Peterson: Iowa State new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser mentions more deep passes
AMES – In keeping with the annual spring football tradition of writing that Iowa State plans to throw more deep passes – well, this time it actually could happen.
New offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said it, as did returning quarterback Rocco Becht. Head coach Matt Campbell even insinuated it, so my biggest takeaway from the first press conference since last season ended was this:
Iowa State now has the players, formations and plays (Campbell’s mantra) to actually have an offense that can exploit all areas of a defense − long, short and all places between.
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That’s not just Mouser’s deal as the new play-caller, although as a former tight ends coach he’s certainly not against it. It’s because of the plethora of successful receivers who return for a 2024 season that will start with very high expectation. It’s because Becht learned so much from last season, during which he played so well that he was a freshman All-American.
And let’s not forget Army transfer receiver Isaiah Alston. By all accounts, the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder can make acrobatic, athletic catches well beyond the line of scrimmage.
Add the proven rushing game featuring Abu Sama, and Mouser inherits a position group that’s already built for success. That built-in success, of course, starts with the player who actually throws the ball.
"That guy lives up here (in the complex)," Mouser said of Becht. "He lives in the indoor (facility). He lives in the quarterback room. He’s here all the time. We have a great relationship."
Last season’s top four receivers will be among the players opening spring ball on March 21. That’d be Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, tight end Ben Brahmer and Daniel Jackson.
Add Alston to the receivers’ room, and you have ingredients for a long-range passing game Iowa State hasn’t had in a while.
“The big thing for us is that you earn your entitlement here, and those guys don’t have it,” Mouser said during his first official press conference as OC. “The receivers we’ve had here and who have been successful here didn’t have it. Allen Lazard did not have it. Hakeem Butler didn’t have it. Xavier Hutchinson didn’t have it.
“Those (returning) guys are going to help us win a lot of football games. I think we can push the ball down the field a little more for those guys too, and go a little more tempo. I think that will provide more opportunity for those guys in the pass game. They’re not selfish kids; they want to win football games. It’s not about getting theirs. That will come with winning games.”
Rewind the tape to where Mouser mentions pushing the ball down the field and tempo.
Deeper passes. Quicker offense.
A spring-season declaration that we've heard before?
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Maybe, but at least this time Iowa State appears to have the personnel to back it up.
Is that because of Mouser and/or the veteran players who return? Probably both.
“We’re excited,” Campbell said. “From a receiver standpoint, we’ve seen here at times – look back to 2017 when you had Hakeem and Allen at the same time, and DeShaunte Jones – it allowed us to be a different offense in some different ways. We were similar in 2018 when (Brock Purdy) took over and we still had Hakeem.
“We’ve probably been our most complete offensively when we had that receiving corps to match a strong running game.
“We kind of lost our way a little bit. We’ve really worked hard to get ourselves back to where we want to be from a receiving standpoint.”
Back to Mouser, the son of a former minor-league hockey general manager.
“Growing up in a locker room, he sat there and watched his dad be a GM and put teams together,” said Campbell, the son of a high school football coach. “He did everything from washing the clothes to filling up the Gatorade cups. My greatest memories growing up were doing the same things.”
Let’s see, Campbell’s offense includes a coordinator whose dad put together hockey teams, and a quarterback (Becht) whose father coaches the United Football League’s St. Louis BattleHawks. And of course a few receivers who can extend football fields.
“I’m very excited,” Becht said. “We’ve got guys now who are able to stretch the field like (the Cyclones) were able to do in the past with Hakeem and a couple other of those guys. Watching those tapes and watching those guys play from the past – hopefully we can replicate those plays and games.”
Mouser, in his 11th season working with Campbell either at Toledo or Iowa State, has seen good offenses and bad offenses. He’s learned from both.
He has players who know the plays. He oversees coaches who have been play-callers during parts of their careers.
“What I want from (Mouser) is for him to be him,” said Becht, who emphasized that Mouser is open to input. “Be a guy who makes a connection with everybody on the team.”
A guy who just might be calling a few more deep passes than in the past?
“That’s the plan,” Becht said. “More passes and more deep balls. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
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: Iowa State football's new OC Taylor Mouser talks tempo and long passes
