Iowa State's Comeback Attempt Comes Up Short in Cy-Hawk Showdown

Iowa State and Iowa met for the 70th time on Saturday at MidAmerican Field at Jack Trice Stadium, with Iowa coming out on top 20-13. Two big plays on offense and a pick-6 by the defense made the difference, despite Iowa State's late push, in a game that saw both teams struggle to find a rhythm.

The Cyclones got off to a rough start, with their first drive stalling out at the Iowa 18-yard line and ending in a blocked field goal attempt. Iowa quickly took advantage of the situation, with Jaziun Patterson breaking loose for a 59-yard run. T.J. Tampa was able to catch him at the ISU 12-yard line to save a touchdown, but the Hawkeyes still settled for a field goal. Iowa continued to control the game, with Cade McNamara connecting with Luke Lachey for a 35-yard pass that set up Patterson's 4-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0. Iowa State's offense struggled to get going, with Rocco Becht throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Iowa's Sebastian Castro.

Despite the early struggles, Iowa State made it interesting late in the game. Down 20-6 with less than three minutes left, Becht threw a perfect ball to Jayden Higgins for a 16-yard touchdown. The Cyclones then forced a three-and-out and took over at their own 31-yard line with 1:55 to go. However, after a 9-yard completion on third down, Iowa was able to stop Cartevious Norton for a 2-yard loss to run out the clock.

Becht finished the game with a career-best 203 yards and one touchdown, but also threw one interception. Higgins, who transferred in after two seasons at Eastern Kentucky, caught eight passes for 95 yards. Norton carried a career-high 21 times for 59 yards. Despite the loss, Iowa State's defense continued its impressive streak of holding opponents to under 400 yards for the 17th-straight game - the longest such streak in the country. In the last five games against Iowa, the Cyclones have held the Hawkeyes to an average of 226.8 yards.

Iowa State will look to bounce back next week with a trip to Ohio University to complete the nonconference portion of its schedule. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CST.