Nick Saban warns Iowa fans to 'be worried about' Iowa State QB Rocco Becht

For the 72nd time, the Cy-Hawk Trophy is up for grabs between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones this weekend. Ames will host this go-round, with plenty of attention on the game. FOX will have the broadcast and even bring Big Noon Kickoff along with them.

The clash of rivals will feature strong quarterback play in Iowa‘s Mark Gronowski going against Iowa State‘s Rocco Becht. Gronowski was a two-time FCS National Champion at South Dakota State (with two FCS National Championship Game MVP Awards) and was awarded the Walter Payton Award (FCS’ Heisman Trophy) in 2023.

Becht was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2023. He is currently third in all of college football with 461 passing yards and five touchdowns.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Nick Saban joined ESPN‘s Pat McAfee on Friday’s edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show‘ to discuss the meeting between Iowa State and Iowa. Saban issued a warning to Iowa fans about the play of Becht, who has started the 2025 season supremely strong.

“To the Iowa fans out there, I want to say y’all need to be worried about Rocco Becht,” Saban said. “That guy has been pretty damn good for two games. Don’t worry about your passing game, you better worry about stopping his.”

Rocco Becht boasts 20-9 record as Iowa State’s starting QB

Becht is embarking on his third season as Iowa State‘s starting quarterback, where he’s led the Cyclones to a 20-9 record with ranked wins over No. 13 Miami, No. 17 Kansas State (2025), No. 19 Kansas State (2023), No. 21 Iowa and No. 24 Kansas State (2024). In 32 career games, he boasts 7,151 passing yards, 53 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

In Iowa State‘s two games this season (Kansas State in Dublin and South Dakota), Becht has played near-flawless football. He’s completed 33/48 passes for 461 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Until further notice, though, Rocco Becht is the difference for me,” college football personality Josh Pate said via this week’s Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “Rocco Becht is the difference for me over the Iowa run game.”

According to BetMGM, Iowa State is a 3.5-point favorite over Iowa at home. Kick-off between the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes is scheduled for 12:00 PM ET on FOX.