Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell ‘concerned’ after his team's 3-0 start

AMES — Toughness.

That’s the word that formed a theme for Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell as spring ball dovetailed into summer workouts and fall camp.

Could the Cyclones be “tough enough” to navigate a tricky first four weeks of the season, including a Week 0 game in Dublin, Ireland, against Big 12 rival Kansas State, and a Cy-Hawk showdown with in-state rival Iowa two weeks later?

So far, ISU has met its coach’s challenge, holding off the struggling Wildcats by a field goal on the Emerald Isle, and vanquishing the Hawkeyes by the same margin after Kyle Konrardy’s second straight 54-yard game winner in the series on Saturday in Ames.

But does the No. 14 Cyclones’ 3-0 start have Campbell riding high into a random road game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Arkansas State of the Sun Belt Conference?

The answer to that question is “no.”

“Honestly, I probably feel a little concerned,” said Campbell, whose team has started at least 3-0 in three of the past four seasons. “I don’t think we were great in the second half (against Iowa). I don’t think that there’s probably, for us, our awareness of where are we at right now. Our toughness of how we can do right tonight. How can we be ready tomorrow? I think this football team is gonna have a lot of questions to answer next Saturday.”

ISU pounded the Red Wolves, 52-7, last season in Ames in the first part of a home-and-home series that snakes into Jonesboro, Ark., this weekend. Arkansas State (1-1) is coming off a 56-14 loss to Arkansas, but entered the season as a dark house contender for the Sun Belt crown.

So the Cyclones likely will be strong favorites against the Red Wolves (there was no line as of late Sunday morning), but Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t dabble in intangibles, which is what “concerns” Campbell despite his team demonstrating the ability to make the key plays in the decisive moments in two rivalry games thus far.

“The last time we went on the road and played a non-Power (Four) school we got beat,” Campbell said in reference to a 10-7 loss in 2023 at Ohio.

Notably, illness was rippling through the Cyclones’ locker room before that stinging loss to the Bobcats — including then-first-year starting quarterback Rocco Becht, who was vomiting so much Campbell thought he’d have to bench him.

That didn’t happen, but that jarring setback became somewhat of a rallying point for ISU that season, as it won seven regular season games before falling to host Memphis in the Liberty Bowl.

“I think that was a great turning point for us to find those young leaders,” said Becht, who now is the FBS national leader in consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass at 21. “Fast forward to next year where we did (still) have a young team and those guys showed out big.”

Of course, the Cyclones hope they don’t need to endure a deeply frustrating upset loss on Saturday, but they are, as Campbell noted, at a bit of a crossroads.

He feels they’ve already successfully navigated a few “turning points” this season, but with nine regular season games remaining, burning questions remain unanswered.

“I would say, physically, I’m a little concerned about where our football team is going into this week,” Campbell said.

Why?

Special teams standout Aidan Flora sat out the Cy-Hawk win because of injury, as did productive linebacker Carson Willich and starting offensive guard Trevor Buhr. It’s unclear what their status will be for the Arkansas State game, but it’s not just injuries or illnesses that concern Campbell.

ISU fought through adversity time and again last season to set a program record for wins with 11. Does this Cyclone team possess the same type of mettle? Stay tuned.

“It’s still early in the season,” Campbell said. “I think that’s the biggest challenge. Great teams get better. Are we continuing to get better or are we too tired because of what’s gone against us?

“We’ll see. I think we’ll have to answer that question (this) Saturday.”

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