Despite lack of wins, Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers has grown a lot in first season as starter

AMES — He’s making better reads. He’s delving deeper into his passing progressions.

And by almost every measure — except the obviously disappointing tilt of the win-loss column — Iowa State’s first-year starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers has grown and matured throughout a season defined by a spate of near-misses, not soaring success.

“It’s been really hard at times, but it’s been really impressive to watch how he’s still stood,” said Cyclones football coach Matt Campbell, whose team faces fourth-ranked and unbeaten TCU at 3 p.m. Saturday (Fox) in Fort Worth, Texas. “He’s come to work every day and he’s demanded to get better.”

ISU (4-7, 1-7) is a decided underdog (a 10-point one, as of Tuesday afternoon) for the first time this season against the Horned Frogs (11-0, 8-0), and the Cyclones are relishing the proposition of playing spoiler to end of the regular season.

If they can lodge an upset, there’s still a possibility for a sixth straight bowl appearance. If they can’t — as has been the case in myriad close games this season — a springboard toward greater success next season could still materialize.

“There’s nothing to lose,” sophomore wide receiver Jaylin Noel said. “Just going in with the mindset that we can beat those guys, which we do have. Just knowing that this is really our last shot to show the Big 12 what can be next year and just go in there and surprise everyone, I guess.”

Why not?

Unless the Cyclones lose several key players to the transfer portal, a wealth of young talent returns for 2023. Noel, for instance, ranks second on the team in catches (54) and receiving yards (569). He’s one of four ISU players to score three or more touchdowns in this points-starved season — and numerous playmakers on both sides of the ball are underclassmen, as well.

“We’re just a gritty team, a gritty defense,” sophomore cornerback Myles Purchase said. “An offense that’s looking to improve every week. I think we have what it takes to make an upset, to be honest.”

So does Dekkers, who feels the Cyclones are poised for an offensive breakthrough that hasn’t come in seven conference losses because of “little things” and ill-timed mistakes.

“(It’s) definitely been a learning experience for me,” said Dekkers, who leads Big 12 starting quarterbacks in passing yards (2,938), completion percentage (67.0) and interceptions (13). “I’d say there are definitely multiple things I’ve learned about, but also learned for going forward for even this game and going into the offseason.”

One of those things? How to stay calm amid the storm. ISU has been in every game deep into the fourth quarter. Executing in key moments has been the bugaboo. Consistency has remained elusive and that’s a skill that’s cultivated, not inherited.

“I’d definitely say the biggest thing is not so much the pressure, but how (important) it is, essentially, executing every single play,” Dekkers said. “In high school, you can get away with it because you’re more athletic, or you’re faster or you’re stronger than everyone. Here you can’t get away with those things, so I would just say executing the minor details on every single play is the biggest thing.”

That’s easy to say, but hard to do. Dekkers is learning that on the fly — and without a productive running game, which NFL backs Breece Hall and David Montgomery previously provided for the Cyclones during five consecutive winning seasons.

“And even for him, just emotionally from a competitor’s standpoint, learning who you are and learning how to handle these moments — that’s not easy,” Campbell said of Dekkers. “Especially when there’s failure. And Hunter hasn’t failed a lot. I think for Hunter to go through this, as I told him, ‘If you will go through this and you will become who you can be, you’re gonna have a chance to do really special things.’

“I think he’s settled down as he’s allowed that to happen and I think (it’s) another big game for him this Saturday.”

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