No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones, fresh off another nail-biting win against K-State in Dublin, now turn their attention to facing a familiar face on Saturday in Ames. Matt Campbell’s QB1, Rocco Becht, rose to the occasion with two scores in the Aviva Stadium clash. His polished weapons carried him through the gauntlet, and now, with the Wildcats’ blood already tasted, they are ready for the Coyotes.

Matt Campbell met the media this week to break down what’s ahead, the growth of his own young roster, and even what made Jeremiah Cooper such a fit at cornerback. But it was his reflections on Becht and the expanding arsenal around him that carried the most intrigue. Campbell was asked specifically about Rocco’s distribution in Ireland. Six different receivers catching two or more passes in the win.

The coach’s response pointed to both depth and untapped ceiling. “I just think that’s going to continue to grow. I think we feel on top of that there’s probably way more guys that either could have had receptions or will continue to have receptions. And so, to me, that’s a benefit of this team as it continues to kind of grow. Who are your A players? A moments. You saw some guys make some A-moment plays on Saturday which were huge. And I just think as the confidence grows, we have a lot of confidence in these players. They’ve got to have confidence in themselves to make the critical plays in the moment.”

That’s where the fun lies for Matt Campbell. A unit not yet fully defined but showing early flashes of being dangerous. “I think that part’s going to be really fun to watch continue to move forward, but it’s a process and I think it’ll only take to the midpoint of the season or more to figure out exactly what we are and what we’ve got the ability to be,” Campbell added. His words matched what unfolded in Dublin, where Iowa State wasn’t always efficient, but consistently had answers. When you can spread touches across half a dozen receivers and still feel like you left completions on the field, it means defenses can’t zero in on just one or two options.

Rocco Becht, for his part, didn’t light up the stat sheet, finishing 14-of-28 for 183 yards and 2 TDs, but context matters. He managed brutal weather conditions, avoided backbreaking mistakes, and most importantly, made winning plays. His final act of the night, on fourth-and-3 at the Kansas State 16 with just over two minutes left, was pure guts. Campbell rolled the dice, and Becht made him look like a genius by finding Carson Hansen for a 15-yard dagger that sealed the 23-20 upset. “Well, our quarterback gives me a lot of confidence,” Campbell told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor afterward, his faith in the redshirt junior ringing as true as the result itself.

Now comes South Dakota, a program in flux but quarterbacked by a familiar name to longtime Cyclone fans. Aidan Bouman spent two years in Ames before transferring to Vermillion, where he has since carved out a legacy as one of the Coyotes’ best. For Iowa State’s veterans, Saturday won’t just be another nonconference test. It’ll feel a little like a reunion, with the added twist of seeing what Bouman has become since leaving the program. He’s a former teammate whose journey reflects the modern churn of college. That dynamic adds just enough intrigue to keep this matchup from being overlooked.

Matt Campbell pays respect to Aidan

When Matt Campbell talks about QBs, he lays out respect like it’s gold. Ahead of Iowa State’s matchup with South Dakota, Campbell couldn’t stop himself from gushing about Coyotes’ Aidan Bouman, a former Cyclone who’s turned himself into one of the program’s all-time greats.

“I think the first thing I would say about Aidan is boy, the respect,” Campbell said. “I mean, we recruited him. We love his family. We love Aidan. What he’s been about was nothing short of first class every step of the way here.” That’s not just lip service. Campbell made it clear this isn’t a typical transfer story. Bouman left Ames, found new ground, and has flourished.

Campbell pointed to Bouman’s impact on USD, saying, “I think he found an unbelievable opportunity and he’s maximized it. I mean, that guy’s played so much good football. What he’s done is literally taken that South Dakota team into a national title contender and I think won the conference a year ago had huge wins.” For Campbell, Bouman is a symbol of perseverance. “Every year he’s just added and it’s like what some of the great quarterbacks we’ve had here have done,” Campbell said. “We know we’re getting an elite quarterback coming in.” That’s about as high of a compliment as it gets.