It’s been more than a week since the Iowa State football team took the field for a game, and the injury status of some players is still up in the air, including starting kicker Kyle Konrardy.
Konrardy went 1-for-2 on field-goal attempts and missed an extra point in the Cyclones’ 24-16 win over Arkansas State on Sept. 13. The redshirt freshman went to the medical tent following his miss on a 48-yard field goal with 8:52 remaining in the second quarter and did not return to the game.
Here is the latest on Konrardy and the other kickers on Iowa State’s roster.
Kyle Konrardy injury update
Head coach Matt Campbell provided an update on Konrardy during his media availability on Tuesday, Sept. 23, ahead of Iowa State’s Week 5 matchup against Arizona.
“The only guy that’s probably not back this week is Kyle,” Campbell said. “I think the one thing that’s positive for us with Kyle is it’s not going to be a long-term situation.
“It’s more of a leg injury in terms of a strain than it is anything else. I really think it’s more week-to-week right now. We’re certainly excited about that.”
Campbell said Konrardy’s injury had been lingering for the past month after the Sept. 13 Arkansas State game.
“This isn’t something that just crept up today,” he said then.
Who is Chase Smith?
When Konrardy exited the Arkansas State game, freshman kicker Chase Smith handled kicking duties for the remainder of the contest. Smith likely will get the nod Saturday against Arizona with Konrardy and redshirt junior Jace T. Gilbert out.
Smith, from Eldridge, Iowa, went 1-for-1 on extra points against the Red Wolves. He went 3-for-3 on extra points in Iowa State’s home opener versus South Dakota. He was the Class 4A District 3 Punter of the Year at North Scott High School and chose to stay in his home state and walk on at Iowa State over a scholarship offer from Murray State.
Who is Jace T. Gilbert?
Gilbert, who has primarily handled kickoffs and shared some punting duties for the Cyclones the previous two seasons, was the team’s starting kicker as a freshman during the 2022-23 season, connecting on 21-of-22 extra points and going 12-for-20 on field-goal attempts. He lost the job at the start of the 2023 season and has not attempted a field goal since his freshman season.
The Marlow, Oklahoma, native handled kickoffs in the season opener against Kansas State and did so to start in the Aug. 30 game against South Dakota. Midway through the win over the Coyotes, Gilbert was relieved for Kyle Konrardy and could be seen with ice wrapped around his upper leg on the sidelines. He has not played since and will not be available this week, Campbell said.
“Jace was, he got hurt in the South Dakota game after the first kickoff, so he’ll be out,” Campbell said Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ll get him back by the end of the football season.”
Iowa State also has a Jace J. Gilbert, who plays on the defensive line.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who is Chase Smith? A look at Iowa State’s kicker with Kyle Konrardy and Jace T. Gilbert out
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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