Peterson: Iowa State football spring game takeaways include a walk-on place kicker
AMES – If you were looking for answers – for hints of what new coordinator Taylor Mouser’s offense might look like – you attended the wrong spring game scrimmage Saturday.
We saw plenty of backups at skill positions on a chilly day inside very windy Jack Trice Stadium. We saw backups loaded with promise – but who have not quite yet reached the full-time starter amount of promise.
From an offensive standpoint – that’s about all we saw.
More: The star of Iowa State football's spring game? Freshman running back Dylan Lee
Defensively? As usual, Jon Heacock’s side of the ball prevailed. Special teams? Walk-on placekicker Kyle Konrardy was a star.
Bottom line?
Saturday’s scrimmage went exactly as planned for a team that’s top-heavy with players that already have proven their worth to be considered among the best in the Big 12 Conference.
Just how vanilla was the 15th of 15 spring practices – at least offensive side of the ball? I even asked coach Matt Campbell, after concluding his ninth spring season, if he could take anything away from the offense.
“No,” he said, not even having to think a moment. “A lot of our offensive guys were out for various reasons. We wanted to see some of the young guys. Who could step up and perform, and who can play?"
He saw that, and more. He saw that on the offensive side. He saw the same among the defense, which also shuffled players in and out freely.
“A lot of young guys got a lot of great opportunities,” he said.
Here are observations, thoughts and comments from a live scrimmage that lasted around an hour:
Let’s start with Iowa State’s quarterbacks, and yes, Rocco Becht was just a sideline spectator
That was anticipated. The Big 12’s offensive Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American in 2023, Rocco Becht had nothing to prove during the spring’s final practice. Therefore, redshirt freshman J.J. Kohl and true freshman Connor Moberly shared most of Saturday’s wonderful opportunity before a few thousand fans.
Kohl completed 6-of-8 passes for 38 yards. Moberly completed 5-of-7 for 32 yards. They’re likely Backup No. 1 and Backup No. 2 when the season starts Aug. 31 against North Dakota at Jack Trice Stadium.
Receiver-wise, 10 players combined for 15 receptions, so there’s not a lot to read into anything there, but . . .
With top receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins among the abundant 'Nothing to Gain by Playing' group – I watched Army transfer Isaiah Alston.
The Black Knights aren’t known as a passing team, which is one of the reasons Alston transferred to the Cyclones. He caught only two passes during the official scrimmage, but during the drills before the scrimmage, he showed quickness and the ability to make acrobatic catches.
“He actually moved in with me; he’s my roommate,” Becht said. “I’ve formed a bond with him, other than just hanging out at the facility.
“If he’s got a question about the offense, I’ll be there for him.”
FYI: Alston played Saturday but is among the players who have been injured this spring.
“He’ll be getting better,” Becht assured me.
And just as you were wondering how Iowa State would replace kicker Chase Contreraz, along comes a dandy walk-on
That’d be Konrardy, the former Dubuque Senior star who made four of his five field-goal attempts Saturday, including three of 40 yards or more on a windy day. That’s important, given the Cyclones’ propensity to play one-score games.
“He’s been super impressive,” Campbell said after Saturday’s final scrimmage. “He’s had a really great 15 practices.”
The redshirt freshman started turning heads (in a good way) midway through last season.
"He’s a guy that we became really high on,” Campbell said. “He’s got great distance. He had a couple 50-yarders in the spring.”
I asked Becht about what having an accurate kicker means to a quarterback.
“Man, I feel like my confidence level is high, knowing he’s out there,” Becht told me. “I don’t think he’s missed a field goal (in practice) this spring. He’s just been waiting his time — waiting his turn.”
Konrardy is paying tuition – with a student loan – after initially committing to Northern Iowa.
“I’m working as hard as I can,” he said Saturday afternoon. “As a walk-on, you have to work yourself even harder to prove yourself. We work as hard. We push ourselves.”
Is a scholarship in his future?
“If he keeps going the way he is — he’ll be in a great spot,” Campbell said.
The defense makes Iowa State’s offense better
A given through Campbell’s eight seasons as the coach has been the defense. You just know the Cyclones will always be good on that side of the ball. You know, almost to the point where you take it for granted.
“I honestly feel we have one of the hardest defenses to go against in the country,” Becht said after watching Saturday’s festivities from the sidelines. “I’m just glad I can go up against them in practice. It makes it easier for me in games.”
Offensive formations didn’t look to be different under Mouser, the new coordinator (but a Campbell staff original.) Two tight ends shared the field at times. Running backs ran receiver routes. Deep balls weren’t thrown, although with Noel, Higgins and Alston – long balls will be part of the offense in the fall.
How do you improve an offense that could be among the best in school history?
“Our confidence needs to keep building,” Becht said. “We’ve lost a lot of games by one possession. Me making better decisions is huge for us.”
Becht said that Mouser is a players’ coach, and yes, the players know that their new coordinator grew up playing competitive hockey, and currently plays in a Sunday hockey league.
“The connection with him is going to be strong,” Becht said, but then he added:
“I will never be on skates. I might bet hurt.”
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 52nd year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Peterson: Iowa State spring game was as offensively vanilla as it can get
