The Iowa State Cyclones opened the 2024 college football season on a bittersweet note over the weekend.
The squad rolled to a 21-3 victory over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, marking the team’s fourth-straight season-opening victory and fifth in the past six seasons.
Iowa State suffered a major on-field loss, as well. Midway through the first quarter, redshirt junior linebacker Caleb Bacon was carted off the field with a leg injury. Bacon had surgery on Sunday to repair what head coach Matt Campbell referred to as a “lower leg injury.”
Campbell also told the media that Bacon may return before the season ends.
“I do think he’ll be back at some point later this season, or have the opportunity to get back later in the season, based on recovery. Obviously, that’s a tough blow for Caleb, just because he’s done such a great job, but the great news is from what it could have been and what it was, there’s a lot of positivity around it, too,” Campbell said via ESPN.
Bacon’s absence is a significant blow to the Cyclones’ defense. Last season, he recorded 60 tackles, second on the team, and three sacks.
Iowa State will have to figure something out in a hurry to replace Bacon’s production, as a showdown with the Iowa Hawkeyes looms large this weekend.
[ESPN]
