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AMES – In Iowa State's 38-10 victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday inside Jack Trice Stadium, the Redhawks had just one pass go for more than 16 yards. Quarterback Braylen Ragland dropped a high-arching pass to receiver John Anthony into a bucket for a 40-yard gain that positioned the SEMO offense for a touchdown. Cyclone cornerback Beni Ngoyi was the Iowa State defensive back picked on with Ragland's perfectly placed pass. Ngoyi, a second-year defensive back, was receiving his biggest opportunity yet; suddenly, he was on the wrong side of a play in his first chance to make an impact for Cyclone football. Ngoyi didn't let the 40-yard completion negatively affect him, though. "You just got to tip your hat to that," he said after the game. A former wide receiver for Matt Campbell at Iowa State, Ngoyi was moved to defensive back in the lead-up to the 2025 season. It was a similar move Campbell's staff made with now-NFL defensive backs T.J. Tampa and Darien Porter. When Jimmy Rogers was hired as Campbell's replacement in early December, his evaluation of Ngoyi was encouraging despite the young player earning just 20 defensive snaps for the Cyclones in 2025. "I told the defensive staff, if we don't get this guy to the league, we've failed," Rogers said. "I mean that because I think he's got the attributes to take his game to the next level." After the 40-yard completion, Ngoyi showcased the NFL upside later in the game with one of the best catches a player will make in all of college football in 2026. INT of the year candidate in Week 1 😱 #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/jfR1Ttj6mK — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2026 Matched in a one-on-one near the Iowa State sideline, Ragland threw another rainbow pass in Ngoyi's direction. SEMO receiver Khylen Harris-Norman and Ngoyi tangled arms, fighting for position. Both jumped for the ball, but with a raised right hand, Ngoyi snatched the ball like an eagle does its prey. Before falling the freshly trimmed grass, he tucked it to his belly, making sure the leather wouldn't touch the field. "I just stuck the arm out and it stuck," Ngoyi said. Ngoyi was still in most of his gameday apparel when he arrived in the postgame media room. Only his helmet, jersey, shoulder pads and gloves had been removed. His eye black stickers were still stuck to his cheeks with "Psalms 27:3" written in pink marker. The verse is about courage and trusting through conflict. It perfectly describes Ngoyi's career at Iowa State. Dating back to the 2023 season, Ngoyi's practice performance has been praised by coaches. Yet, he never earned a big opportunity on the field. He played 116 snaps at receiver in the 11-win 2024 campaign, but he had only two catches for 27 yards. Last season, most of his opportunity came on special teams during Campbell's final season with the program. Practice praise didn't lead to gameday opportunity for Ngoyi under the previous coaching staff. When the coaching change occurred, he chose to stay with Rogers, defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit and defensive backs coach Mike Banks. "Looking at him, he's one of the best-looking kids on the team," Rogers said. "he's long, he's athletic, he's freakish athletic. He's just raw to football, and he's bounced around and moved from position of wide receiver to DB. I think the sky's the limit." Ngoyi's experience playing receiver helped him understand the 40-yard completion. Sometimes, playing defensive back, your opponent simply makes plays that you can't counter. A perfect pass and catch can't be defended. That's what happened on the 40-yard reception. Alongside starters David Coffey and Seth Johnson, Ngoyi played the third most snaps of any Cyclone cornerback on Saturday. His 32 snaps are the most he's ever played in a game in his college career.   "I knew they were going to come back to me just based off what happened earlier in the game," Ngoyi said. "But just being able to stay poised in that time and then just being able to look back, get a peek at the ball. When I saw it coming my way, I knew I could grab it." Grab it, he did. Ngoyi made, arguably, the play of the college football season in the first week of the season. "ESPN will show it," Rogers said. "It will be a top 10 pick"