Iowa State Football: 3 things we learned from Cyclones 2020 season

The Cyclones can def up elite offenses

One thing that might be hard for people to believe is that this Iowa State football program has some elite talent.

If you look at the All-Big 12 first-team offense and defense, both squads are loaded with Cyclones. On the offensive side of the ball alone, there are five first-teamers coming back.

But while the offense should be elite again in 2020, the defense was one of the more underrated aspects of this team and it will return Mike Rose, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Rose was just incredible this season finishing with 99 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and five interceptions including an INT that clinched the Fiesta Bowl. That capped another really strong defensive performance in a season that was full of them for Iowa State.

The Big 12 is sort of known for teams not playing good defense, but that doesn’t apply to Iowa State, as the Cyclones only allowed four teams to reach the 30-point mark this season.

That might not sound all that impressive but in games against Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma (twice) and Oregon — all high-powered offensive programs — only once did one of them reach 30 points. Their average was 23.4 which in this day and age is good enough to win.

You don’t have to have a defense that can shut people out, you just have to be able to hold teams to around 20 points and against elite competition, ISU has proven it can do that.