Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) makes a catch around Texas Tech Red Raiders' defensive back Maurion Horn (4) during the second quarter in the week-10 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

Texas Tech topples No. 11 Iowa State with 12-play drive in final minutes

Texas Tech defeated No. 11 Iowa State 23-22 on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, following a fourth-quarter comeback orchestrated by quarterback Behren Morton.

Tahj Brooks crossed the goal line on the game-winning touchdown for the Red Raiders (6-3, 4-2) with 19 seconds remaining to cap off a 12-play, 71-yard drive. With Morton lined up as a receiver on the second-and-goal play, Brooks caught a direct snap and ran into the right side of the end zone.

Morton had 237 yards of passing on 21-of-40 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both touchdown passes went to Josh Kelly, who had 127 receiving yards on eight receptions.

The Cyclones (7-1, 4-1) undefeated and averaging 25.1 penalty yards per game entering the day, were dealt their first loss, committing eight penalties for 59 yards in the process.

On one penalty, Morton was intercepted by Jontez Williams, but an illegal hands to the face flag on Tyler Onyedim kept the ball in the Red Raiders’ hands. Morten led Texas Tech for nine more plays in the drive, ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kelly.

Even so, it looked like Iowa State had their second straight fourth-quarter comeback when Rocco Becht found Carson Brown for a 44-yard touchdown with 2:11 remaining in the game. But that left Texas Tech plenty of time to run a successful two-minute offense.

After Texas Tech’s game-winning drive, Iowa State had a chance to get into field goal range for a game-winning kick. On the final play, the Cyclones tried to use laterals to keep the game going after the clock hit zero, but couldn’t convert on the play, giving the Red Raiders the victory.

Becht had 299 yards of passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Jayden Higgins was Iowa State’s top receiver on the day, catching 10 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) reacts after made a first down against UCF during the first quarter in the week-8 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

Texas Tech tries to contain Rocco Becht, No. 11 Iowa State

Texas Tech started its Big 12 Conference schedule strong, winning three straight, but now head to Ames, Iowa, on a two-game losing streak to face No. 11 Iowa State.

While Iowa State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) was on a bye week, the Red Raiders (5-3, 3-2) lost a heartbreaker to TCU 35-34, giving up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to fall to sixth in the conference.

In its past two losses, Texas Tech allowed 94 points to its opponent, forcing head coach Joey McGuire to challenge his defense.

“We’ve got to continue to play better on defense,” McGuire said. “I felt like we got out tackled in space the last two games with Baylor and TCU, those are things we’re going to challenge the guys at.”

A hurdle Texas Tech was able to jump was the loss of quarterback Behren Morton, who left at halftime after injuring his non-throwing left shoulder. True freshman Will Hammond stepped up to both throw and rush for a touchdown, throwing for 121 yards on 10-for-15 passing without an interception.

“I’ve just been so impressed with the young man who’s their quarterback he goes out,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. “And at halftime, the first drive I think he’s 9-for-9 right down the field for a touchdown. This young freshman comes in, I think it shows how well dedicated they are at teaching their system.”

McGuire didn’t rule Morton out of Saturday’s game, saying that anyone questionable on the injury report will be ready to play. Practice this week will determine if Morton starts over Hammond.

Iowa State has its own impressive quarterback in Rocco Becht, who led the Cyclones over UCF 38-35 on Oct. 19. With 30 seconds remaining, Becht scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 11-play, 80-yard drive where the sophomore quarterback either ran or passed on every play. The drive only lasted 78 seconds.

“He’s got a quarterback that’s playing at high level. They’ve got two NFL receivers. They’ve got three running backs that they rotate,” McGuire said about Iowa State’s offensive threats.

Adding to that group is the potential return of tight end Ben Brahmer, who left in the second quarter of the win over UCF. Brahmer averages 17.9 yards per catch and is important in Iowa State’s balanced rushing attack, providing blocking for the trio of Cyclones running backs.

Iowa State may get others back who were able to recover during the bye week, putting the team in the best spot it has been health-wise since September.

“A week off was such a pivotal time for our football team,” Campbell said. “We’ll probably be as close to as strong as we’ve been since probably the Arkansas State game (on Sept. 21).”

An Iowa State win would secure its best start to a season, eclipsing a 7-0 start in 1938. It also would keep Iowa State atop the Big 12 standings, tied with No. 9 BYU, which is idle this week.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Carson Hansen (26) runs for a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the fourth quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

No. 9 Iowa State seeks to stay undefeated in matchup vs. UCF

After trailing by a touchdown early last week at West Virginia, Iowa State surged to its sixth straight win to start the season.

On Saturday, the No. 9 Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) will host UCF (3-3, 1-2) in Ames, Iowa, in an effort to remain unbeaten and at the top of the Big 12 Conference.

Iowa State started slowly against the Mountaineers, but Carson Hansen led the Cyclones to a 28-16 victory with 96 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Hansen’s solid game doesn’t guarantee the running back will start against UCF because Iowa State has three backs with at least 245 rushing yards this season. It’s a position battle between Hansen (307 yards), Abu Sama III (248) and the team’s leading rusher, Jaylon Jackson (314).

“That’s the great thing about football practice, right? You go to practice, and when you practice and play good, then you get to play in the game,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “We’ve got three guys that are really good football players, and they keep playing really good football, and I think we’re as blessed as anybody in college football right now to have guys that are playing great.”

For Saturday’s game, Campbell said he is most concerned with the Knights’ running game. UCF coach Gus Malzahn relies on RJ Harvey, who leads the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns (nine) and is third in rushing yards (694).

Harvey is part of a diverse ground attack between the running back and quarterback position for UCF, with both potential starting quarterbacks rushing for over 175 yards each.

“I think when you have that, and you have the ability to create multiple ball carriers with every possession, you’ve got the ability to attack multiple gaps with what they do, it’s a real challenge,” Campbell said.

The issue for the Knights is which quarterback will start on Saturday.

After leading the Knights to a three-game winning streak to begin the season, senior KJ Jefferson lost two games as a starter and was benched in favor of sophomore Jacurri Brown. In a 19-13 loss to Cincinnati, Brown had his first start of the year, going 13-for-20 for 207 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 84 yards.

“All I can tell you now is he’s the first to take snaps tomorrow in practice,” Malzahn said Monday about Brown. “With Brown as our quarterback, you can see we had a little bit more life in our offense. We put the ball vertically down the field. I think he did some good things for his first rodeo.”

In the loss to the Bearcats, UCF struggled to finish drives, scoring one touchdown on its 10 possessions. Now the Knights will try to score against the top-scoring defense in the Big 12, with Iowa State allowing an average of only 11 points per game.

Iowa State needs a win Saturday to keep up with Texas Tech and BYU at the top of the Big 12, with each team entering the weekend at 3-0. Overall, the Cyclones haven’t started a season 6-0 since 1938.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Carson Hansen (26) is tackled by West Virginia Mountaineers safety Jaheem Joseph (3) during the second quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

No. 11 Iowa State pulls away in 4th to beat West Virginia

Carson Hansen rushed for three touchdowns Saturday night and Rocco Becht threw for 265 yards as No. 11 Iowa State improved to 6-0 with a 28-16 win over West Virginia in Morgantown, W. Va.

Hansen picked up 96 yards on 20 carries for the Cyclones, who improved to 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference. Becht completed 18 of 26 passes with a touchdown on the night the Mountaineers honored his father, Anthony, by inducting him into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Garrett Greene completed 18 of 32 attempts for 206 yards and a 10-yard touchdown strike to Jahiem White with 1:10 left in the game. But Greene threw two damaging interceptions that Iowa State cashed in to break the game open during the fourth quarter.

The Mountaineers (3-3, 2-1) were on the move late in the third quarter at the Cyclones’ 29 when Greene forced a pass over the middle that Jamison Patton intercepted. Ten plays later, Hansen powered in from the 3 to give Iowa State a 21-10 advantage with 11:57 left in the game.

Greene then threw his next pass to the Cyclones’ Jontez Williams, teeing up the visitors for a short field at the West Virginia 33. Hansen sealed the outcome by bulling in from the 2 with 4:42 remaining.

Coming off consecutive conference wins, including a 38-14 pasting at Oklahoma State last week, the Mountaineers got off to a promising start. They opened the game with a 14-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes, scoring on White’s 8-yard run.

But the Cyclones figured things out in the second quarter. Becht tied the score less than two minutes into the period when he found Jaylin Noel for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Iowa State unfurled a 17-play, 91-yard drive on its next possession that Hansen capped with an 11-yard run at the 2:39 mark.

West Virginia answered right before halftime when Greene hit Kole Taylor for 24 yards and Traylon Ray for 13. That set up Michael Hayes II for a 43-yard field goal with 32 seconds left, cutting the Cyclones’ lead to 14-10 at the break.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) runs the football against the Baylor Bears at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones beat the Bears 43 to 21.  Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Rocco Becht, No. 11 Iowa State ride hot streak into West Virginia

There are quarterbacks who have thrown for more yards than Iowa State’s Rocco Becht, completed a higher percentage of their passes than Becht and tossed more touchdown passes than Becht.

However, Cyclones coach Matt Campbell, whose 11th-ranked team tries to extend its season-opening winning streak to six on Saturday night at West Virginia, is adamant that he would rather have no one running his team than Becht.

“He’s playing as good as anyone right now and I’m really proud of what he’s done,” Campbell said. “It’s not the first read, it’s the second, third or fourth read in the progression. It tells you his moxie and his growth.”

Becht displayed all the qualities Campbell talked about last week during a 43-21 Big 12 Conference win against Baylor, hitting 16 of 25 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The yardage total was his season high.

Becht is hitting nearly two-thirds of his passes so far for 1,173 yards with nine scores and only three interceptions. But the numbers and individual accolades mean little to him. So, too, does the program’s first 5-0 start since 1980.

“It just means that we’ve gotta win this next one,” Becht said of the unbeaten mark, which includes a 2-0 conference record. “Five and 0 is awesome and I’m gonna keep saying it, but we’re 0-0 right now and we just need to go game-by-game.”

Jayden Higgins has been Becht’s favorite target so far with 33 catches for 403 yards, while Jaylin Noel provides a big-play threat, averaging 18.8 yards on 24 receptions. Three different backs have rushed for at least 200 yards, with Eastern Michigan transfer Jaylon Jackson compiling a team-high 295 yards.

West Virginia (3-2, 2-0) is looking to make a statement that it can contend for the conference title. The Mountaineers certainly looked the part last week against struggling Oklahoma State with a 38-14 rout in Stillwater.

West Virginia outgained the Cowboys 558-227, rushing for a whopping 389 yards on 65 attempts and controlling the ball for nearly 43 minutes. Jahiem White rolled up 158 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries, while quarterback Garrett Greene added 86 yards on the ground and threw for 159.

Coach Neal Brown said the Mountaineers could get another weapon back in the passing game this week. Justin Robinson, who missed the past two games due to an undisclosed injury, has a chance to return to the lineup.

“He practiced (Monday) and I think he’ll be back,” Brown said. “He was close to playing last week. There’s nobody that’s definitely out as of right now.”

Greene has thrown for 1,061 yards and rushed for 295, spraying completions around to a dozen different receivers. Ultimately, the game could come down to whether the Mountaineers’ defense, which is allowing 25.6 points per game, can find ways to get stops and perhaps give the West Virginia offense good field position against a defense yielding only 10 points per game.

West Virginia owns a 6-5 lead in the series, which started when it joined the Big 12 in 2012. Iowa State won the latest meeting 31-14 in 2022.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball over Baylor Bears safety DJ Coleman (33) during the first quarter in the NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

No. 16 Iowa State starts slow, then pulls away from Baylor

Rocco Becht completed 16 of 25 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and No. 16 Iowa State finished strong for a 43-21 win over Baylor in a Big 12 Conference matchup on Saturday night in Ames, Iowa.

Jaylon Jackson finished with 15 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State (5-0, 2-0), which has won its first five games of the season for the first time since 1980. Jayden Higgins had eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Benjamin Brahmer also caught a touchdown pass.

Sawyer Robertson completed 25 of 44 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for Baylor (2-4, 0-3). Ketron Jackson Jr., Michael Trigg and Josh Cameron hauled in one touchdown pass apiece for the Bears.

Baylor opened a 14-3 lead before Iowa State scored 40 of the final 47 points. The Cyclones finished with a 542-337 advantage in total yards.

Baylor got on the scoreboard first when Robertson found Cameron for a 4-yard touchdown. That capped a nine-play, 84-yard drive.

Kyle Konrardy answered with a 45-yard field goal for Iowa State, but the Cyclones trailed 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bears made it 14-3 when Robertson hit Trigg for an 8-yard touchdown 1:14 into the second quarter.

Iowa State scored the next 16 points of the first half to pull ahead, however.

Konrardy cut the deficit to 14-6 with a 38-yard field goal. On the next possession, Becht found Brahmer for a 10-yard touchdown to pull Iowa State within 14-12 with 6:10 left in the half (though Konrardy missed the extra point).

Iowa State took the lead with a special-teams touchdown with 4:46 left in the half. The Cyclones blocked a punt and Caden Matson scooped up the ball and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 19-14.

Baylor briefly regained a 21-19 lead early in the third quarter. Robertson notched his third touchdown pass when he hit Jackson Jr. for a 25-yard score 2:05 into the third.

Iowa State reeled off 24 unanswered points to seal the victory.

Jackson put the Cyclones on top 26-21 with a 10-yard rushing touchdown with 10:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Becht hit Higgins for an 11-yard score to make it 33-21 late in the third quarter.

Jackson scored again, this time from 20 yards out, to make it 40-21 with 11:31 remaining.

Konrardy finished the scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 2:16 left.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) runs with the ball as Houston Cougars defensive back Kentrell Webb (8) attempts to make a tackle during the first half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

No. 18 Iowa State stifles Houston in shutout win

Rocco Becht completed 17 of 28 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, and No. 18 Iowa State earned a shutout on the road with a 20-0 win over Houston on Saturday night.

Abu Sama III finished with 11 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State (4-0). The Cyclones’ defense limited the Cougars to 241 total yards and stopped nine of 10 third-down attempts.

Stacy Sneed had 10 carries for 79 yards to lead Houston (1-4). Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith completed 8 of 12 passes for 71 yards and an interception.

The Cyclones finished with a 34:55 to 25:05 advantage in time of possession. They also had three penalties for 20 yards, compared with seven penalties for 77 yards for Houston.

Iowa State took a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Kyle Konrardy made a 23-yard field goal to finish an 11-play, 65-yard drive.

The next eight possessions of the first half — four for Houston and four for Iowa State — each ended with punts. The Cyclones held on to a three-point lead at the break.

Iowa State finally scored the first touchdown of the game with 2:12 left in the third quarter. Becht connected with Jayden Higgins on a back-shoulder throw for a 12-yard touchdown.

The play marked Higgins’ fourth touchdown in as many games this season. He has 10 receiving touchdowns in one-plus seasons with Iowa State after notching 13 touchdown receptions in his first two seasons with Eastern Kentucky.

Konrardy struck again, this time from 34 yards, to increase the Cyclones’ lead to 13-0 with 11:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Sama finished the scoring with a 77-yard rushing touchdown with 5:39 to go.

The sophomore running back from Des Moines, Iowa, took a handoff and sprinted up the middle into heavy traffic, and it appeared that he might be stuffed for a short gain. But none of the Houston defenders brought him down, and Sama III broke loose for a sprint into the open field for his first touchdown of the season.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) catches the ball around Arkansas State Red Wolves cornerback Justin Hodges (0) during the first quarter in the week-4 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

No. 18 Iowa State wary of host Houston in Big 12 matchup

No. 18 Iowa State won its first three games by an average of 21.3 points, but Cyclones coach Matt Campbell isn’t the least bit impressed.

Iowa State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) looks to please its coach on Saturday when it visits Houston (1-3, 0-1) in the Cyclones’ conference opener.

The Cyclones do have a 20-19 victory over fierce rival Iowa on the ledger, but Campbell said his team has to perform much better to survive in Big 12 play.

“We’ve got a lot to prove. We’re a football team that’s got a lot of work to do,” Campbell said. “When you get into conference play, you want to be at least creating some momentum for yourself. We were able to do some of that at times. But to win in the Big 12 is hard. To win week in and week out is really, really hard.

“The challenge for us is can we keep getting better? Can we keep improving? Can we continue to show up? We’re on the road (this) week, which isn’t easy to do. It’s really hard to win conference games on the road, and it’ll be a great challenge for us.”

Iowa State rolled to a 52-7 home win over Arkansas State last weekend, building a 31-0 halftime lead and cruising to Campbell’s 56th win at Iowa State. That tied him with Dan McCarney (1995-2006) for most victories in school history.

Jayden Higgins (17 catches, 208 yards, three touchdowns in three games) caught a touchdown pass for the fifth straight game to match the school record. Sidekick Jaylin Noel (15-317, two TDs) has caught at least one pass in 35 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in school history.

Cornerback Darien Porter has a team-best two interceptions for a defense that ranks ninth nationally in opponents’ scoring at 9.67 points per game.

The Cougars could have a hard time moving the ball against the Cyclones after being blanked 34-0 by host Cincinnati last weekend. Houston had just 233 total yards and 12 first downs.

The poor performance led first-year coach Willie Fritz to switch to a two-quarterback system. Donovan Smith will start against Iowa State, but backup Zeon Chriss also will see action.

Smith has thrown four interceptions while completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 610 yards and two touchdowns. Chriss is 2-for-5 passing for 19 yards.

“They’ve both done some good things,” Fritz said. “I’ve seen some good things and some things not so good. We’re going to play both of those guys, and we’re going to give both opportunities to show us what they can do. We’ve got to play better at the other 10 guys. That’s a big part.

“The quarterback gets too much credit when things go well, and they get too much blame when things don’t go well. The whole offense has got to play better. That starts with the head coach, the coordinators and the position coaches as well. We’ve got to do a better job.”

The Cougars rank 129th (out of 133 FBS schools) in scoring at 13 points per game, and they sit 122nd in total offense at 294.2 yards per game.

Houston safety A.J. Haulcy had 11 tackles against Cincinnati for his eighth career game of 10 or more stops. Linebacker Michael Batton had a season-high 10 tackles.

This is the first meeting between the teams.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball against Arkansas State during the first quarter in the week-4 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.

No. 20 Iowa State dominates Arkansas State

Rocco Becht threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the first half on Saturday as No. 20 Iowa State remained unbeaten with a 52-7 blowout of Arkansas State in Ames, Iowa.

Becht completed 11 of 18 passes for 204 yards with an interception as the Cyclones improved to 3-0. Carson Hansen added two short scoring runs as Iowa State finished with 490 yards in total offense.

Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor was pulled to start the second half after hitting only 5 of 16 passes for 68 yards with two interceptions. Backup Timmy McClain went 4 of 7 for 50 yards and a touchdown as Arkansas State fell to 2-2 with its second straight loss.

Unlike last week’s 28-18 setback at then-No. 17 Michigan, which was at least respectable thanks to two late touchdowns, the Red Wolves couldn’t pretend this was close. They never got past the Iowa State 37 until McClain hit Hunter Summers for a 27-yard score with just under five minutes remaining.

It didn’t take Iowa State long to demonstrate that there wouldn’t be a letdown after its upset of Iowa two weeks ago, followed by a bye week. The Cyclones took the lead for good on their second possession via Hansen’s 1-yard run at the 8:47 mark.

Becht made it 14-0 with 45 seconds left in the first quarter on his 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a 31-yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy with 9:00 remaining in the first half. It was his first kick since a game-winner from 54 yards at Iowa.

Becht limbered up his right arm in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the half for a pair of scores. First, he connected with Tyler Moore on a 10-yarder, then he hit Jayden Higgins for a 16-yard touchdown, one play after Malik Verdon intercepted Raynor and returned it 38 yards.

That capped a half that Iowa State completely dominated. It outgained Arkansas State 287-101 and nearly doubled it in first downs (13-7) while averaging nearly eight yards per play.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State’s Rocco Becht (3) hands off the ball to Abu Sama III (24) against Iowa during the CyHawk game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Last-second field goal lifts Iowa State over No. 21 Iowa

Kyle Konrardy converted a 54-yard field goal Saturday with six seconds left, capping an Iowa State comeback from a 13-point halftime deficit as it defeated in-state rival No. 21 Iowa 20-19 in Iowa City.

The Cyclones (2-0) drove 42 yards in five plays after taking possession at their 22 with 34 seconds left. The big play was Rocco Becht’s 30-yard completion to Jaylin Noel that got Iowa State to the Hawkeyes’ 38. Two plays later, Konrardy hit the game-winner.

Becht was 23 of 35 for 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Noel caught five passes for 133 yards as the Cyclones outgained Iowa (1-1) 361-303.

Kaleb Johnson starred in defeat for the Hawkeyes, rushing for 187 yards and both of Iowa’s touchdowns on 25 carries. Quarterback Cade McNamara hit just 13 of 29 passes for 99 yards and tossed two interceptions.

Konrardy also hit a 46-yard field goal with 11:32 remaining to pull Iowa State within 19-17, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

Iowa controlled the first half, allowing no first downs and only 18 total yards in the first quarter while controlling the ball behind Johnson’s big runs.

The Hawkeyes initiated scoring on their second possession, cashing in a 43-yard field after a short jump. Johnson covered the final 27 yards for a 7-0 lead at the 6:29 mark of the first quarter.

Iowa nudged the lead to 13-0 at halftime as Drew Stevens converted second-quarter field goals of 23 and 21 yards. The Hawkeyes failed to get six points on the first field goals after getting possession at the Iowa State 12, then drove 77 yards before the next scoring drive stalled out at the 4.

Trailing 13-0 at halftime, the Cyclones cranked up their offense in the second half. Becht got them on the board via a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins, then answered Johnson’s 3-yard scoring jaunt by connecting with Noel for a 75-yard touchdown at the 4:31 mark of the third quarter.

–Field Level Media