Iowa State carries ‘never flinch’ mentality into showdown with No. 11 BYU

AMES — “Never flinch.”

It’s one of Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell’s most frequently deployed sayings, and it’s often leaned into when his team faces trying times.

It’s also a team-wide talking point star tight end Ben Brahmer strictly adhered to this week when discussing what the Cyclones (5-2, 2-2) must do to end their two-game losing streak at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (Fox) against No. 11 BYU (7-0, 4-0) at a sold-out Jack Trice Stadium.

“Like I said, we’re just not gonna flinch,” said Brahmer, whose team is a 2.5-point favorite to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season. “We’re gonna stick together as brothers and know that even if the scoreboard says we lost, we know that we did our best as a football team. We worked this bye week and we’re gonna do everything we can to go out there and win.”

Call it a “crossroads” game — as ISU defensive coordinator Jon Heacock did. Or maybe a reckoning of sorts. By any name, the Cyclones’ hopes of remaining in at least long-shot contention for a Big 12 title rises or falls based on Saturday’s homecoming result.

“I think you either sink or you swim,” said Heacock, while referencing how last season’s team won three straight games to close the regular season and reached the conference championship game based on tiebreakers. “I think we’re at the crossroads. As coach (Campbell) always says, ‘We’re either gonna rally up here and we’re gonna fight like crazy, or it’s gonna go the other way — and I think we have a locker room of guys that really care.”

Quarterback Rocco Becht stands front and center in that grit-founded equation. He took the most recent, 24-17, loss to Colorado especially hard and spent the bye week by simultaneously putting in extra work and unwinding a bit by building Lego sets and hitting the golf course.

“This bye week, for me, was kind of just getting back to playing free, (and having) fun,” said Becht, who’s accounted for 16 touchdowns (nine passing, seven rushing) this season. “I just feel like I was out there trying not to mess up for the team. I’ve gotta be better. And so I think this bye week was good for me to regroup, look myself in the mirror and say, you know, ‘Just go out there and play football.’”

ISU has won nine of its past 10 home games dating back to last season. BYU’s eked out wins in its past two road games. The Cougars — who have won seven of their past eight one-score contests —came back from a 14-point deficit to clip Colorado, 24-21, on Sept. 27 in Boulder, and needed two overtimes to outlast Arizona, 33-27, two weeks ago in Tucson.

“I think we’re gonna find out a little bit more about ourselves,” said Campbell, whose team has won nine of its past 12 one-score games. “I’ve really enjoyed this team. I think one of the things, even (at Colorado), our kids — how they play, how they just keep playing (and) responding, I’ve been really proud of them. There’s never been a wavering moment where I’ve watched this group surrender.”

Even as injuries at key positions pile up for the second straight season. In 2024, the Cyclones’ linebackers bore the brunt of the injury bug, but this season, both starting cornerbacks, Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams, went down with season-ending knee injuries less than a week apart, and standout placekicker Kyle Konrardy’s missed three straight games because of a hip injury.

Campbell said he expects Konrardy to be able to play on Saturday barring a setback in practice, but star nose guard Domonique Orange was listed as doubtful in ISU’s initial injury report after getting banged up against the Buffaloes.

But regardless of who’s available or who’s still on the mend, that “never flinch” mentality must prevail — or else. The “crossroads” looms menacingly, but it also teems with promise. Toughness, as always, will be the deciding factor for Saturday’s perilous 60-minute journey and beyond.

“You never know when your last day is gonna be,” Brahmer said. “Just don’t flinch and keep working.”

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