IOWA CITY, Iowa — Ahead of the 2023 Cy-Hawk game, Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht had only made one career start. Saturday, he'll walk into Kinnick Stadium as the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
"He's not an old guy, but he's really played enough now where I think he's a very confident guy, very, very poised, and does a good job running their offense," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "(And) they've got a really, talented group of receivers."
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Two of Iowa State's top weapons, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are both potential All-Big 12 receivers.
"Those guys are good. Those guys are fast, crisp route runners, lanky, I mean, (they) make plays," said Iowa graduate senior linebacker Nick Jackson. "Those guys are special. So they present a lot of challenges."
As Iowa preps for the Cyclone offense, they have a better idea of what's coming than last season.
"We're just gonna try to make it as difficult as we possibly can, put pressure on (Becht), hit him as many times we possibly can, but yeah, we've got some more tape on them, (we) see what he likes to do, and use that to our advantage," said graduate senior linebacker Jay Higgins.
As the defense prepares for Becht, the leader of the Iowa offense is embracing the rivalry.
"The more I'm in Iowa, I just realized, you know, how important this game is for the state," said graduate senior quarterback Cade McNamara. "They're a really good program. They have a lot of good players and it's a veteran group. And, you know, I think overall every single time these two teams meet, it's going to be a battle."
No. 21 Iowa hosts Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.