Iowa State football defense digs deep in win vs Oklahoma State

Iowa State football walk-on Caden Matson received an unexpected text message last Sunday, Nov. 23, from safeties coach Deon Broomfield, just one day after the Cyclones' triumphant Senior Day beatdown of Kansas.

"Coach Broom texted me on Sunday, so-and-so is out and whatever, you're next up, what are you going to do?" the junior from Humboldt said. "You're going to get ready, prepare the same way.

"Our room is awesome, I love every single guy in there and we do a great job of getting each other ready. The standard is the standard; everybody knows what it's got to be and what it's got to look like. Doesn't matter who it is, just gotta step up and play."

That "so-and-so" ended up being Josh Patterson, a freshman safety, who is no longer with the Cyclones. Patterson played in three games this season, posting four total tackles and an interception.

The program confirmed Patterson's departure on Nov. 29. He is expected to enter the transfer portal.

It was an inconvenient development for the Cyclones, who have been dealing with a series of injuries, especially on the defensive end, but they've grown accustomed to the unexpected.

Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams sustained season-ending injuries earlier in the year. Safeties Jamison Patton and Ta'Shawn James were more recent additions to the injury list and a timetable for their return is unclear.

Carson van Dinter was listed as out in this week's player availability report, and now, Patterson's departure forced Iowa State to reach even deeper into the depth chart.

More: Iowa State football finishes 'rollercoaster' regular season | Hines

Matson filled in admirably in his first career start, recording seven tackles, tying Caleb Bacon for the second-most on the Cyclones during their 20-13 victory over Oklahoma State on Nov. 29.

"You think of guys like Tez and Coop and it just sucks," Matson said. "It is what it is and just got to keep playing. They're around and they do a great job; those guys are phenomenal in the meeting rooms and stuff, getting everybody else ready."

While Williams and Cooper are still around to lend their wisdom, it was still up to Matson and the rest of the secondary to do their job.

For another week, the Cyclones' patchwork defense rose to the occasion and contained their foe. They set the tone in the winning effort, covering up for some special teams blunders and keeping Iowa State in front during moments where the Cyclone offense struggled to move the ball.

Oklahoma State was kept to 229 total yards and only had 27 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Cowboys quarterback Zane Flores was never comfortable in the pocket, completing 23-of-34 passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked three times by Bacon.

More: Iowa State football vs Oklahoma State report card, Cyclones win

Oklahoma State caught a big break by recovering a muffed punt in Cyclones territory, but Iowa State minimized the damage by holding the Cowboys to a field goal.

Drew Surges got an interception, while Marcus Neal recovered a fumble that was forced by Cael Brezina.

"We had a lot of young guys step up, a lot of guys that haven't seen the field a ton, but they came in and made some great plays," Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel said. "Caden Matson, he was flying around there. I enjoyed watching him. David Coffey, Connor Welsch, my buddy John Klosterman had the big hit on kickoff, there's just a lot of guys to be proud of today."

Iowa State improved to 8-4 to finish the regular season. The Cyclones went 5-4 in Big 12 Conference play.

"A lot of highs, a lot of lows, but I'm super proud of this team," quarterback Rocco Becht said. "It's super hard to go through a four-game losing streak, then come back and win three games in a row. For a team that has a bunch of injuries, dealing with a lot of stuff -- guys that continue to come to the facility want to continue to work and want to get better. That shows a lot about the people we have here in this program. It's not going to stop there."

The Cyclones have a chance to earn their ninth win in their bowl game. In the program's 134-year history, only four other teams have reached the nine-win mark.

Coach Matt Campbell has been at the helm for two of those seasons, 2020 and 2024.

They plan to be ready for whatever challenge lies ahead of them, and they'll meet with every player in the coming weeks to determine who is staying and leaving.

"Use this week to get aligned of like, who's staying, who's leaving, where are we moving ourselves forward, then get the opportunity to figure out who our bowl opponent is, what's the best schedule we can give our kids to not only play great in the bowl game, but have a great opportunity from a growth standpoint," Campbell said of the Cyclones' plans for the near-future. "We got a really good football team that's got the opportunity to keep growing forward."

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football defense digs deep in win vs Oklahoma State