OFFENSIVE SPOTLIGHT: Sowell Breaks Out With 146 Receiving Yards in Iowa State’s Win Over Arizona
Although he was on the field more than almost every wide receiver on Iowa State’s roster, Chase Sowell admits that it didn’t quite feel like he had a role yet. That changed on a big way Saturday night.
The East Carolina transfer caught four passes for a career-high 146 yards in a 39-14 victory over Arizona in Jack Trice Stadium. It marked a turning point for a junior receiver who has fought to get back up to speed following an August injury.
“I think in fall camp, and we only had him for four days,” said head coach Matt Campbell. “In the first four days, there were some wow moments, and I think that’s probably what’s so unique about him that’s different than maybe a couple of the other guys that we’ve had is, man, his ability to go from 0 to 100 fast is uber impressive.
“I’m excited for him because I’ve watched him put the time, the effort, the energy to have those moments come his way. And as you all know, that’s frustrating when you’re not where you want to be, and his ability to work through his own frustration, it’s been really awesome to see, so glad for him, we’re going to need him to keep going.And then again, as men will see, I think it’s going to be a different person every night. But excited for him, for sure.”
Sowell’s 98 snaps coming into Saturday night’s game ranked second at his position, yet he only had four receptions (on 11 targets) for 32 yards.
It didn’t take long for quarterback Rocco Becht to dial up one of the Cyclones’ marquee offseason additions in the transfer portal, hitting him for 52 yards and then another time for 43 that nearly landed him in the end zone.
“It felt good,” said Sowell. “It always feels good to win. And that’s kind of like the reason that I wasn’t super upset, just because we were winning and I couldn’t be mad at that. But like (Campbell) was saying, I was having a great fall camp initially and then one freak accident led me to being in the training room. I didn’t let that affect me. The guys were picking me up and I just I just stayed the course, and everything worked out perfectly.”
Still, that didn’t make things easy for Sowell, who many expected big things from the start of an Iowa State season in which two 1,000-yard receivers had been lost.
“I think the hardest part about that is just not being able to be out there with your guys and you see your guys out there having fun,” he said. “You see guys out there making plays and you want to make a contribution to the team.
“I think that’s the hardest thing is like not having a certain role on the team, just because you’re not playing. Coach Campbell would tell me when I wasn’t playing, be the hypest guy on the sideline, be the most energized guy on the sideline. That’s what I took.”
Campbell mentioned frequently in recent weeks that it took former receiver Jayden Higgins, who Sowell was recruited to replace starting in 2025, a similar amount of time to truly make an impact.
The East Carolina transfer drew on Higgins’ experience frequently and said he remains a player he emulates.
“Jayden’s another guy that I watch all the time,” Sowell said. “Obviously, just because of his success. You see it. He’s still in the NFL. They’re not giving him the ball a lot, but when they do give him the ball, it’s like he’s making a play. He’s making something happen. I just watch him, look up to him and see the things that he’s doing. He just keeps going.”
Saturday night marked the second-consecutive game in which a transfer wide receiver sparked the Iowa State offense, as Sowell’s classmate Xavier Townsend caught three passes for 73 yards at Arkansas State.
Sowell said he thinks all the work the trio did behind the scenes is starting to pay off.
“I think it just goes back to the time that we put in with Rocco and Xavier,” he said. “We’ve gotten together in the summer after practice. Still to this day, we get extra reps with them. All the reps that we missed and stuff like that. I think it’s just the constant reps and being comfortable with each other. We have that connection now.”
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