After what could best be described as a tumultuous offseason, Iowa State football stormed past Northern Iowa, 30-9, in Saturday’s season opener.
The game featured several surprises for Cyclones fans:A quarterback sneak from under center on the first scoring drive for the offense a made field goal from over 50 yards and two tight end touchdowns
Those moments went against the Iowa State identity that fans were accustomed to last year and made for a surprising game against an in-state opponent.
It also allowed the Cyclones to open the season with a win and put a stop, albeit temporarily, to talks of how this young team would flounder in 2023.
Let’s break down Iowa State’s win over UNI by the numbers, looking at which stats speak and tell the game’s story.
Here are five figures that explain ISU’s victory against Northern Iowa. Zero…as in zero interceptions from Rocco Becht in his debut as Iowa State’s starter
Rocco Becht and JJ Kohl split time behind center, but the redshirt freshman quarterback emerged as an on-field leader in the season opener.
Becht completed 10-of-13 passes — 77% — for 113 yards and two touchdowns. And he wasn’t picked off once in his first start at Iowa State.
That may seem like a bit of a humble start for a player who appeared in three games last season, but let’s remember that, just a few months ago, Becht was expected to back up Hunter Dekkers.