Iowa State head coach Jimmy Rogers pulled no punches after his team’s 31-17 loss to the No. 15 Utah Utes on Saturday, despite a fourth-quarter rally that brought them within seven points. The Cyclones were playing in Ames, Iowa, but the home field advantage didn’t stop a dismal start that clearly stuck in Rogers’ craw. This defeat marks Iowa State’s second loss of the season, and the coach’s frustration was palpable.
Shooting Themselves in the Foot, Then Finding a Spark
The Cyclones were staring down a massive 24-3 deficit at halftime, a hole Rogers unequivocally called out: “I think we came out and shot ourselves in the foot.” That’s not just a casual observation; that’s raw frustration bubbling over from a coach who expects more. But then, something shifted. The message in the locker room was simple, yet effective: “one play at a time.” Rogers admitted that’s always the message, but this time, his squad “kind of locked into that.” You could actually feel the energy change, he said, when “the momentum when we were having some success.” The offense started clicking, reducing Utah’s lead to 24-17 in the fourth quarter. With that success came a surge of belief. “The confidence started to grow when our offense started to have success,” Rogers noted, a testament to what a few good drives can do for a team’s psyche.
The Brutal Truth: No Tackling, No Wins
Yet, even with that gritty fourth-quarter fight that narrowed the gap, Rogers remained “unimpressed.” The comeback was admirable, sure, but it couldn’t mask the fundamental flaws that ultimately led to the team’s second loss of the season. Rogers laid it out plain: when you’re up against a multi-faceted team like the No. 15 Utah Utes, a team that “puts you in space with what they do,” you HAVE to shut down their playmakers. Specifically, he called out the need to stop the quarterback and the running back. We saw Utah’s signal caller, Devon Dampier, trying to break tackles by Iowa State linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen, and their running back Wayshawn Parker was a constant threat, seen breaking tackles by Schlimgen and celebrating after scoring a touchdown. Even Cyrus Polu was making Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy work to contain him. The glaring issue, though? Tackling, or rather, the complete lack thereof. “Us not being able to tackle at all today led to this (loss), and we need to get better,” Rogers declared with force. He wasn’t done there. You cannot “give up 200 yards on the ground and in the air and expect to win a football game.” That’s a brutal assessment, but it’s real talk from a coach who knows his team has to tighten up their fundamentals. We saw Utah wide receiver Braden Pegan catch a touchdown pass right in front of Iowa State cornerback Seth Johnson, and other plays like Dominic Overby’s incomplete pass or Kyri Shoels’ incomplete pass show that when Utah got space, they were dangerous. This defense has to step up.
This 31-17 defeat on September 26, 2026, is a tough pill to swallow, especially with such a strong second-half effort. But Rogers’ message is clear: the effort to rally is great, but the execution from the get-go, particularly on defense, has to be fixed. For Iowa State, the focus has to be squarely on those fundamentals, on stopping the run, on getting those tackles wrapped up. Because if they don’t, the early season promise will quickly fade. Can they clean it up before the next challenge comes knocking? That’s the real question facing the Cyclones right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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