Three Things Iowa State Coach Jimmy Rogers Said Ahead of Oklahoma State’s Trip to Ames

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Jimmy Rogers made a trip to Stillwater a few years ago with South Dakota State. Now he’ll welcome the Cowboys to Ames, Iowa.

Oklahoma State plays Iowa State at 6 p.m. Saturday in Jack Trice Stadium. Rogers discussed the matchup with the Cowboys on Tuesday. Here are three things he hit on.

1. Jaylen Raynor Set to Start

The Cyclones pulled quarterback Jaylen Raynor in the midst of their 39-3 loss to Arizona this past weekend, replacing him with redshirt sophomore Connor Moberly.

Raynor was 8-for-10 for 106 yards when he got yanked and lost a fumble in Arizona territory shortly before halftime.

Rogers said Raynor is still the Cyclones’ guy moving forward.

“I talked to him the other day,” Rogers said. “He’s, for one, an awesome leader. He was awesome on the sidelines. Obviously frustrated with getting pulled because he wants to compete with his teammates, but was great for (Moberly) to get his opportunity, really was looking for a spark.”

An Arkansas State transfer, Raynor has completed 59% of his 158 pass attempts this season for 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He has run for another 145 yards and three scores.

Moberly has gotten some spot duty throughout the season. He has run for 44 yards and has 83 passing yards on 19 attempts.

“I believe in Jaylen as far as what he gives to this football team, in his leadership and how he makes other people better around him,” Rogers said. “So, that’s kind of the decision moving forward.”

2. A Rematch … Sort Of

Rogers and OSU coach Eric Morris matched up against each other last season — but both were at different schools.

Morris’ North Texas squad hosted Rogers’ Washington State team, with the Mean Green storming to a 59-10 win.

It was 42-3 at halftime, as Wazzu turned it over five times in the first half. So, it was a bit funky, for sure.

There are a lot of those North Texas players on the OSU roster, just like there are a lot of Washington State players on the Iowa State roster. Rogers was asked about some of the differences he sees in OSU compared to North Texas.

“I think they are better upfront,” Rogers said. “I think, obviously with maturity, (Mestemaker) has gotten better. That first game versus Tulsa and then you watch him move forward, like, he didn’t play his best football for whatever reason, but he’s got significantly better. He’s thrown for over 300 yards consecutively the last six games. His passing percentage is pretty elite. The wide receivers have a great continuity with him.

“I think No. 0 (Justin Bowick) can stretch the field, really long, dynamic player, surely an NFL player. The Wyatt Young kid was with them last year. Watching him, I thought he was really crafty in his routes and always was able to find space and make a ton of plays, especially on balls away from his body. I think the running back (Caleb Hawkins) is an elite player, and he’s a young guy last year where he was a true freshman, and I thought this kid is gonna be special. Watching him this year, I think he’s gotten bigger and faster and is running through people’s faces. So, this is going to be a tough challenge there’s no doubt about that.”

3. More on Mestemaker

As has been the case with most coaches the Cowboys have faced this season, Rogers spoke highly of OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

Mestemaker has thrown for 2,326 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, which ranks second and fourth nationally, respectively. Since the anomaly that was the Tulsa game, Mestemaker has thrown for at least 300 yards in the Cowboys’ past six games.

“We are going to play another elite quarterback, probably one of the best in the country is what I’ve been told by many scouts and maybe the top quarterback out for the draft,” Rogers said. “… I think the quarterback does an awesome job of really getting the ball out of his hand fast. He’s got great touch, and he is a way better athlete than what I thought he was last year when we played him the first time. Just because of his natural stature you don’t think he is going to be able to move that well and then we play him and he is dynamic.

“He’s a dynamic player. He’s got an unbelievable arm. And if  you watch the first play against Oregon where he takes it 75 yards — I think had him to 20-something miles an hour, and he’s 6-5. He is a great player and we have to do our best to give him different looks, attack him, disguise, play zone, play man and tackle well.”