Iowa State Football: Cyclones survive scare from Akron

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 22: During a pre-game moment of silence the Iowa State Cyclones and the Akron Zips wear CBA helmet decals to honor Celia Barquin Arozamena, (pictured on the jumbotron), at Jack Trice Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. Celia Barquin Arozamena, Iowa States 2018 Big 12 Women's Golf Champion, was murdered Monday September 17th while playing golf on a course near the college. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 22: During a pre-game moment of silence the Iowa State Cyclones and the Akron Zips wear CBA helmet decals to honor Celia Barquin Arozamena, (pictured on the jumbotron), at Jack Trice Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. Celia Barquin Arozamena, Iowa States 2018 Big 12 Women's Golf Champion, was murdered Monday September 17th while playing golf on a course near the college. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
1 of 4

After two tough contests to start the season, Akron gave Iowa State football an early challenge before the Cyclones were able to pull away.

Iowa State football got a rough awakening from an offseason filled with hope and expectation. Then the offense disappeared against Iowa and got out-gunned by Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma Sooners. Finally, their third opponent offered the Cyclones a chance to settle down and play their brand of football.

Akron might not have had the cache of Iowa or Oklahoma, but they still managed to put up a fight. The Zips jumped out to a 7-0 early lead before the Cyclones woke up and were able to pull away for the win.

The win gives Iowa State some momentum before they return to a challenging conference slate. Next, they’ll take on TCU and Oklahoma State, both ranked programs and both on the road. Once they’re past those two, they return home to host No. 12 West Virginia. They needed a get right game before that tough slate, and they got it on Saturday.

Here’s what we learned about this Iowa State football team in their Week 4 victory over Akron.