news

Iowa State Football beats West Virginia for the first time since 1938, 6-0

Vaseline October 13, 2024

Iowa state football is 6-0 for the first time since 1938.

The 13th-ranked Cyclones’ perfect start to the season continued Saturday night with a 28-16 victory over West Virginia.

Iowa State’s stalwart defense forced two second-half turnovers that led to touchdown-scoring drives as the Cyclones improved to 3-0 against Big 12 Conference foes.

Carson Hansen, who entered the game with two career touchdowns, found the end zone three times on the winning attempt. He had 20 rushes for 96 yards.

Quarterback Rocco Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown pass. Many eyes were on the Becht family as Rocco’s father Anthony was honored during the first half of the game for his induction into the West Virginia University Hall of Fame. Becht grew up a Mountaineers fan but was denied a scholarship offer by West Virginia when he graduated from high school.

More: Hines: Iowa State football remains perfect with a statement win at West Virginia

Jayden Higgins had a team-high 102 receiving yards on six catches. Jaylin Noel caught five passes for 77 yards, including a touchdown reception of 60 yards.

On defense, Jamison Patton and Jontez Williams each recorded an interception.

After both teams went scoreless in the third quarter, Iowa State broke through early in the fourth quarter with a Hansen touchdown. West Virginia appeared to make a crucial stop in the red zone when Becht threw away a pass on third-and-6, but the Mountaineers were flagged for defensive traction, giving the Cyclones another set of downs and a first-and-goal. Hansen had a three-yard touchdown run on the first play after the penalty, giving the Cyclones a 21-10 lead with 11:57 to go.

On the second play of the ensuing West Virginia drive, Williams picked off a pass that was tipped by teammate Beau Goodwin. It was Williams’ third straight game with an interception.

Hansen came up with a fourth-down conversion on fourth-and-2 from the West Virginia 25-yard line. He scored the game-sealing touchdown seven plays later to give the Cyclones a 28–10 lead.

More: Iowa State football: 5 numbers that stood out in the Cyclones’ win over West Virginia

West Virginia did not go away quietly, scoring a touchdown in the closing minutes of the game. Garrett Greene connected with Jahiem White for a 10-yard touchdown reception with 1:10 left in the game.

Greene completed 18 of 32 passes for 206 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also carried the ball ten times and was responsible for 87 of the Mountaineers’ 148 rushing yards.

West Virginia’s vaunted offense asserted itself early, with White capping the opening drive with an eight-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter. 11 of the 14 plays in that drive were run plays, with three different players recording carries.

Iowa State’s first drive was not as successful, despite a 37-yard reception by Higgins on the Cyclones’ first offensive snap. The Cyclones stopped in Mountaineer territory and a 47-yard field goal attempt by Kyle Konrardy went wide left.

West Virginia marched back into the field. The Mountaineers appeared to make a third-down conversion that would have given West Virginia first and goal at the Iowa State 9-yard line, but the play was overturned after video review. Jeremiah Cooper knocked the ball loose to bring down fourth down, and it proved to be a crucial stop when West Virginia’s Michael Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Iowa State took the lead on back-to-back touchdown scoring drives. Becht connected with Noel, who took advantage of broken coverage, to score the tying 60-yard touchdown reception. Then, after forcing West Virginia to punt, the Cyclones pieced together a 17-play, 91-yard drive that was capped by a Hansen 11-yard touchdown run to take a 14-7 lead with 2:39 remaining in the first half. .

West Virginia’s Hayes made up for the earlier miss by making a 43-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 32 seconds left in the half.

The Cyclones return home next week to host Central Florida for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The Knights are 3-3 and 1-2 in conference play this season. They suffered their third straight loss to Cincinnati on Saturday, 19-13.