Iowa State Cyclones

Game recap, analysis: Iowa State football upset by Kansas

The Cyclones lose for the second straight week to fall two games back of BYU

Ben Sherman

Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Quentin Skinner (0) runs free in the secondary as Iowa State defenders try to catch him Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Quentin Skinner (0) runs free in the secondary as Iowa State defenders try to catch him Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Everyone was wondering how Iowa State would rebound from its shocking loss to Texas Tech.

We got the answer Saturday afternoon as the Cyclones fell flat in a shocking 45-36 loss to Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Iowa State's defense was gashed early and often as Kansas racked up 532 yards of offense and led by three scores for most of the game.

Iowa State (7-2, 4-2) is now in a tie for third place in the Big 12, two games behind first-place BYU (8-0, 5-0).

Check out our game recap below, with in-game analysis and big-play highlights:

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Final Stats

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels passed for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown to lead the Jayhawks to a convincing 45-36 victory over No. 17 Iowa State.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht put up big numbers in a losing effort, passing for 383 yards and 3 touchdowns. But he threw a pick six in the fourth quarter that put an end to the Cyclones' comeback bid.

Matt Campbell will need to figure out why his defense was so porous vs. the Jayhawks, especially in the first half. Kansas raced out to a 31-13 halftime lead, scoring on five consecutive drives to end the first half.

Fourth Quarter Live Updates

Final score: Kansas 45, Iowa State 36

Touchdown Iowa State! The Cyclones are tacking on points late to make this look closer than it is. Rocco Becht throws an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel, then hits Jayden Higgins on the two-point conversion to cut Kansas' lead to 45-36 with 2:47 to play.

Pick six Kansas: Rocco Becht overthows Jayden Higgins and Kansas CB Mello Dotson picks it off and returns it 28 yards for a touchdown to put this game away. It's now Kansas 45, Iowa State 28 with less than 6 minutes to play.

Touchdown Iowa State! Rocco Becht throws a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Jackson and Becht runs in the two-point conversion to cut Kansas' lead to 38-28 with 11:03 left in the game. Jackson was wide open over the middle of the field and juked three Kansas defenders to go untouched into the end zone.

Missed field goal! Kansas kicker Tabor Allen gives Iowa State a little bit of life by missing a 30-yard field goal wide right. Iowa State takes over on its own 19-yard line, trailing 38-20 with 12:51 to play.

Third Quarter Live Updates

End of third quarter: Kansas 38, Iowa State 20

Touchdown Iowa State! The Cyclones respond with a 5-play, 75-yard drive that culminates with an 11-yard touchdown run from Carson Hansen to cut Kansas' lead to 38-20 with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Iowa State lined up to go for the two-point conversion, but another penalty nixed that idea.

Touchdown Kansas: This game might be over. Devin Neal scores on a 10-yard run to give Kansas a 38-13 lead with 6:27 left in the third quarter. Iowa State is dropping eight into coverage and trying to pressure Kansas QB Jalon Daniels with three defensive linemen — and it's not working. Daniels now has 251 yards passing and 54 yards rushing.

Turnover on downs: Iowa State goes for it on 4th-and-2 at the Kansas 42-yard line and Carson Hansen is stopped short of the first-down marker. Kansas takes over at its own 41-yard line, leading 31-13 with 12:06 left in the third quarter.

Halftime Stats

Kansas dominated the first half, outgaining Iowa State 360-234 to take a 31-13 lead. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels carved up the Cyclones' defense for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown. Kansas WR Quentin Skinner caught 3 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. The Jayhawks averaged a staggering 16.7 yards per pass and 6.6 yards per rush. In order to get back into this game, Matt Campbell is going to have to make some significant defensive adjustments.

Rocco Becht went 12-of-20 for 182 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State. His touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel broke Brock Purdy's school record of consecutive games with a TD pass (13). Noel caught 5 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Second Quarter Live Updates

Field goal Iowa State! The Cyclones end the half with a 38-yard field from Kyle Konrardy, his second of the game, to cut Kansas' lead to 31-13. Iowa State will start the second half with the ball, trailing by three scores.

Field goal Kansas: Tabor Allen kicks a 47-yard field goal to give Kansas a 31-10 lead with 1:01 left in the first half.

Touchdown Kansas: This is quickly getting out of hand for Iowa State's defense. Kansas gashes them again, this time on a 5-play, 76-yard drive that ends with a 2-yard touchdown run by Jalon Daniels. It's now Kansas 28, Iowa State 10 with 4:43 left in the half. Daniels is 7-of-11 for 234 yards and 2 TDs. He's also rushed 5 times for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Field goal Iowa State! The Cyclones' offense gets back on track with a 10-play, 71-yard drive that culminates in a 22-yard field goal from Kyle Konrardy. Iowa State should have had seven points on the drive, though. Rocco Becht missed a wide open Stevo Klotz on 2nd-and-goal from the 4-yard line. It's now Kansas 21, Iowa State 10 with 7:06 left in the half.

Touchdown Kansas: Jalon Daniels is carving up Iowa State's defense. Daniels throws a 24-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Skinner to give Kansas a 21-7 lead with 10:32 left in the first half. Daniels is 6-of-9 for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns.

After Iowa State's opening 99-yard scoring drive, the Cyclones have generated just 14 total yards on their subsequent two drives.

First Quarter Live Updates

End of first quarter: Kansas 14, Iowa State 7

Touchdown Kansas: The Jayhawks take a 14-7 lead on a 13-yard touchdown run by Devin Neal. Kansas gashed Iowa State's defense on the 8-play, 90-yard scoring drive,

Touchdown Kansas: Jalon Daniels throws a 70-yard touchdown pass to Luke Grimm on the second play of the Jayhawks' drive to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:13 left in the first quarter. Iowa State safety Beau Freyler got caught with his eyes in the backfield and Grimm got behind him for the explosive touchdown.

Touchdown Iowa State! After the Cyclones' defense gets a three-and-out, the offense marches 99 yards in 7 plays, scoring on a 27-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Jaylin Noel to take a 7-0 lead with 9:02 left in the first quarter. Drive stats: Becht was 3-of-3 for 52 yards and Carson Hansen rushed 3 times for 30 yards.

Iowa State wins the toss and elects to defer to the second half. Kansas will start with the ball.

Pregame Updates

The Iowa State vs. Kansas game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT. The weather in Kansas City is gorgeous: 64 degrees and sunny. And Iowa State fans have turned out in full force.

More Iowa State & Big 12 Analysis

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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.

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