No. 17 Iowa St beats Wildcats 29-21 for first 10-win season, advances to Big 12 title game

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Rocco Becht threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 17 Iowa State’s defense came up with big stops in the second half to help the Cyclones beat Kansas State 29-21 on Saturday night for the first 10-win season in program history.

“Our kids’ ability to make critical plays in critical moments was definitely the difference in the game,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “We knew with the weather and the field it was going to be a hard-fought football game. We had to make those plays. Probably fitting for this team to win like that and end the regular season. Really excited for them and what they’ve accomplished and determined also for what the future holds for them.”

Iowa State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) needed BYU to beat Houston on Saturday night to clinch a spot in next week’s conference championship game against Arizona State.

Becht’s first touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to Jayden Higgins, came after Myles Purchase recovered Avery Johnson’s errant pitch on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Becht’s 9-yard TD pass to Jaylin Noel came after Joey Petersen picked off Keagan Johnson’s fumble. Noel passed for 1,000 yards and receiving for the season with the catch.

Becht’s 5-yard run put the Cyclones up 24-14 at the half.

“Can’t play a team like that and make the mistakes we made,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “We made some mistakes in the first half that led to points and you can’t do that against good football teams. It’s obvious.

“Congratulations to Matt and his team. They will represent the Big 12 well. They don’t make mistakes and we made them today and it got us down at halftime.”

A safety and Kyle Konrardy’s 20-yard field goal gave Iowa State an eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4, No. 24 CFP) turned the ball over on downs at the Cyclones’ 35 when a pass slipped off Garrett Oakley’s hands on a fourth-and-2 with 4:59 left. They got the ball back for one final possession with no timeouts and 1:11 left when Kyle Konrardy missed what would have been a 37-yard field goal. K-State went nowhere, with Avery Johnson picked off on third down and Ta’Quan Roberson throwing incomplete on fourth-and-15.

Becht took a knee and fans poured out of the stands to celebrate with the Cyclones on the field.

Avery Johnson threw touchdown passes of 28 and 65 yards to Jayce Brown in the first half, and his 7-yarder to Oakley pulled K-State within 24-21 late in the third quarter. He threw for 220 yards and ran for 64 on 13 carries, and Brown caught three balls for 106 yards.

The Cyclones made a huge stop earlier in the third after DJ Giddens’ 36-yard run set up K-State inside the 5-yard line. They kept the Wildcats out of the end zone, and then Darien Porter blew through the right side of the line to block Chris Tennant’s 21-yard field-goal attempt.

The defense recorded a safety when Jacob Ellis chased Avery Johnson into his own end zone. Johnson desperately unloaded the ball and was called for intentional grounding.

Takeaway

Kansas State: The Wildcats failed to play spoiler after seeing their chances to potentially make the Big 12 championship game crushed earlier in the day. Their two turnovers, blocking a field goal, giving up a safety and failing to convert two fourth-and-2s hurt.

Iowa State: The Cyclones secured their first 10-win season in their program’s 133-year history and turned into temporary BYU fans in the wake of their victory.

Consequences of the vote

Iowa State looks to climb a few spots after its win.

Next

Kansas State: Will play in a bowl game.

Iowa State: Will play in a bowl game and possibly the Big 12 championship game.

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