(Ames, IA) — Newcomers Jaylen Raynor and Isaac Terrell helped Jimmy Rogers begin his Iowa State football coaching career with a victory.
Raynor accounted for four touchdowns, throwing for two and rushing for two, while Terrell led an aggressive Cyclones defense with three sacks as Iowa State opened the season with a 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri on a muggy Saturday afternoon at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.
Rogers arrived from Washington State and overhauled the Iowa State roster, bringing in 83 newcomers to join 43 returning players. Despite the massive roster turnover, the new-look Cyclones came together quickly and handled an FCS opponent that had already played and won a game this season.
Raynor, who earned the starting quarterback job after three seasons at Arkansas State, completed 8 of 16 passes for 164 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 24 yards to tight end Vince Benetti and 10 yards to running back Easton Miller.
The veteran quarterback also made an impact with his legs. Raynor scored twice on 7-yard runs, repeatedly extended plays by escaping pressure and scrambled for first downs when passing lanes broke down. He finished with 32 rushing yards on seven carries, was sacked only once and did not throw an interception.
Aiden Flora added another touchdown with an impressive 11-yard run. After taking the ball into the middle of a crowded line with seemingly nowhere to go, Flora bounced outside to his left and raced untouched into the end zone.
Terrell, a defensive end who followed Rogers from Washington State, was dominant in the first half, recording all three of his sacks before halftime. He finished just a half-sack shy of the Iowa State single-game record.
The Cyclones recorded six sacks overall, one short of the school record and their most in a game since also recording six against TCU in 2020.
Under new defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbitt, Iowa State is using a four-man front after playing a three-man front under former coordinator Jon Heacock. The new system produced 12 tackles for loss Saturday, totaling 79 yards lost behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cyclones also forced three turnovers, recovering two fumbles and getting a highlight-reel interception from Beni Ngoyi. Ngoyi made a leaping grab for the first interception of his career.
Iowa State’s only turnover came when Flora muffed a punt, but the defense quickly erased the mistake. The Cyclones pushed Southeast Missouri back 13 yards over three plays and forced a 52-yard field-goal attempt that sailed wide right.
Making his 37th career start, Raynor helped Iowa State strike first with a 45-yard completion to Dominic Overby down the right sideline. Three plays later, Iowa State lined up with a full backfield, sent the other backs to the right and gave Raynor a clear lane to the left. He sprinted seven yards into the end zone to give the Cyclones a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Flora then provided another spark with a 36-yard punt return, setting up Raynor’s touchdown pass to Benetti. The catch was the first of Benetti’s career and gave Iowa State a 14-0 advantage.
Southeast Missouri responded with Chance Wilson’s 7-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 14-7. Iowa State answered with two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the first half to regain control.
Flora’s 11-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 21-7. Two plays later, Ngoyi intercepted a pass at his own 45-yard line, giving the Cyclones another opportunity.
Iowa State needed only three plays to capitalize. Raynor connected with Omari Hayes for 34 yards, and on the following play, Miller slipped out of the backfield and caught Raynor’s 10-yard touchdown pass to give the Cyclones a 28-7 halftime lead.
Kyle Konrardy, who has been Iowa State’s hero in the past two games against Iowa, added a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Raynor put the finishing touches on the victory with his second 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The score capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive that marked Iowa State’s longest scoring drive of the afternoon. It was also the only Cyclone scoring drive that lasted more than two minutes.
With the victory, Rogers and his revamped Iowa State team now turn their attention to their biggest early-season test.
The Cyclones will travel to Iowa City next Saturday to face Iowa at 6:30 pm; coverage on KSOM.
