Iowa State Cyclones 2018 Football Preview

Iowa State Cyclones 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: There were few stories as fun to watch as the Iowa State football story of 2017. The Cyclones managed to knock off Oklahoma and TCU, and did not lose a game by more than 10 points all of last season. An 8 win season in Ames is something to celebrate, and beating 2 ranked conference favorites made the pot even sweeter. The Cyclones only lost to arch rival Iowa by 3, and lost to Texas, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State by a combined average of just 5.5 points per loss. Add the loss to Iowa, and their losses averaged 5 points per contest. Yes, the Cyclones were that close to being in a position to play for a Big 12 title. That is the result of hiring Matt Campbell away from Toledo. He can flat out coach, and making Iowa State relevant makes him one of the best football coaches in the nation.

Breakdown Offense: The Cyclones got great news this winter when QB Kyle Kempt was granted a 6th season of eligibility. Kempt was brilliant at times last season, passing for 1787 yards and 15 TDs to just 3 INTs, and he completed 66.3% of his passes. He played in only 9 games last fall, but if healthy, he gives the Cyclones one of the better returning QBs in the nation this fall. Joel Lanning, the 2-way supreme commander, has moved on, and Jacob Park transferred, so the backup role is a bit unclear. Zeb Noland looks like the favorite to be the primary backup, while Devon Moore looks good coming back from an ACL tear. Noland played against Oklahoma State last season, and beat Baylor as the starter, and passed for 533 yards on the season. Re-Al Mithcell, a freshman, was an early enrollee.

David Montgomery stepped up as a freshman at RB and blew the doors off the building. He rushed for 1146 yards and 11 scores, but what the staff will want to see is an improved YPC average, which was just 4.44 last season. Mike Warren and Kene Nwangwu are in a battle for the backup job, while Sheldon Croney and Johnnie Lang provide additional depth.

Deshaunte Jones and Tarique Milton  are projected as the options at the M receiver spot. Carson Schlecker, a true freshman, will arrive in the fall, and could start as well. The Cyclones lose 3 of their top 4 receivers, including team star and receiving leader Allen Lazard, so this is a position that will be searching for depth as well as starting quality players.

Hakeem Butler will be the X receiver as we head into fall, and will be the primary replacement for Lazard. He caught 41 passes last fall. Jalen Martin backs him up.

Matt Eaton figures in at the Z receiver slot, and he caught 4 TD passes last fall. There is no current depth behind him, but RS freshman Josh Johnson could figure in at some point.

Chase Allen caught just 4 passes at TE last fall, and was primarily a blocker, but will have his role expanded this season as a pass catcher as well. Dylan Soehner projects as the TE2, while Charlie Kolar looks to lock up the 3rd TE spot. Sam Seonbuchner also returns.

The entire left side of the line must be replaced, but there is some experience returning. Sean Foster (LT) and Bryce Meeker (LG) looked to down those jobs in spring ball. Alex Kleinow and Robert Hudson were the projected backups on the left side. Julian Good-Jones was projected to be the Center, while Josh Knipfel (RG) and Jacob Bolton (RT) projected to win starting jobs from Center to Right. Will Windham looks like tha backup at C, while Josh Mueller projected as the backup at RG.

Breakdown Defense: JaQuan Bailey is closing in on the career sacks record at Iowa State, and finished with 11.5 TFLs  and 7 sacks last season. He returns to start at the LDE spot. The right side is an open competition heading into fall camp between Matt Leo and Enyi Uwazurike. Uwazurike had 4 TFLs last season as a freshman, while Leo was redshirting last fall. He will be a junior this season. Carson Lensing and Spencer Benton add some depth there.

Ray Lima appears set at NG, with Kamilo Tongamoa backing him up there. They combined for 5.5 TFLs last fall.

Junior Jamahl Johnson played in 9 games as a sophomore, but was projecting as a starter out of spring camp at DT. Josh Bailey, a RS sophomore, looks to be his backup.

Losing Lanning is huge for the Cyclones, but there is talent coming back at LB this fall. Marcel Spears does return, and he finished with 107 tackles last fall, which fell 2nd on the team to Lanning. Willie Harvey also returns at OLB, and finished with 76 tackles last fall. Replacing Lanning in the middle should be O'Rien Vance or Jake Hummel, and that battle will likely carry over into the fall. Reggan Northrup and Tymar Sutton are the key reserves.

D'Andre Payne and Brian Peavey will return to start at CB this fall. Peavy is a lock down corner who finished with 9 PBUs last fall. Payne finished with 2 PBUs. Arnold Azunna, OJ Tucker, and Richard Bowens III provide depth behind Payne, while De'Monte Ruth and Datrone Young provide support to Peavey.

Greg Eisworth (FS) and Lawrence White (SS) were the projected starters at S, and both replace departing seniors. Braxton Lewis could push Eisworth in fall camp for the job, and started in the Liberty Bowl. Eisworth was a JC transfer who enrolled in the spring. Jataris Grant backs up at SS. Keontae Jones will project as the starter at the STAR position, but played sparingly a a year ago, and will likely have to hold off challengers in fall camp.

Breakdown Special Teams: Garrett Owens is gone at PK. Brayden Narveson is projecting as the starter there, while 4 total PKs were in spring camp.

Colin Dowling is gone at Punter as well, and Corey Dunn is expected to win that job, with Joe Rivera competing with him.

Landen Aken and Mike Warren are likely back on KR duty, while D'Andre Payne is likely taking over on punt returns.

Final Analysis: The Cyclones are in good shape at QB, RB, and the line this fall, while they still will seek some answers at WR and TE. The line has some holes to fill, but experience is solid, and the unit is deep. Defensively, losing Lanning will hurt on some level, but again, the talent level is much higher than it was a few years ago, and the CBs are loaded with talent.
Iowa State should have the tools to push their way up in the Big 12 this fall, but nobody will be taking them for granted this time around. This football team is solid, and they have a top shelf coach in Campbell. If they push through 8 wins again, it would not be shocking. Prepare to go bowling once again.