Will Iowa State football have a turnaround 2023 season? Here are 3 keys to success

AMES — Iowa State’s fall football camp began in earnest on Wednesday.

Pads popped. Passes were thrown. Contact was made at the line of scrimmage and beyond.

Normal stuff, which likely served as a tonic as the Cyclones officially must settle on a new starting quarterback because last year’s starter, Hunter Dekkers, faces charges in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s inquiry into sports gambling. Months of murkiness finally began to come into focus when the charges were announced late Tuesday afternoon.

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ISU’s offense had already undergone a significant overhaul, with Nate Scheelhaase elevated to offensive coordinator, as well as three new assistants — Ryan Clanton (offensive line), Jordan Langs (running backs/special teams) and Noah Pauley (wide receivers) — being added on that side of the ball.

So change is the theme of the Cyclones’ 2023 season. ISU must break in a new starting quarterback for the second fall in a row, while seeking to reverse its fortunes after going 4-8 to snap a streak of five consecutive winning seasons.

It won’t be easy and it’s all-encompassing, but here are three keys to potential success:

1. Win close games

That’s an obvious observation, but the Cyclones struggled mightily in those situations in 2022.

Six of ISU’s losses came by seven or fewer points. Four came by an average of 3.6 points. And all of those losses hinged on either dropped passes, missed field goals, turnovers or ill-timed penalties. Sometimes a combination of two or three of those things.

The “margins” the Cyclones must thrive in to enjoy success were suddenly a mess — and something head coach Matt Campbell and his staff aimed to attend to in the offseason.

“The one thing I’ve always said about our program is, I think you look at our seven, eight years, we’ve been worthy to suffer sometimes,” Campbell told reporters last month at Big 12 Media Days in Arlington, Texas. “I think at our place, our ability and hopefully our humility to understand why there have been setbacks — and whatever’s impeded us has been able to (be dissected). Then (we) come together as one and (that) powers us forward.”

2. Go get the football

Iowa State forced just 15 turnovers last season, which tied for 98th nationally. It’s hard to win when you can’t turn other teams over — even if, as usual, defensive coordinator Jon Heacock fields a top-10 defense every week.

It’s even harder to win when the offense is turning the ball over at a fairly high clip. The Cyclones gave the ball away 22 times last season, with 14 coming on Dekkers interceptions. All of those numbers must improve if ISU is to return to its winning ways in 2023.

“It comes in certain situations and opportunities when they present themselves,” Heacock said about forcing turnovers last season. “You don’t really know when they’re coming. That’s the hard thing about takeaways. They don’t just happen. You have to get it ingrained into your game.”

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3. Stabilize special teams

The Cyclones ranked among the worst in the country last season in at least two special teams categories: Field goal percentage (127th) and kickoff returns (118th).

And while first-year punter Tyler Perkins earned second -team freshman All-America honors, he didn’t escape the spate of special teams snafus, as two of his punts were blocked in one game (a rare close win, 10-7, at Iowa).

Freshman kicker Jace Gilbert faced several pressure-packed kicks because the Cyclone offense often couldn’t finish drives with touchdowns. It was a perfect storm of bad luck and poor execution, but Campbell brought in Langs as special teams coordinator to address all of those issues.

If Gilbert — a highly-regarded recruit — has regained his confidence and Langs can bring clarity to each unit, the marked improvement needed could materialize.

“There’s a unity of all four phases (of special teams) kind of getting the same language, the same lingo,” Campbell said in the spring when asked about possible schematic changes on special teams. “I am excited to have somebody that’s building the foundation.”

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com