Iowa State football: 3 takeaways from season opening upset loss to Louisiana

3. Kickoff and punt coverage teams fail Cyclones

The biggest failing for Iowa State in the 17-point loss at home was their special teams coverage. Louisiana kick returner Chris Smith and punt returner Eric Garror both had a field day against the Cyclones, racking up big yardage and putting Louisiana in optimal field position throughout the contest. That proved critical as Louisiana ran away with the upset victory.

Shortly after Iowa State’s took the lead on Nwangwu’s touchdown in the second quarter, Smith ran the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the house to instantly neutralize the Cyclones advantage. Smith averaged 21 yards on his other two kick returns, finishing the day with 137 yards and a touchdown on just three special teams touches.

His counterpart on punts also punched in a score, as Garror ran back a punt 83 yards early in the fourth quarter to secure insurance points on the road. Two fair catches and solid coverage on Garror’s other two returns demonstrate that the punt coverage was better than the kick coverage, but the one mistake proved fatal in the end.

After giving away more than 225 return yards, Iowa State desperately needs to figure out what is wrong with their special teams. With their only non-conference game slipping through their fingers, the Cyclones will have to figure it out in conference play and figure it out quickly.