A look at 5 of Iowa State football’s most improved players

AMES — They ran 21 successive plays. They spanned 99 yards.

What came to be called “The Drive” for Iowa State in last season’s 10-7 Cy-Hawk win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium consumed a staggering 11 minutes and 49 seconds — and cemented the Cyclones’ first triumph in the series since 2014.

ISU quarterback Hunter Dekkers looked to be a budding star. Cyclone tailback Jirehl Brock had rushed for 100 yards and his team was riding high.

But only one more win would come during a tumultuous 4-8 2022 campaign that led to a major shake-up in ISU head coach Matt Campbell’s staff. Then a state-run investigation into sports gambling sidelined both Dekkers and Brock, among others.

So the Cyclones not only needed to replace starters at quarterback and running back. They needed to make massive improvements across the board — and based on how the season-opening, 30-9, win over Northern Iowa played out, that’s happening in several position groups.

To wit: Here’s a list of five of ISU’s most improved players heading into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Cy-Hawk game against the Hawkeyes at Jack Trice Stadium.

S Jeremiah Cooper

The Big 12 defensive player of the week gave his team a 7-0 lead last Saturday when he returned an interception for a 58-yard touchdown.

His second interception late in the first half set up senior transfer kicker Chase Contreraz’s career-long 56-yard field goal that put the Cyclones ahead 23-0.

Cooper’s been good since he first arrived on campus last season and started seven games as a true freshman before injuries derailed his progress. He resumed his rise this offseason and along with cornerbacks T.J. Tampa and Myles Purchase, as well as fellow safeties Beau Freyler and Malik Verdon, makes ISU’s secondary an elite unit.

QB Rocco Becht

The former four-star recruit from Wesley Chapel, Fla. learned his craft from an expert instructor — his father, Anthony, who played 11 seasons in the NFL and is currently a head coach in the XFL.

“I really took that wisdom and knowledge from him when he was on the staff at my high school,” Rocco Becht said. “I’ve just kept that with me throughout my college career so far and it’s helped me.”

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Becht, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound redshirt freshman, completed 10 of his 13 passes against the Panthers for 113 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to tight ends Tyler Moore and Ben Brahmer. He also may continue to split time with true freshman and early enrollee J.J. Kohl, but his performance against UNI showed he’s comfortable and efficient in his second season with the Cyclones.

TE Tyler Moore

The 6-5, 260-pound sophomore from Johnston has battled injuries since he joined the program, but his 14-yard touchdown catch in week one highlighted his combination of good hands and impressive athleticism.

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Moore gathered in Becht’s pass and jetted down the sideline while leaping toward the end zone and positioning the football on the good side of the pylon.

“The play he makes is awesome,” Campbell said. “He’s been through heck and back.”

DT Domonique Orange

The 6-4, 335-pound nose guard shined as a true freshman last season, playing in all 12 games while huffing and puffing between plays.

Orange weighed 350 pounds back then but he’s now fitter, trimmer and quicker than ever. It showed on the field in the season opener as Orange routinely wreaked havoc in the interior, helping the Cyclones’ defense sack UNI quarterback Theo Day five times.

“I was really just that kid that was just strong, but now I’m athletic,” Orange said. “I can do everything I need to do to be successful.”

LB Caleb Bacon

The walk-on from Lake Mills notched two of ISU’s five sacks last weekend and that on-field production is a natural outgrowth of his rapid rise on the depth chart.

Bacon, a sophomore, was rarely mentioned in the past, but now is a fixture in the Cyclones’ rotations at linebacker — and pushing for more time amidst a relatively young group.

“He’s had a phenomenal fall camp,” Campbell said. “A guy that has just emerged.”

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