Quarterback to Back: Drew Mestemaker to Square Off with Iowa State’s Jaylen Raynor

A week after getting right against Colorado for Homecoming, Drew Mestemaker and Co. head to Ames to face an Iowa State team that’s had some recent movement at QB.

Former Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor has been the guy all season for the Cyclones, and he’ll be the guy against OSU. But he’s coming off a game that saw him benched. But since his replacement didn’t have any apparent answers, it looks like the Cyclones are going back to Raynor.

Let’s take a look at how Mestemaker and Raynor stack up by the numbers and then we’ll take a look at Saturday’s matchup.

Mestemaker is coming off a four-touchdown, zero-interception rout of Colorado, while Raynor is coming off being benched against Arizona.

The Cyclones are just 1-3 in Big 12 play losing all three of those to ranked opponents. They’ve lost consecutive games to BYU and Arizona, but that trip to Tucson was their worst.

Iowa State scored a field goal on its second drive and that was it, getting thumped by Arizona 39-3. Raynor started 8-for-10 on the game for 106 yards (including captaining that lone scoring drive), but was benched at halftime and didn’t return.

The Cyclones went with sophomore Connor Moberly the rest of the way, but without much change in outcome. Moberly went just 7-of-17 for 63 yards and was sacked three times. From half to half, the Cyclones’ offense was just as hapless. Seven first downs each, though Moberly was 3-for-10 on third downs while Raynor was 0-for-3.

Regardless, the Cyclones are going with Raynor, at least to start.

“I talked to him the other day,” Rogers said earlier this week. “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.”

Raynor is a dual-threat QB who was productive over his three years starting at Arkansas State. He finished 2025 with 3,361 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 66.5% of his throws. He also rushed for 423 yards and seven scores. He has 18 career rushing TDs so that’s something the Cowboys’ defense will need to account for.

For someone who is as adept at using his feet, Raynor does get sacked quite a bit. He’s been sacked 12 times in seven games and 26.1% pressure-to-sack rate ranks 236th out of 282 quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus. So if the Pokes’ defenders can get into the backfield, they might be able to get him on the ground.

On the opposite sideline, Mestemaker is coming off his sixth-straight game of at least 300 yards. He actually completed just a season-low 58.3% of his passes against Colorado. After starting 11-of-12, Mestemaker struggled through a fluky stretch in the second quarter that spilled over into the third. He missed on four straight passes and nine of his next 12 before getting back on track.

But “back on track” is a bit of a misnomer. The Cowboys punted only twice all game and once after halftime. Mestemaker is currently second in the nation in passing yards per game and his 20 passing scores is tied for fourth with Houston’s Conner Weigman.

Like the Buffaloes last week, the Cyclones’ offense has been struggling all year, especially when it comes to sustaining drives. Iowa State is dead last in the league and 134th nationally in third-down offense. They’re only converting on 29.2% of their attempts.

Crazy things happen in Ames, but the Cowboys should be able to corral Raynor and the Cyclones. OSU and Iowa State square off at 6 p.m. in Ames.