Heacock has transformed Iowa State’s defense since arriving in 2016, but he’s impressed by how the unit remains effective despite numerous injuries depleting the ranks.

“We’ve got some areas for sure that we gotta improve, but don’t misunderstand me, I’m proud of the hearts that get laid out there on Saturdays,” Heacock said. “We got guys taped up, banged up and filling in for guys. You look out there sometimes, and it’s wild. But I’m really proud of this group. We can still play better defense.”

He added: “Kind of a perfectionist, the bad guy in the building − we’ve got a lot of missed assignments we’re still having, we’re missing tackles out in space that would eliminate some things. We’ve not been very good in situational football, third downs. … We’ve been playing extremely hard, we’ve laid our hearts out there, and that gives you the best chance out of any scheme or anything else that you can do, but along the way here we gotta improve playing better football.”

Despite Iowa State boasting a top-five scoring defense in the country, allowing just 11.0 points per game, and a +9 turnover margin that’s tied for fourth-best in the nation, the Cyclones have been prone to giving up early scoring drives and touchdowns to their opponents. They’re working on starting hot out of the gate.

It also adds to the mystique of this year’s defense and the group’s ability to make exceptionally good adjustments for the second half.

The addition of tablets this year, as part of the NCAA’s rule revision in April, has helped. Players and coaches can review video replays from the sideline. They’ve also kept an open line of communication with one another.

Iowa State football JR Singleton on comparisons between 1938, 2024

The accomplishments and comparisons are flattering, but this year’s Iowa State team hopes to go even higher.

“In a healthy organization, both are working together,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “Beau (Freyler) has played so much football here, Kooper Ebel is that voice in the linebacker room, then J.R. (Singleton) — those guys having enough football experience and wisdom to be able to give you feedback along the way. … I think those are highly beneficial conversations on the sidelines sometimes, but I think it also comes down to our coaches trying to do the right thing and put our guys in the right situation.”

Intense simulations of in-game situations, going back to training-camp practices, have helped prepare the Cyclone defense.

“(Coach Campbell) had situations where we were down seven or down 10, and it was like, ‘Hey, defense, you got to get the ball back right now, or we’re going to lose,'” Singleton said. “We were put in those situations before the season came, so now that it’s here, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this, we’d seen it maybe three to five times.

“Practice is different than a game, but I feel like a lot of college athletes think of practice the wrong way. It’s not just for beating the person in front of you, you’ve gotta put yourself in the position like you’re playing in the game. Just because a move works against a person on your team doesn’t mean it’s gonna work on an opponent. When you watch film, you gotta ask yourself, ‘If I did this in a game, is this gonna work?’ If the answer is no, then you’re back to the drawing board and you practice like you play on Saturday.”

The Cyclones are back on Saturday against Central Florida (6:30 p.m., FS1), where they’ll try to protect home field and improve to 7-0.

While Iowa State is confident in its defense, the Cyclones allowed opening-drive touchdowns to Baylor and West Virginia. The Cyclones are hoping to set the tone early this time around.

“I really wish we’d play at the beginning and get off the field on third downs and we have not,” Heacock said. “I think that’s also the people that we’re playing. We’re playing some good football teams that can move the ball on offense, and we’re playing another one on Saturday. … I truly would like to get the first third-down stop, get off the field and get our guys the ball, but that’s the part I’m the proudest of our guys — they don’t flinch, they keep playing, and they believe in each other. More so than anything, that gives us the best chance to try to get things fixed as we go along.”