hayes “looking great”; Carter wants him fed like Iowa feeds Tony Diaz. Cameron Pettaway didn’t get as many touches as expected. Second-half run game stalled; Carter thinks Iowa adjusted to ISU’s schemes. Creative first-half play-calling from Tyler Roll on the TD drive (Vince Benetti 4-yard catch from Jaylen Raynor). Need Flora/Pettaway in space, off-tackle, jet sweeps, screens — not just A-gap. “Flora is still getting there” as an interior back. OL: good push early, faded late. Back-to-back holds on Benetti killed a drive. False starts piled up after a penalty-free first half. Pass pro: no sacks allowed. Jake Taylor “NFL talent,” Messiah King, Caden Moss, Braden Smith, Barrett/Bendel all graded as solid. King used as floating/pulling guard. Raynor: composed, mobile, spun out of pressure, good throws on the run. First half more confident; second half more tentative on run reads (hesitated, let LBs close). “Played good enough for us maybe to win.” Austin: similar to Rocco last year — checkdowns, don’t lose it. Some people already calling for Moberly; Austin and Carter are not. Defense (4:47–7:22, 33:55–39:40) Best unit of the night until gas tank emptied. Bottled Iowa’s run: Kamari Moulton 15-57. Iowa 29-93 rushing as a team; longest rush 9 yards (Brown scramble). LBs Sullivan Schlimgen and Cam Willich “amazing.” Bo Goodwin had a key stop on the final Iowa FG drive. D-line: pressure, no sacks, hurried Hank Brown early. Secondary: got beat over the top in the first half (Brown-to-Diaz deep ball). Tightened later; more underneath completions. David Coffey PBU on a TE at the sticks was a highlight. Seth Johnson vs. Diaz was the matchup they expected. Iowa D “as advertised.” ISU offense had two really good drives (early second-half FG + the TD drive) and not much else. Last Iowa drive: ISU “ran out of gas.” Only two FGs allowed in the second half, but inconsistent offense made it hard to answer. Injuries / availability (21:43–26:13, 34:26) Watch Monday/Tuesday reports: WR Evan Boyd — knee/ankle after a Montgomery tackle. Chemistry with Raynor is the concern. Receiver room is deep (Hayes, Pabst, Claiborne, Polite, etc.). DB Benny Ngoyi — hobbling; cramps mentioned, hope it’s nothing. DL Jack Janikowski — banged up, returned. If someone had to go down, WR is the deepest room. Special teams / officiating / “what ifs” (26:31–31:00) Punting: one shank, but also pinned Iowa inside the 5 and another at the 4. Not the reason they lost. Weird punt play: Iowa tried to throw a blocker into the returner. Carter: illegal/funny, didn’t matter because ISU kicked the ball anyway. Fake punt talk on 4th-and-short — Austin wanted a sneak/up-back run. Carter: only if you’re not backed up; blow-up risk is huge. Iowa holder saved a high snap on the winner. “Unsung heroes.” People were taking Iowa –30. No one expected this to be a one-score game to the last snap. Austin: “If this game is in Ames, we probably win.” Carter agrees the environment was the separator. Caller Austin (19:08–26:30) Proud of the fight. 10-0 start nobody saw coming. “If I told myself before the game this is how it ends, I wouldn’t be too mad.” Progress-checker game. First real road test, one-score to the final seconds. Wants more designed rollouts/RPOs for Raynor’s legs in conference play. Feed Hayes. Use Boyd’s size/blocking if he’s healthy. Emotional win even if the scoreboard isn’t. Carter: “The sky could not be more blue.” Optimism heading into Big 12. Looking ahead (8:01–8:05, 39:50–43:03) Next: Bowling Green, 11 a.m. CT at home. Get healthy, stay ahead of the chains, pile stats on skill guys. Then Utah (home Big 12 opener). Utah’s QB is more mobile and they have more weapons than Iowa. Pass defense has to tighten. Tuesday show with Levi: film + BG preview. Pass protection will be a talking point. Sign-off (42:22): Carter Hanson, Iowa State Live / Voice of College Football. Iowa downs Iowa State on a FG with ~20 seconds left. Safe travels home. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Iowa State Cyclones LIVE #82 SEMO Recap | CyHawk Preview Host: Levi Stevenson (Carter out) IowaStateVOCFB / Voice of College Football Network Intro (0:00–3:00) Levi flying solo; Carter back next week. Relieved to finally have real football instead of projections. Took two weeks off because hypotheticals were exhausting. Promotes CF After Dark “Six Pack of the Week” film breakdown (quick-turn video from yesterday). Down the Pipe with Jordan Harris tonight ~8:30 p.m. on CF After Dark (Margie coaching). SEMO Recap — Defense (3:00–12:00) Levi more optimistic than preseason. Defense lived up to (and exceeded) hopes. Defensive line Fast, aggressive, flew to the QB. Biggest revelation after years of 3-3 stack that rarely generated pressure unless Will McDonald was there. Standouts: Bobby Terrell (best pass rusher since McDonald), Jack Janikowski, Caden Crawford, Max Balloon, Bryson Lamb. Not perfect (a few missed tackles, some push), but dominant. SEMO had negative rushing yards early and single-digit rushing yards into the half. Linebackers Sullivan Schlemgen (true sophomore) was the star — command, speed, decisiveness, “grizzled fifth-year senior” presence. Next great Cyclone LB. Carson Willick solid. Seth Johnson good snaps + leadership (directed traffic, helped David Coffey align). Tackling generally good outside 2–3 plays (Kier Spain bounce in garbage time; one third-down bubble screen). Secondary / other Benny beat once but made one of the best plays Levi has seen live. Willie Breland in the cowboy collar — confirmation of offseason hype. Drew Sergis punch-out fumble, Bo Goodwin return. Two broken plays allowed, otherwise SEMO couldn’t move the ball. Overall: Defense did its job. Bigger run-game test this week vs. Iowa. SEMO Recap — Offense (12:00–37:00) Mixed bag. SEMO badly overmatched; Iowa State barely used the playbook (intentionally kept Jalen Rainer in the pocket). Quarterback — Jalen Rainer 50% completion, 2 passing TDs, rushing TDs, 0 INTs. Acceptable. Missed a few easy throws but also delivered NFL-level balls: deep dime to Overby, seam TD to Vince Bonetti (best throw of the day). One risky sideline throw to Omari Hayes (Hayes made a great tiptoe catch) that would be picked by almost anyone else on the schedule. Coaching point: tuck and run for the safe 10–15 yards. Wrong reads on a couple option plays. Still: no turnovers + TDs = take that every week if completion % rises. Running backs Flora and Petaway on pitch count. Aiden Flora: early A-gap power, bounced one outside. Cam Petaway: robbed of a long TD by a bad holding call; showed the home-run speed they lost when Abu Sama left. Easton Miller used as RB, blocking FB, and receiving FB (TD out of I-formation — “San Francisco 49ers bullshit”). Arnold Barnes: vision as the pile-driver / goal-line back. 30 and 31 personnel packages even without River Peppers (still a month away). Staff loves the room. Receivers / tight ends Omari Hayes: standout (sideline catch, speed). Vince Bonetti: great seam TD catch. Tight ends mostly auxiliary blockers/check-downs. Dom Overby disappointment: first go-ball good. Then face-mask drop, unnecessary jump on a catchable ball at shoulder height, stepped out on the RPO slant that should have been a TD. Athleticism and size there; ball skills, body control, and field awareness not refined enough. Levi suggests light needs to come on or consider corner (Darien Porter / Ben Inagoye blueprint). Frustrated by the gap between potential and polish. Offensive line Pass protection fine (Rainer rarely pressured and escaped easily). Run blocking hit-or-miss; yards per carry showed room to grow. Communication and timing on pulling/floating guards and lead blockers still developing. Levi sees the pieces. Expect a jump once they play more snaps together. Scheme (lots of movement) can confuse young Iowa linebackers if executed faster. Iowa Recap & CyHawk Preview (37:00–53:00) Iowa blasted Northern Illinois (similar talent level to SEMO). Hank Brown okay on script, then inefficient. Haglinski also poor. Kamari Moulton good. OL looked strong. Tony Diaz best Iowa receiver in years (maybe since Marvin McNutt). TJ Vanami, Reese Van Der Zee also solid. Best Iowa skill-position group in a while, but QB situation still dicey — neither has seized the job because both have been mediocre. Iowa State defensive matchup vs. Iowa offense Levi likes it. Active, stunting/twisting ISU DL can muddy Iowa’s simple zone-blocking assignments and create gaps for Schlemgen, Willick, Breland. Force Iowa into 2nd-and-long and make them throw. Neither Brown nor Haglinski inspires confidence (Haglinski can scramble but is turnover-prone). ISU has size and athletes to match Iowa’s receivers (Ben Inagoye vs. Van Der Zee; Seth Johnson / Willie Breland vs. Diaz). Man coverage should limit the easy openings Iowa found vs. NIU’s bad zone. Goal: get pressure, blow up some runs in the backfield, force 1–2 turnovers. Iowa State offensive matchup vs. Iowa defense Game hinges on whether ISU can run the ball. 4 yards per carry on first down opens the playbook (jet sweeps, screens, read-option, play-action). Young Iowa LBs and untested corners + Zach Lutmer at safety. Rainer showed he can throw the deep ball accurately. Get Omari Hayes the ball in space. Special teams edge: Kyle Conradi elite (once across midfield, pencil in 3). Returns (Flora, Petaway) are weapons. Punting fine. Outlook Iowa State has a higher ceiling in all three phases; Iowa has a higher floor (except maybe ST). Moderate OL improvement from Week 1 film/reps unlocks a lot. Levi has not heard a coherent argument for Iowa blowing ISU out. “They’re just going to run for 250” does not match the defense he watched Saturday. If Iowa is held to ~100 rushing yards they will struggle to score 30. Keys for ISU: 1 turnover or fewer, 5 or fewer penalties, modest run-game success, Conradi. Close (53:00–end) Down the Pipe with Jordan ~30 minutes after this show. Carter post-game call-in Saturday; CF After Dark post-post-game later Saturday. “Go Cyclones.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.