Four Iowa State players met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the team's upcoming conference game on Saturday night against the Knights. Here were some of the highlights in this week's edition of the Players Lounge.

Beau Freyler on what it will take for better opening possessions for the defense:

"I think it all just comes down to focus. Our attitude and effort is there. It just comes down to focus and execution in the moment."

Freyler on how much defensive coordinator Jon Heacock is to credit for this unit:

"Yeah, Coach is awesome. He does an incredible job putting us in great opportunities to go out and execute. It really falls on us to be the ones on the field executing because of all the work the coach has put in to put us in the best positions possible."

Freyler on how much he and others have helped bring the young linebackers along:

"Man, I wouldn't even give myself credit. I give all the credit to them. They've done a great job stepping up, knowing their job, knowing their role, and then just executing. If you go back and watch those young boys practice every day, it's the same practice they execute, do their job. So when it comes to Saturday, they're doing the same thing. So it's nothing on my part. It's them executing and them being able to play and take advantage of their opportunities."

Freyler on how the defense has kept up its high level of play with the linebacker injuries:

"It's just a next man up mentality. The thing with football is there's always going to be some type of adversity throughout the season. So injuries, unfortunately we've had quite a few of those, but just being able to rally around those guys and just keep pushing forward."

Freyler on the defense's ability to adjust quickly after opening drives:

"I just think iPads, making adjustments on the fly. But I really just think it comes down to our focus in the moment coming out that first drive and being able to throw the first punch instead of kind of getting punched in our face and being able to respond from there. So I think moving forward, that's the biggest thing that we've kind of focused on as a defense.

Freyler on playing a UCF team that's struggling in the red zone that could try anything:

"You know, absolutely. Every team is going to come in with a game plan based on the defense they're going against. You know, they're going to run what they run, but they're going to have a few wrinkles based on matchups, the way we run our defense and things of that nature. So, we're going to look at it all and, you know, weak points of our defense as well, be able to prepare for those things."

Jayden Higgins on if he gave Rocco Becht a hard time about his touchdown streak ending:

"No, I didn't give him a hard time. We were running the ball great, so they took one of my touchdowns."

Higgins on what worked so well for him during that streak:

"Yeah, I would just say just the game plan really, just getting me the ball in certain situations. But ultimately, like I said, we were running the ball great, so if we could score running the ball, then it doesn't matter. We'll take that easy any day."

Higgins on how the offense has started to click with the running game:

"I feel like we've been clicking really well. Just like you said, that's the biggest thing, consistency. Yeah, everyone's gelling together, and we're just doing what our coaches need us to do, our assignment."

Higgins on what he's seen from Becht as the moments have gotten bigger for the team:

"I think I've just seen the same thing from Rocco since I've been here. He's really consistent, a great leader, comes in every week, does his job, does it at a very high level. He's just a very down-to-earth type of guy. He's going to be the same guy every week."

Higgins on Eli Green re-emerging in last week's game with a couple bit catches:

"Eli's a great receiver. We know whenever we put him in there, he can go in and make plays. The opportunity was just presented that the ball was coming to him, and of course he made the play. We're extremely thankful, but that's what we expect him to do all the time."

Higgins on how this team is 6-0:

"I would just say it's our mindset throughout the whole year. We came into the year knowing that this was going to happen. It's been 133 years where we're trying to change the mindset of this school. We're trying to win the Big 12 Championship, so it's just a mindset we have. It means a lot to us, and every week we've got to give it our best."

Rocco Becht on playing again in prime time:

"I just think we have to keep our same process that we have for the past three weeks, because this is gonna be our fourth night game. And so whatever we did last week and the week before that, just continuing to do that and maybe switch up a little things to maybe make it better. So it's gonna be a long day, but we'll be prepared."

Becht on who his dad Anthony was rooting for last weekend:

"Definitely Iowa State, until he had to go out there and accept his award. But he was definitely on Iowa State's side that night."

Becht on how the team is 6-0 with all the injuries on defense at linebacker:

"I would say the defense aside, those guys, there's so many guys on that defense that just put in the work every day. And honestly, it's a scheme on defense. You put a player in that spot, and if you do your reads right and your keys, you're gonna be a good player here. So knowing that, I have so much trust in that defense to go out there and ball out and get us the ball back. And then on offense, it's just consistently, the precision and detail is huge for us. Because if we're not on that, we're gonna have slow starts, and we're not gonna be able to come back from adversity. But when we're on one page and everybody's doing their job, we're a hard team to beat, I think."

Becht on if he thinks the average fan is checking ISU's scores from week to week:

"I don't know, that's up to them. We're just trying to go out there and get a win for us and this team. For each other, no matter what the noise says on the outside, what the people say on the outside, we're trying to play for each other as a team, and just trying to win games."

Becht on the team's ability to bounce back following some slow starts:

"Coach Campbell says it all. Who's gonna be the most desperate team on Saturday? And so I feel like we've been the most desperate team out there, because we remember our history and we have our scars from the past. And so remembering those games and the way that it ended, we don't want that to happen again. So continuing to play, and play for one another, and trust that everyone's gonna do their job in that second half. That's gonna be big for us moving forward. But that's why I say that the last thing we need to work on is starting fast on that first drive, and on the first drive in the second half."

Becht on having two wide receivers with 500-plus yards:

"Those two guys deserve it all. They put in the work each and every day on the practice field, in the film room, they're a mentor to those other guys as well. So their plates are full. But they go out there with full trust in me to get them the ball and put it where it needs to be for them to go do their job. So they deserve all that credit because they just, once I put the ball in their hands, they're able to do special things with the ball."

JR Singleton on what people outside the program think of ISU being 6-0:

"I feel average people probably will think it's a surprise. For us, it's not really a surprise. We worked really hard in the offseason. We have faith and belief in each other. And I feel like in 2024, that's really hard to do. Especially for young people. You want things right away. And we've been able to put that aside, put our pride aside, and play together. And that's just what's been working for us. So we're just going to keep hanging our head on that each and every week."

Singleton on if there's anything in the team room that refers to the playoff:

"Honestly, we just take things week by week. Because I feel like if you look that far ahead, you'll miss the opportunity that's right in front of you. We've lived that here at Ames. Looking so far ahead that we're not here in the present. In 2021, I think we were ranked somewhere top 10 in the country in the preseason poll. And we had a lot of NFL draft picks that year, but we failed to complete the mission. We were 7-6, which is really subpar for the talent that we had on that team. So now, we're learning from our mistakes, our scars, and we're really building off of that. We take every team humbly. UCF is a really talented team, so we've got to be ready and prepare for them."

Singleton on when in the offseason things started to come together for this team:

"I'd say, honestly, when we came back in January, Coach Campbell really emphasized how we're not young anymore. A lot of people in the media was like, oh, you know, young this, young that. And Coach Campbell said, no, we're not young anymore. We had a year of experience under our belt. We lost the Ohio game. We lost to Oklahoma. We've played in the big games. We've played in the big moments. We've played in bowl games. So we're not young anymore. And we believed in all of the talent that we've had all across the room. But it's not just about talent. It's about your fundamentals, your detail, and your technique. So we really went back to work in January, honing in on those skills and those things. Late nights, me as kind of a captain and leader, I took the guys on defense and just worked on our fundamentals, both working with the safety's fundamentals, Rocco working with the wide receivers, Jaylin (Noel) with the wide receivers and tight ends and everything. So kind of just when we came together in fall camp, it kind of just all meshed together."