Rhythm and power: Brock enjoys 100-yard rushing effort in season opener for Cyclones

AMES, Iowa — Quincy High School football fans remember these kinds of plays well.

Jirehl Brock gets to the edge, turns upfield, jukes a defender, powers through a defender and finishes the play with a bull-dozing mentality.

Iowa State fans saw how that looked Saturday.

Brock’s signature run of his first 100-yard collegiate performance came in the second half of a 42-10 victory over Southeast Missouri State at Jack Trice Stadium. 

On second and 4 from the Redhawks’ 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Brock took a handoff running left, ran through three tackles to get to the sideline, juked a defender who went flying out of bounds past Brock and reached the 1-yard line. He punched it in on the next play to put a stamp on a solid performance.

“Every time I run the ball, I want to go out there with the mentality to not get tackled,” Brock told reporters in the postgame media session. “Any way I can maneuver out of a tackle, if I have to spin out of it, if I have to run somebody over, I’m gonna try to do it.”

A junior who is QHS’s all-time leading rusher, Brock made the first regular-season start of his Iowa State career but was given just three carries for 5 yards in the first half as the Cyclones turned to the passing game to build a 21-10 lead.

Iowa State had 238 yards passing against just 20 yards rushing in the half.

Everything changed in the second half. Brock carried the ball 13 times for 99 yards, pushing him to 104 yards total and his first 100-yard effort of his career.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell suggested it takes time for tailbacks to find the right rhythm.

Brock eventually found it.

“In fall camp, you might hit a few times but you’re not hitting all the time,” Brock said. “And every run seems to kind of break when you’re in practice because it’s just (not full contact).  The rhythm’s definitely different. The speed’s different. But after a few of them, I feel you kind of get in a rhythm with it and you can just run away with it.” 

Brock also caught one pass for 13 yards and did everything asked of him.

“I thought he caught the ball out of the backfield well, I thought he blocked well and we all know he can run the ball really well,” Campbell said. “I thought from his standpoint it was a great start, and I don’t know if you can ask for a better start.”