2023 FB Season In Review

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State football team had a strong bounce back season as it earned a trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, its sixth bowl appearance in eight seasons under head coach Matt Campbell. The Cyclones finished 7-6 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 action, tying for fourth place in the league.

KEY STORYLINES
- After starting the season 2-3 in September, Iowa State won all three games in October to turn its season around and set itself up for a bowl appearance.
- ISU's improvement from 1-8 in the Big 12 in 2022 to 6-3 in 2023 marked the biggest improvement in college football.
- Campbell completed his eighth season leading the Cyclone program ... he has won 53 games as head coach, second only to Dan McCarney's 56 victories ... he is tied as the second-longest tenured football coach in school history.
- Iowa State's defensive unit had another strong season, finishing with 16 interceptions as a team and three fumble recoveries ... the Cyclones tied for 18th nationally with a +8 turnover margin ... the defense finished third among Big 12 teams in scoring defense, its seventh consecutive season ranking among the league's top three ... ISU was also second in total defense and rushing defense, while ranking sixth in passing defense.
- A number of Cyclones garnered recognition for their efforts ... senior cornerback T.J. Tampa earned AP All-America third-team honors and was a first-team All-Big 12 pick alongside safety Jeremiah Cooper ... second-team honorees from the media included Jaylin Noel and Stevo Klotz, while Beau Freyler was a second-team All-Big 12 selection from the AP.
- QB Rocco Becht, the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, had a terrific start to his tenure as a starter ... he tossed a touchdown in 12 of 13 starts and broke ISU freshman records for touchdown passes (23) and passing yards (3,120) that were previously held by Brock Purdy ... he also owns the ISU freshman record for completions (231) and is just the 10th freshman in Big 12 history to reach 200 completions ... he was named ISU's offensive MVP of the Liberty Bowl after throwing for a school-record 446 yards and three touchdowns against Memphis.
- ISU boasted one of the nation's youngest teams ... 21 underclassmen played in every game this season, including three true freshmen ... six true freshmen combined for a total of 27 starts in 2023, while a total of 18 underclassmen started a game.
- ISU won a school-record four-straight conference road games.

BIG WINS
- Iowa State earned a number of big wins in 2023, highlighted by a home win against Oklahoma State and a road win against Kansas State.
- The win against K-State came in a snowstorm and gave ISU's back-to-back wins in Manhattan for the first time since 1924 and 1926 ... ISU has now won three of its last four against its longtime conference foe.
- Iowa State also earned road wins at Cincinnati and BYU in their first meetings with the schools as members of the same conference.

TURNED IT AROUND
- Iowa State surpassed both its overall and conference win totals from a season ago ... this marks the third six-win conference season in program history, all under Campbell.
- Iowa State went 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Big 12 Conference action in 2022 ... the Cyclones lost three players to the NFL Draft and saw four 2022 starters and a key reserve ruled ineligible before the season.
- The Cyclones were picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 preseason poll by the league's media.
- The Cyclones started the season 1-1 but then fell on the road at Ohio with multiple players battling a stomach illness.
- After a win at home against Oklahoma State, ISU was beaten 50-20 at Oklahoma and went into the month of October with a 2-3 record.
- With their backs against the wall, Iowa State went 5-2 in October and November and finished 7-6 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 action, tying for fourth in the league standings.
- Iowa State has produced the only two teams in Big 12 history to go from zero or one win to five the next season ... this year's team and the 2000 Cyclones (finished 5-3) both accomplished the impressive turnaround.
- The +5 win differential in conference games is the largest increase in FBS this season:

Conference Wins improvment from 2022 to 2023
1. +5     Iowa State
2. +4     Arizona, Northwestern, Oklahoma,
              South Florida, Virginia Tech

To view the complete release, click here.

Players Mentioned

Rocco Becht

Jeremiah Cooper

Beau Freyler

Stevo Klotz

Jaylin Noel

T.J. Tampa

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics