Iowa State Cyclones

Game recap, highlights, analysis: Iowa State finishes off first 10-win season, likely spot in title game

With a 29-21 win over Kansas State, Iowa State did what they needed to do in order to reach the Big 12 title game

Dana Becker

The Iowa State football team hosts Kansas State in a key Big 12 Conference showdown Saturday night in Ames.
The Iowa State football team hosts Kansas State in a key Big 12 Conference showdown Saturday night in Ames. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State football team secured the first 10-win season in program history Saturday night on a chilly evening inside Jack Trice Stadium.

With a 29-21 win over Kansas State on “Farmageddon,” the Cyclones (10-2, 8-2) did what they needed to do in order to play for the Big 12 championship. Iowa State will face Arizona State next Saturday in Dallas for the title if BYU takes care of Houston late Saturday night.

Check out our live updates with in-game analysis and big-play highlights from Iowa State vs. Kansas State:

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Final Stats

It was far from pretty on offense, but the Iowa State defense stepped up in a big way, forcing multiple turnovers while also buckling down once Kansas State did drive down the field.

Rocco Becht finished 13 of 35 for 137 yards with passing TDs to Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Higgins caught three for 53 while Noel had six for 37 as the duo became the first in ISU history to surpass 1,000 yards each in a season.

Abu Sama III once again torched the Wildcat defense, rushing for 81 yards. Carson Hansen added 58 and Becht had a rushing touchdown. 

Kansas State was led by Avery Johnson, as he threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns, including two scores to Jayce Brown. Brown finished with three receptions for 106 yards. DJ Giddens ran for 72 yards and Johnson added 64.

Fourth Quarter Live Updates

End of fourth quarter: Iowa State 29, Kansas State 21

No good: Iowa State with the chance to seal the game but Kyle Konrardy misses from 37 yards out. Kansas State will take over with no timeouts and just over a minute to go down 29-21.

First down Iowa State! Following two runs by Abu Sama, Carson Hansen picks up a key first down with a 5-yard plunge. Cyclones holding a 29-21 lead with just over three to play. ISU has recorded 21 first downs so far.

Fourth-down stop! Once again, it is the Iowa State defense stepping up, forcing a turnover on downs at the KSU 35. The Cyclones let Avery Johnson stand and look while locking down all his eligible receivers. Iowa State leads 29-21 with under five to play.

Field goal Iowa State! The Cyclones had a chance to possibly put the game away with first-and-goal from the KSU 3, but have to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy, which makes it 29-21 with 6:16 to go. The drive covered 60 yards over 14 plays, taking up seven minutes of the final quarter. 

Iowa State on the move! The run game has started to churn out big yardage for the Cyclones, as they have marched 59 yards over almost five minutes to the KSU 3. Iowa State leads 26-21 with under eight to go. 

Safety Iowa State! The Cyclone defense forced Johnson to scramble all the way back to his own end zone from the 22. He was able to get the ball off, but it did not get back to the line of scrimmage, resulting in intentional grounding and two points to Iowa State. The Cyclones lead 26-21 with 13:22 to go and will get the ball back. 

Third Quarter Live Updates

End of third quarter: Iowa State 24, Kansas State 21

Cyclones denied: Iowa State opts to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the KSU 7 instead of the short field goal attempt leading 24-21 with just seconds to play in the third. They are unsuccessful, halting a nice drive. On the drive, Becht hit Carson Brown for a big 14-yard gain on third-and-9, Carson Hansen followed with a 24-yard run and Becht found Jayden Higgins for 17 on third-and-6. All of this after ISU had just 30 yards combined on its first two possessions of the second half. 

Much-needed first down! Becht hits Carson Brown for 14 yards and a Cyclone first down. Prior to the completion, ISU had just 30 total yards since the start of the third quarter.

Kansas State touchdown: The Wildcats use a handful of big plays to complete a 59-yard drive, culminating with a 7-yard TD pass from Avery Johnson to Garrett Oakley. Iowa State leads 24-21 with 4:41 to go in the third. Kansas State quickly covered the field in five plays and just over two minutes. 

Forced to punt: Iowa State is unable to take advantage of the blocked field goal, going three-and-out after a tough drop. The Wildcats almost got to the punt, which went just 30 yards. 

Blocked field goal! Matt Campbell is as excited as he’s ever been on the sidelines following a blocked field goal by the Iowa State special teams. Kansas State marched right down the field before stalling out inside the ISU 5, as Chris Tennant’s 21-yard field goal attempt was blocked, keeping the score 24-14 in favor of the Cyclones with 8:06 left in the third. Darien Porter is credited with the block, the fifth of his career.

Halftime Stats

Iowa State has taken advantage of the two fumbles by Kansas State, scoring off both of them. Rocco Becht is 10-for-21 passing for 100 yards with touchdowns to Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Higgins has two catches for 36 and Noel has five for 31. 

Abu Sama III has rushed for 39 yards with Jaylon Jackson adding 15. As a team, the Cyclones have 19 carries for 62 yards. 

Avery Johnson has thrown for 146 yards with two TDs to Jayce Brown, who has three receptions for 106. Johnson also has rushed seven times for 48 yards while DJ Giddens has been held to 28 yards on 11 carries. 

Both teams have struggled on third-down, going a combined 2-for-15. ISU, though, is 2-for-2 on fourth-down tries.

Second Quarter Live Updates

End of second quarter: Iowa State 24, Kansas State 14

Touchdown Iowa State! Rocco Becht does it himself, taking it in from 5 yards out to give the Cyclones a 24-14 lead just before the break. Becht hit Jayden Higgins on a big 21-yard pass earlier in the drive. 

Abu Sama feasts on Wildcat! The Cyclone sophomore who had over 300 yards last year, breaks off a huge run to give Iowa State momentum. Following’s Sama’s 31-yard run, a 15-yard face mask is called, giving the Cyclones the ball on the KSU 32.

Iowa State gets the ball back: The Cyclone defense forces a punt and Iowa State will have just under two minutes and two timeouts to try and add to its lead.

Two minutes to go: Kansas State has the ball facing a third-and-18 at the two-minute timeout. Iowa State maintains a 17-14 lead.

Kansas State touchdown: The Wildcats strike on the first play after a punt, as Johnson hits Jayce Brown for a 65-yard score. Brown hauled in a perfect pass over his shoulder, out-sprinting from the ISU secondary. Iowa State now leads 17-14 with 5:49 to play in the second quarter. 

Turnover on downs! After allowing a 21-yard pass to move the ball into ISU territory, the defense stands tall, blitzing Johnson and forcing an errant fourth-down pass. Iowa State takes over, leading 17-7 with 7:26 to go.

Touchdown Iowa State! Becht finds Jaylin Noel in the back of the end zone after scrambling away from pressure, as the Cyclones now lead 17-7 with 10:05 left before half. Becht had two passes to Noel on the drive, which included a key pass interference call against Kansas State that gave ISU a first down. 

Another turnover! Iowa State pounces on the second fumble of the game by Kansas State, as Joey Petersen falls on it after Keagan Johnson put it on the turf. Iowa State takes over at the KSU 23.

Field goal Iowa State! Kyle Konrardy successfully gives the Cyclones a 10-7 lead with 13:31 left in the second by converting a 41-yard field goal. The drive consisted of nine plays and covered 29 yards, including a key 3-yard run by Abu Sama III on fourth-and-1 from the KSU 28. 

First Quarter Live Updates

End of first quarter: Iowa State 7, Kansas State 7

Special teams come up big! Iowa State has great field position after Jaylin Noel returns a punt 26 yards almost to midfield with 2:42 left in the first and the score still tied at 7-all.

Kansas State touchdown: Avery Johnson finds Jayce Brown for a 28-yard TD strike with 5:39 to go in the first and we are tied back up at 7-all. The Wildcats covered 83 yards on 10 plays, taking up 4:43 of the clock to level the playing field. Johnson completed three passes for 53 yards and ran for 22 yards on the drive. The touchdown strike came on fourth-and-2.

Three-and-out! The Cyclone defense rises up once again, forcing a quick three-and-out to get the ball back for the offense with a 7-0 lead in the first. 

Touchdown Iowa State! Becht finds a slanting Jayden Higgins for a six and Iowa State takes an early 7-0 lead on Kansas State with 12:24 left in the first. Higgins made one quick move inside and was gone, with Becht hitting him in stride. The turnover gets turned into seven for the Cyclones. 

Key fourth-down conversion! Instead of taking the field goal try, the Cyclones go for it on fourth-and-1 with Rocco Becht picking up the first down to keep the drive alive.

Fumble Kansas State! On the very first play from scrimmage, Avery Johnson fumbles the ball away on an option pitch and Iowa State recovers. The Cyclones have the ball on the KSU 29 as Myles Purchase makes the recovery.

Pregame Updates

Weather conditions in Ames, Iowa call for highs in the low 20s with slight wind and no chance of rain or snow. With the wind, though, the real feel will be in the low teens by kickoff. Iowa State will be honoring its seniors, who are playing for the final time at Jack Trice Stadium.

More Iowa State & Big 12 Analysis

* Travis Hunter states his Heisman case on Black Friday

* Just what is 'Farmageddon' between Iowa State, KSU?

* Roundup of former Cyclones in the NFL

* Understanding the Big 12 tiebreakers for title game

Published |Modified
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in north-central Iowa.

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