Iowa State safety Jeremiah Cooper says there is a sense of urgency as the Cyclones prepare for Saturday night’s game at home against Cincinnati. After starting the season 7-0 the Cyclones have dropped games to Texas Tech and Kansas.

The ISU defense was steamrolled in the first half against Kansas and communication issues were a reason.

Cooper says led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby says Cincinnati has a dangerous offense.

With the finish line of a long regular season in sight Cooper says the key is taking care of your body and trying to stay fresh.

Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield says the Bearcats must protect the football Saturday night at Iowa State. Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw an interception and fumbled twice in last week’s loss to West Virginia.

Satterfield says the Bearcats hope to get the run game going to open up the pass game.

Former Cyclone linebacker coach Tyson Veidt is in his first season as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator and has installed the 3-3-5 defense. Satterfield says the similarities don’t end there.

When the Iowa coaches break down what has been a disappointing season they can start with a veteran defense that has underachieved. Hit by the big play early in the season the run defense has withered on the road. In the last three road games opponents have averaged just under 209 yards on the ground and only punted a total of three times.

That’s Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Poor tackling has been a big issue against the run and on the edge.

Parker says the Hawkeyes have done a better job limiting explosive plays but chunk plays are an issue.

Parker admits the expectations were high for the defense coming into the season.

The Hawkeyes are 6-4 and return to action at Marylande on November 23rd.

The ACGC Chargers Volleyball team has had yet another successful season. The Chargers were able to compile 20 wins and hosted the regional quarterfinal, where they unfortunately fell in a hard-fought 5-set match to the Pleasantville Trojans. Although they had aspirations to go further, the team had a lot of success. This can be found by looking at the number of All-Conference selections the chargers received. Senior Shay Lemke and sophomore Stella Largent were both named to the first team. Lemke led the team with 637 assists, which ranked 2nd in the WAC. Largent finished the season as the number-one attacker in the WAC with 443 kills. Camdyn Richter, who finished second on the team with 202 kills, was named to the all-conference second team, while Becca Littler and Addison Laughery received honorable mentions. Head Coach Barb South said she was extremely proud of what her team was able to accomplish this year.

As with every sport, communication is key but because of the speed at which the game is played, non-verbal communication might be as important in volleyball as in any other sport. A look might indicate a call for the ball or signal where the ball is going. It is something that is not easy to master but South thought that this aspect of their game improved the most over the course of the season and thought it helped contribute to their best performances.

Losing seniors is hard, especially when you lose three talented and dedicated players who have invested so much time into the success of a program. This is especially true when losing players like Lemke and Laughery as well as Shyann Young. Coach South spoke about how their attitudes and work ethic left a lasting mark on the program

The future is bright for the Chargers. Even though they are losing some talented pieces to their team, they are returning nearly the entire roster except for the three seniors. This includes a stellar core in Largent, Richter, Littler, and Savannah Akers. South is very excited about the future of Charger volleyball.

Although they didn’t make as deep of a run as they wanted to, it’s hard not to classify the season this group had as a success. They are also set up to be just as successful in the future so don’t be surprised to see the Chargers back in the postseason next year.

For the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2019 and 2020, the Saint Ansgar Saints Football Team is back in the state semi-final. The 10-1 Saints finished second in District 2.  After a comfortable victory in round one over South Winneshiek, the Saints advanced to the quarterfinal after a hard-fought 18-0 win against Wapsie Valley. After cruising to victory over Maquoketa Valley in their quarterfinal matchup, Saint Ansgar will now face the 10-1 Tri-Center Trojans. Head Coach Drew Clevenger knows it will be a battle but has been happy with the team’s attitude and how they have improved all year.

One of the strongest parts of this Saints team is their defense. During the season, they have allowed more than two touchdowns once in their 21-20 loss to West Hancock. The defense is led by strong play up front and their two linebackers, Joe Clevenger and Korben Michels. Clevenger led the team with 66.5 tackles, while Michels was not far behind with 65.5, leading the team with 13 tackles for loss. Despite being so stingy, Clevenger says the goal of the defense remains simple: get off the field.

On offense, expect to see a lot of the ground game from Saint Ansgar. However, they are effective in splitting up the carries between Michels and Tyson Kline. Michels leads the team with 1103 yards on 98 carries, while Kline has posted 843 yards on 113 carries. They both, however, enter Thursday’s game with 15 touchdowns showcasing the willingness to divide up the carries and responsibilities. Although they are both hard runners Clevenger commented on their abilities away from the ball that helps the team succeed.

The Tri-Center offense might be the biggest challenge the Saints have faced all year. The Trojans are a balanced team that comes to the table with multiple weapons at the skill positions. Quarterback AJ Harder has thrown for nearly 2,400 yards and 26 touchdowns. On the ground, Carter Kunze has been electric, running for over 2,000 yards and 34 touchdowns. Clevenger says its more about limiting than stopping but credits a lot of what Tri-Center does to their play in the trenches.

For Clevenger the keys to a win are simple.

Kickoff from the UNI Dome is scheduled for 1 pm.

Josh Dix scored 23 points and Iowa pulled away in the second half in a 96-77 win over South Dakota. The Hawkeyes won without sophomore center Owen Freeman, who was sidelined with an illness.

Dix was five of six from three point range as the Hawkeyes pulled away from a six point halftime lead.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery called it a balanced effort.

The Hawkeyes are 3-0.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior return specialist Kaden Wetjen has been selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award presented to the most outstanding player in America who began his career as a walk-on.

Wejten is leading FBS with 751 combined kickoff return yards and is on Jet Award Midseason List. He is 12th nationally (25.3) in kickoff returns and punt returns (12.9). The native of Williamsburg, Iowa, native had an 85-yard punt return for a score against Northwestern, the seventh-longest in school history. He had 100+ kickoff return yards in three straight games (Washington, Michigan State and Northwestern) in 2024, a first by a Hawkeye since at least 1978.

Joining Wetjen as a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist are Josh Cameron (WR, Baylor), Shaun Dolac (LB, Buffalo), James Carpenter (DL, Indiana), Bryce Boettcher (LB, Oregon), Sean Atkins (WR, South Florida), Will Brooks (S, Tennessee), Michael Taafe (DB, Texas), Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA) and Jackson Woodard (LB, UNLV).

The selection committee will announce the top three Burlsworth Trophy finalists on Nov. 19. Finalists will be honored and the winner will be announced on Dec. 9 in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Iowa has two other semifinalists for national awards: Jay Higgins (Lombardi, Butkus, Bednarik and Lott IMPACT) and Kaleb Johnson (Maxwell).

Iowa (6-4, 4-3) returns to action Saturday, Nov. 23 at Maryland. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. (CT) in College Park, Maryland. The game will be televised on BTN and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

The Iowa Hawkeye women return to action Wednesday night by hosting Toledo. The Hawks are 2-0 after a 71-52 win over Virginia Tech. Under new coach Ginny Boggess Toledo opened last week with a loss to Marshall.

That’s Iowa coach Jan Jensen. Through two games the Hawkeyes are shooting only 27 percent from three point range.

Jensen says at times the Hawkeyes are too rushed on the perimeter.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht says it is all about toughness this week. After opening 7-0 the Cyclones have dropped two straight heading into Saturday night’s game at home against Cincinnati.

Becht believes the Cyclones are tough enough to get things turned around.

Becht says the Cyclones have focused on fundamentals.

The Cyclones will go against a familiar defense this week. Former ISU linebacker coach Tyson Veidt is in his first season as the Bearcat defensive coordinator and has installed the three-three-five.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says the Cyclones need to get back to complimentary football as they prepare to host Cincinnati. ISU had a second half rally fall short in a 45-36 loss to Kansas and has dropped two straight after a 7-0 start.

Campbell says the Cyclones need to play with better rhythm and it is up to him to find it.

Campbell says veteran leadership is vital as the Cyclones look to get things turned around.