AMES — Iowa State football linebacker Caleb Bacon lost count of the number of missed tackles the Cyclones had in the loss to Cincinnati, but the film from the 38-35 defeat provided more than enough evidence to double down on his post-game sentiments from Oct. 4.

It was unacceptable.

“We had one or two guys on some of those explosive plays that were just out of their gaps — just attention to detail, little things like that,” Bacon said of the defense’s downfall against the Bearcats. “Nothing about our effort, like I thought our effort was outstanding. We were off the details a little bit, missing tackles. I know we had 20-ish-something missed tackles. That’s definitely not our standard, so just working on that now through this week of practice.”

The missed tackles, while plenty, were only a fraction of the problem. From over-pursuits, getting caught out of position, and an inability to get any disruptiveness up front, the Cyclones seemed a step too slow from their usual pace and tenacity.

“I don’t really think it had to do with the new guys that had to come fill in on defense,” Bacon said. “I think it was just kind of guys just getting kind of too far ahead of themselves. They came out in some different formations. We didn’t see it fast enough. We didn’t recognize it fast enough and they took advantage of it.”

The Cyclones gave up a season-high 38 points and 474 yards in the loss. It was the first game Iowa State played without both Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams.

In the first half, the Cyclones appeared to place their linebackers and safeties wider and a bit further back, possibly as a way to compensate and adjust for new cornerbacks playing in bigger roles. Weak-side linebackers occasionally lined up at the line of scrimmage, almost like a fourth lineman.

After halftime, Iowa State appeared to line up more in its standard defense, with linebackers and safeties more narrow and closer to their usual depth.

The reconfigured defense seemed to help in the second half, but it doesn’t fully explain the tackling woes and uncharacteristic miscues. At one point, Cincinnati built a 31-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

“We usually work on our tackling two times a week, so maybe we have to ramp that up,” Bacon said. “Obviously, really frustrating, they had some really good running backs, so I can see why those missed tackles happen, but I also don’t at the same time, because we go through all our fundamentals.”

Iowa State saw an improved second half, where it gave up just 132 total yards and seven points after the rocky start. However, the Bearcats also disrupted their own momentum by committing 10 second-half penalties.

“I think some of our run fits were just a hair off and the great thing is, you look at the second half of that football game and we were a hair on and that’s what it looks like,” said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. “It’s what we have to be, 11 guys doing their job.

“We didn’t play great defense in the first half … but I think the ability to make the adjustments and the ability to get ourselves corrected in-game was really impressive.”

Was the Oct. 4 loss and defensive slump a temporary blip or indicative of a deeper problem? The Cyclones will get an opportunity to rebound at Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN).

The Buffaloes are 2-4 and winless in Big 12 Conference play. It’ll be a winnable game before a bye week, and before the Cyclones’ schedule starts to ramp up against more formidable offenses.

Colorado is also looking to shake off a string of bitter results. The Buffaloes have blown two straight 14-0 leads. In their most recent outing, a 35-21 loss to TCU, Colorado committed four turnovers.

The Buffaloes don’t have the same momentum Cincinnati has, but they have another dual-threat quarterback in Kaidon Salter, who likes to spread the ball around across a balanced receiving group.

If there’s any silver linings for Iowa State’s defensive performance against Cincinnati, aside from fighting back in the second half to trim the deficit, it’s that its young cornerbacks are playing fearlessly in bigger roles. Tre Bell has had a few weeks of prominent playing time under his belt, getting a majority of snaps against Arkansas State and starting in the Arizona game.

Quentin Taylor Jr. defended a few passes his way that fell incomplete. He also finished with five tackles, including two for loss, in his first career start against Cincinnati. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the second-highest performance grade by an Iowa State defensive player in the loss to the Bearcats.

“I wasn’t fearful, I was ready, just got a little nervous in the beginning, I guess, but I was good after that,” Taylor said. “It was expected (that Cincinnati tests him and throws the ball his way), because I’m young and I’m playing a position that’s going to test all my details every play. I was prepared for the moment.”

What will Saturday’s game against Colorado bring? How will the defense and young secondary respond?

“I think that (cornerback) group will only grow and continue to get better, but I don’t think it made us feel any other way, other than we kind of felt those guys were pretty good players waiting for their opportunity,” Campbell said. “That’s a fun thing about football: when you get your shot, are you going to be ready for your moment? I think we’ve continued to show that we’ve got guys and when they get their opportunity, they’re going to be ready to play.”

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football’s defense aims to regroup against Colorado