Cyclones rally for 24-21 win over #8 Oklahoma State
A fourth-down stop by the Iowa State defense helped secure a 24-21 victory over eighth-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium.
Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders’ short pass to Brennan Presley on 4th-and-2 came up just inches short as ISU safety Craig McDonald came up with the game-clinching tackle and stop that kept his team in the conversation for a return appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game.
The Cyclones’ come-from-behind victory improved them to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play heading into a road game at West Virginia next weekend.
Meetings between these two have been dogfights in recent years and this one was no different. ISU faced a seven-point deficit at the intermission and had to kick off to begin the second half.
The Cyclone defense proved dominant in the final 30 minutes and held firm while Breece Hall scored a four-yard touchdown, Brock Purdy found Xavier Xavier Hutchinson for a nine-yard score and Andrew Mevis booted a 29-yard field goal.
Purdy was once again flawless for I-State, completing 27-of-33 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Hutchinson put forth perhaps his best effort as a Cyclone, catching 12 of 13 targets for 125 yards and a pair of scores. Hall tallied 70 rushing yards on 21 carries.
Defensively, Mike Rose led all tacklers with eight. Double-teamed throughout much of the game, Will McDonald recorded two sacks during one fourth-quarter possession. He also recorded two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and two tackles-for-loss.
After facing a 14-7 deficit at the half, Iowa State went to work in the third quarter. Brock Purdy found Xavier Hutchinson for a nine-yard touchdown pass to even things up. It was the second touchdown connection between the two on the drive, but the first was wiped out by a phantom unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the wide receiver.
The Cowboys had the opportunity to take the lead but opted for a short field goal from Tanner Brown instead of going it for 4th-and-inches. The kick was no good, Brown’s second missed kick in as many tries, and Iowa State took over possession.
Nine plays and 68 yards later, ISU’s Andrew Mevis knocked down a chip shot field goal of his own, a 29-yarder and the home team took its first lead of the game, 17-14.
The Cyclones had a golden opportunity to extend their lead but came up short on a 4th-and-2 quarterback run call as Purdy was stopped for no gain at the OSU 42-yard line.
The momentum shift from the Cowboys’ defensive stop was decisive, as the offense went 58 yards on just five plays in a little more than two minutes, getting a 25-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Sanders to Tay Martin. Oklahoma State once again led 21-17 with 8:36 to play.
I-State countered by putting together the game’s decisive drive, going 85 yards on just six plays and getting a four-yard touchdown from Breece Hall. Purdy completed passes of six and 33 yards to Tarique Milton, as well as a 13-yarder to Hutchinson to move the chains on a 2nd-and-7. The Cyclones went up 24-21 with 5:29 to play.
