Iowa State's mental toughness can't be questioned; the Cyclones fight back.

But ISU's mental sharpness was nowhere near where it needed to be for Friday's Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, and No. 24 I-State lost a 28-26 decision to No. 13 Washington State in front of over 60,000 fans - half or more cheering for ISU - at the Alamodome.

Turnovers and penalties were Iowa State's undoing as the Cyclones out gained Wazzu by nearly 200 yards and still lost.

I-State ends the season at 8-5.

The Cougars took advantage of two short fields (20 and 30 yards) after Iowa State turnovers to score half of their points on the nights. WSU's vaunted air raid offense generated only 327 yards on the night and the Cougs averaged just five yards per play.

Conversely, Iowa State racked up 515 yards of total offense and averaged nearly eight yards per play. But ISU turned the ball over three times and were also dinged for ten penalties for 63 yards. I-State came into the game as the 5th-least penalized team in FBS. But the Cyclones lost two defensive starters - LB Willie Harvey and DE Enyi Uwazurike - to targeting fouls in the first half. And the Iowa State offensive line was tagged with seven false start penalties, including on a two-point conversion attempt with 4:02 to play that could have tied the game.

Instead of running a play from the WSU three, the Cyclones were moved back to their own eight and David Montgomery was denied the end zone after taking a dump off pass from Brock Purdy.

Wazzu got the ball back and ran the clock out as Iowa State had previously squandered all three of its second-half timeouts.

ISU closed within 28-26 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Purdy.

Washington State took a 28-20 lead earlier in the fourth quarter after Montgomery was stripped of the football as the Cyclone 30-yard line. It was just the second fumble of the junior's career, but both have come in ISU bowl games. A Max Borghi 10-yard run put WSU ahead, 28-20, with 10:24 to play.

The Cougars had led, 21-7, in the second quarter before Iowa State bracketed halftime with a pair of scores to get back in the game. Cyclone kicker Connor Assalley knocked through a career-long 50 yard field goal on the final play of the first half to make it 21-10.

Then I-State scored on the opening possession of the third quarter with Montgomery running eight yards for a TD at the 12:11 mark. Assalley's PAT made it 21-17.

Assalley's second field goal of the game made it 21-20 as he connected from 23 yards with 1:04 to go in the third quarter. Assalley missed a 49-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter - hitting the right upright - that would have given Iowa State the lead.

WSU had an apparent pick six interception return nullified by a taunting penalty in a scoreless game in the first quarter. But the Cougars still got the ball at the ISU 20-yard line and moments later Gardner Minshew completed a 22-yard pass to Renard Bell at the 6:55 mark of the first quarter to make it 7-0.

Washington State's second scoring drive was kept alive on a 3rd-down targeting call on Harvey, a senior who played his final game for ISU. A 7-yard run by Minshew pushed Wazzu's lead to 14-0 with 6:08 to play in the second quarter.

The Cyclones halved WSU's lead on its ensuing possession with Purdy scoring from nine yards out to make it 14-7 at the 4:26 mark of the second quarter.

A very questionable targeting call on Uwazurike, and an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on Iowa State's incensed head coach Matt Campbell, factored into Wazzu's next score. Minshew delivered a 9-yard TD pass to a leaping Dezmon Patmon for the TD with just 1:02 to play before halftime, making it 21-7.

Purdy completed 18-of-27 passes for 315 yards (11.7 yards per pass) but had two interceptions and no touchdown throws. Purdy had only been picked off five times total in leading I-State to a 7-1 record over its final eight games. Hakeem Butler was Purdy's favorite receiver against Washington State and had a monster game with nine catches for 192 yards.

Montgomery rushed for 124 yards on 26 carries and also had 55 receiving yards.

The Cyclones amassed 200 rushing yards to go with 315 through the air to account for 515 total.

Washington State needed 52 minutes to surpass 300 yards of total offense and finished with 327. The Cougars had just 28 rushing yards on 17 attempts while Minshew completed 35-of-49 passes for 299 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per pass.