Iowa State football's Will McDonald IV edges closer to Big 12 career sack mark
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AMES – It had been a good start to the season for Will McDonald IV.
The Iowa State senior was drawing a ton of offensive attention, with schemes designed to slow the defensive end, making things easier on his teammates around him. Still, despite the wall put in front of him every week, he was disruptive, hurrying the quarterback and knocking down passes.
McDonald, though, had just 1.5 sacks through five games. Certainly not an insignificant amount of production, but for someone who averaged just under a sack per game the last two years, it had to be frustrating.
Or at least it looked as though McDonald was releasing some exasperation last weekend when he celebrated the first of two sacks against Kansas State. He excitedly bounded around the Jack Trice Stadium field like a man who had finally found an oasis after stumbling through the desert.
“I know the sack number is a big thing – for him to get the reward of that is awesome,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday. “He’s playing really great football for us.”
McDonald, already Iowa State’s career leader in sacks, now has 32.5 in his career, which leaves him 1.5 from tying the all-time Big 12 mark set by Texas Tech’s Aaron Hunt. With his next sack, McDonald will pass Von Miller, the former Texas A&M standout and future NFL Hall of Famer, for second on the Big 12 list.
“I am trying to beat the sack record,” McDonald said in September. “That was one of my goals this season.”
McDonald’s first priority, though, is continuing to help Iowa State’s defense rate among the country’s stoutest. The attention he is drawing may make getting to the quarterback more difficult for him, but it’s helping the rest of the defense rank first in the Big 12.
“So much was getting slid at him and now all of a sudden you’re seeing some of these other guys having production and proving they can handle it,” Campbell said. “That’s helped Will out a lot.”
McDonald’s breakthrough against the Wildcats aided Iowa State in holding its opponent to a single touchdown for the second-straight week. His presence will again be huge this week as Iowa State prepares to take on No. 24 Texas (11 a.m.; ABC), who just got starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back from injury. The freshman threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns in the Longhorns’ historic 49-0 thrashing of Oklahoma last week.
“It helps a lot,” safety Beau Freyler said of McDonald’s production. “It makes our jobs easier. Defense is a team game so when they’re doing their thing (up front), getting to the quarterback, it makes the job easier for us when we’re holding up in coverage.”
Given not only McDonald’s natural talent for bringing quarterbacks to the ground, but his intense work ethic, it was only a matter of time before he increased his sack total again.
“Nobody works harder at his craft,” Campbell said. “I was teasing our coaches- it was late on Monday night, and who’s the guy still in the facility still working on his craft? It’s Will.
“The thing I appreciate about him is how hard he plays and to watch the results come (is great).”
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State senior 2 sacks away from being all-time Big 12 sack champ
