Rob Gray

Style points matter little in this season opener — but scoring a few could point to further success as the season wears on. Here are three keys for Iowa State against North Dakota on Saturday.

Defensive lineman J.R. Singleton joins Jaylin Noel and Beau Freyler to form Iowa State’s permanent trio of team captains this season. The Cyclones’ players voted.

It’s finally game week for the Iowa State football team, and as the atmosphere changes, head coach Matt Campbell and his staff endeavor to ensure nothing else does in terms of his team’s preparedness and attention to detail.

It’s not surprising that Las Vegas oddsmakers tabbed Iowa State as a 27.5-point favorite against North Dakota early this week, but it is worth noting the Cyclones have struggled at times in their season openers under ninth-year head coach Matt Campbell. Here are five Fighting Hawks to watch against ISU.

Cyclones quarterbback has made lots of progress since record-breaking freshman season and is in full command of offense

Annual Victory Day is ‘bigger than football’ for children with speical needs

Iowa State sophomore tight end Ben Brahmer has been an excellent pass catcher for quite some time, but now he’s eager to deliver bruising blocks alongside his game-changing grabs.

Caleb Bacon is on on pace to earn his first career start in Iowa State’s season-opener. He also proved to be highly productive as a reserve last season, finishing second on the team in tackles with 60.

Iowa State seniors Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel form the second-most productive returning pass-catching duo in the Big 12. Big plays can come from a wide range of sources.

Iowa State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton has added new wrinkles to his teaching methods but continues to try to make complex concepts easy to learn for a unit that needs to consistently perform better this season, particularly in the running game.

There’s certainly good depth — but determining how much quality depth the Iowa State defensive line possesses remains a work in progress. ISU must remain strong up front on defense and find ways to be more disruptive with its pass rush.

Yoga has become an integral part of Iowa State senior cornerback Myles Purchase’s life, and executing its many poses has helped him become calm in the face of many storms.

Abu Sama and his fellow Iowa State running backs are working to become more complete athletes. They all must learn how to be more consistent.

Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy has “earned the right to be confident,” Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell noted recently. He spent last season competing with highly accurate one-and-done graduate transfer Chase Contreraz and enters the 2024 season as his heir apparent at the pressure-packed position.

Iowa State safety Jamison Patton also played basketball and baseball as a prep at Ankeny and Des Moines Roosevelt. He ran track, too. So narrowing his focus to one sport — let alone a single position — has been a work in progress.