Following up a lackluster first half on offense, Iowa State went back to what works best and that’s riding junior running back Breece Hall. The Big 12’s defending offensive player of the year posted a huge second half in leading the Cyclones to a 30-7 victory over Texas at Jack Trice Stadium.
The visiting team held him to just 17 yards on seven carries in the first half, Hall netted 119 on just 12 over the final two quarters of action. That included a pair of touchdowns for the Cyclone running back who faced off against the team featuring the Big 12’s second-leading rusher in Bijan Robinson.
I-State rolled to 476 total yards, with 176 of those coming on the ground. Brock Purdy also accounted for 34 rushing yards on eight carries.
It was also a big night for the passing offense, which rolled to 302 total yards. Purdy completed 26-of-37 passes for 253 yards. Xavier Hutchinson, who grabbed a team-high eight receptions for 96 yards, also fired a 49-yard touchdown to Tarique Milton.
After it being stuck in neutral for the first 30 minutes, Breece Hall finally got the offense going on the opening possession of the second half. The junior running back went 47 yards for a touchdown to put the Cyclones on top 10-7 a few minutes into the third. Prior to that rush, Hall had managed just 23 yards on seven carries.
I-State’s defense took the queue and held the Longhorns to a three-and-out. On a 3rd-and-4, Eyioma Uwazurike broke through the line and chased Texas quarterback Hudson Card to the sideline and forced an intentional grounding penalty. The super senior was also credited with a sack on the play.
With solid field position to begin a drive, the Cyclones struck quickly midway through the third when Xavier Hutchinson hit a wide-open Tarique Milton for a 49-yard touchdown. The strike and ensuing PAT gave them a 17-7 lead.
As the defense continued to do its job, with Uwazurike wreaking havoc and Will McDonald breaking the school’s all-time sack record on a third-down dropping of Hudson Card, the offense struck again before the end of the quarter.
Hall went for 21 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Purdy connected with a wide-open Charlie Kolar for 23 more down to the Longhorn two. Then it was Hall’s turn to punch it in for his second touchdown of the game. ISU went up 24-7 with four minutes left in the quarter.
During the decisive third quarter stretch, six Texas offensive possessions managed just -11 yards combined on 20 plays. The Cyclone offense certainly took advantage, scoring three touchdowns in a span of 8:45 during the third.
McDonald, who tied Jake Hummel for the team lead with six tackles, also added 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Isheem Young, Mike Rose and O’Rien Vance each chipped in with five tackles.
Iowa State improved to 6-3 on the season and is now 4-2 in conference play heading into a road game at Texas Tech next Saturday.
