Iowa State football's ailing defense might be down another key player.

In the second quarter of the Cyclones' game against Cincinnati, defensive lineman J.R. Singleton went down and was helped off the field by trainers before heading to the locker room.

It was unclear exactly what happened, but Singleton went down midway through the second quarter and was slow to get up before being helped to the locker room.

It appeared to be a lower-body injury.

It's unclear whether the slippery Jack Trice Stadium field played a factor, but the FOX broadcast showed a compilation just before Singleton's injury of several players on both teams slipping throughout the first half.

Who is J.R. Singleton's backup on Iowa State's depth chart?

According to Iowa State's depth chart, Ikenna Ezeogu is the Cyclones' backup defensive tackle.

The redshirt sophomore has 13 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack so far this season. In 2023, Ezeogu tallied 16 total tackles, one TFL and one sack.

J.R. Singleton stats

Singleton is enjoying the best season of his college career, already with career highs in total tackles (27), TFLs (4.5) and sacks (4).