Iowa State uses second half rally to beat Iowa at Kinnick Stadium

IOWA CITY, Ia. — The Cyclones didn’t let a halftime deficit deter them from carrying out their goals in front of a sold out crowd at Kinnick Stadium.

Although Iowa State failed to score any points in the first half, Coach Matt Campbell made the necessary adjustments, and defeated Iowa 20-19. It was the Cyclones’ second-straight victory in Iowa City, and now they’re 2-0 for only the second time in Campbell’s tenure.

The game wasn’t pretty by any means. Not to mention the noise levels inside the venue made it hard for the Cyclones to communicate, especially along the offensive line. Iowa State had to overcome costly penalties, bad field position, and a tenacious defense in a hostile environment.

Once the smoke cleared, the Cyclones outscored the Hawkeyes 20-6 in the second half, and it took a 54-yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy to seal the deal. Campbell is proud of his players because it was a complete team effort, and they delivered in the clutch.

“It takes everything you got to win a game like this, you have to have great leadership, and have great leadership from within,” Campbell said. “Today was about our leadership, our kids’ poise and mentality to just stay in there and keep playing was incredible, and that’s one great thing about coaching is learning from your players.”

Iowa State couldn’t generate any momentum early in the contest. Iowa’s defense kept the pressure on quarterback Rocco Becht, and he was rattled at times. Offensive lineman Jarrod Hufford struggled to deal with the crowd noise, and had a couple of false start penalties because of it.

Iowa State’s offense looked totally different in the second half though, and found a variety of ways to attack Iowa’s aggressive defense. Becht led the Cyclones on a nine-play, touchdown drive midway through the third quarter. He threw a three-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jayden Higgins, to finally put Iowa State on the scoreboard.

Becht also connected with wideout Jaylin Noel over the middle for a jaw-dropping, 75-yard touchdown. It was the most explosive play of the afternoon, and momentarily left Kinnick Stadium completely silent.

Campbell thought Becht showed why he was the 2023 Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Despite being picked off by All-American linebacker Jay Higgins, Becht completed 23 of his 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. The way Becht was able to rally the troops, respond to adversity and lead the Cyclones to victory, impressed Campbell.

“What you saw today is what makes Rocco special,” he said. “To throw an interception in the first half, and to be able to come back and have the poise, the discipline, and some of those throws he made were incredible in the second half, so really proud of Rocco.”

Becht’s chemistry with wideouts Noel and Higgins was evident. Noel caught five balls for 133 yards and a score. Higgins hauled in eight passes for 68 yards, and scored Iowa State’s first touchdown of the contest.

However, the game ball goes to Konrardy. After all, he missed a field goal in the first half. Campbell knew it was going to come down to Konrardy’s mental toughness, and discipline. He was clutch in the fourth quarter, with two long field goals, including a 54-yarder that gave the Cyclones their first lead of the game. Campbell is proud to have Konrardy in his arsenal, and his leg power raised several eyebrows.

“I can’t coach kicking, and if somebody can I’d love to see them, but I can at least understand mentality, and the ability to have an elite craft,” the 44-year old coach said. “That’s what Kyle showed, so credit to him, I know he’s from this state, and what a big moment for him and his family.”

Jon Heacock’s defense didn’t make life easy for Iowa’s quarterback Cade McNamara in the pocket. McNamara only completed 13 of his 29 passes for 99 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Defensive lineman J.R. Singleton also made McNamara eat grass.

Defensive back Malik Verdon generated a game-high, 13 tackles, including one for loss. Veteran safety Beau Feyler, and linebackers Kooper Ebel and Jacob Ellis had six stops apiece. Darien Porter showed his skills as a ballhawk, and recorded two interceptions. No. 21 Iowa (1-1) finished with 303 yards of total offense, which was 189 fewer than it produced against Illinois State.

Campbell knows there are plenty of things to clean up with his team as far as execution, and discipline. The Cyclones only converted two third downs the entire afternoon, and led the Hawkeyes in penalties. Iowa State ran fewer plays, but still led in time of possession and yards per play.

Taking down a ranked team on the road speaks volumes, and that’s something Campbell wants to build on. His Cyclones were victorious, hoisted the Cy-Hawk Trophy and get to keep the hardware until next season.

It was also Campbell’s second win against Kirk Ferentz out of the past eight meetings. Now Iowa State has plenty of momentum, and a bye-week coming up, so Campbell is going to enjoy it with his players after seizing the moment.

“For our kids to be able to show that in this environment against this football team, it’s really impressive this early in the season, and credit to our kids again.”