Iowa football defense set to face confident Cyclones offense in major test

IOWA CITY — How does a defense break down a quarterback’s confidence on the field?

Iowa football has its hands full against Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht. The starting signal caller has outperformed his expectations after two games, propelling the Cyclones inside the top 20 teams in the country.

Becht’s passing, in particular, has stolen the show. He had a 95-percent completion rate against South Dakota in Week 2, he’s got five passing touchdowns in two games and already almost 500 passing yards this season.

His passing game has been a large part of Iowa State’s success against the Hawkeyes — putting even more pressure on Iowa’s defense to find a way to put pressure on Becht in a heated, rivalry setting.

“I think going into this game, that's obviously a huge challenge for us,” assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace said.

The Hawkeyes defense has eight quarters of tape on the Cyclones. The biggest takeaways beyond simply Becht’s throwing? Iowa State’s tight ends are the biggest asset to Becht.

“I think those guys are some of our most trusted guys, and we do a lot with those guys in protections,” Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said Tuesday. “... those guys are some of the most trusted people we have on the offense to go do whatever they get asked to do, and they're some of the most selfless people.”

It’s a difficult task managing the opposing tight ends. Players like Gabe Burkle and Ben Brahmer have made key plays between the 20s for the Cyclones. They both are willing to make explosive plays, too, charging down the field for gains over 20 yards each.

“They'll sometimes bring them in and pound the rock or they'll suck in with the play action and try to throw it deep over your head,” defensive back Zach Lutmer said. “So everyone’s just got to be honed in on the details and really focused on their job.”

At the same time, Iowa has its own outstanding tight ends, and the secondary has been going against the Hawkeye tight ends all throughout the preseason and through these first two weeks of the season.

“It definitely helps we’ve got a lot of good tight ends here,” Lutmer said. “Those guys are very good and in the post and in the run, so they give us a good look every single week.”

Then there’s the turnover battle. Although the Hawkeyes didn’t force a turnover against Albany in Week 1, Wallace believes those opportunities will come.

A turnover doesn’t always mean a forced fumble or an interception. Sometimes it’s a turnover on downs — and forcing Iowa State to make a mistake with its veteran offense.

“We've always looked at takeaways in different ways,” Wallace said. “I think we got to create opportunities when it comes to the actual takeaway.”

It still all goes back to basics — forcing Becht to make short gains on first and second down to set up third-and-long scenarios. The Cyclones won’t be afraid to go for it on fourth down, especially with decent field position, because of head coach Matt Campbell’s trust in Becht and the offense.

Getting to Becht faster or forcing him to make decisions quickly, that’s the key. Might be easier said than done, but it’s the challenge Iowa has to face inside enemy territory.

“You’ve got to find a way to eliminate,” Wallace said. “You’ve got to put pressure on him in ways. You've got to take away some throws and try to get him to go from the first progression, all the way back to the third progression in the passing game.”

It’s the kind of battle that requires every piece of Iowa’s defense to succeed against — but that’s not a task the Hawkeyes are afraid of.

Iowa’s seen Becht at the helm before, and the Hawkeyes won’t let the mistakes from last year’s Cy-Hawk game repeat this time.

“I would say the key is just everyone honed in on the details,” Lutmer said. “Trying to get pressure in his face, not letting him throw his quick, decisive throws.”

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