The Iowa State Cyclones entered the month of November on Saturday in desperate need of a win to keep them in the conversation for a Big 12 Championship Game berth. The Cyclones loss to West Virginia put them behind the 8-ball, but an old bully fallen on hard times, proved to be the perfect remedy for Iowa State, as Texas came to town.
The 1st half was a rather inauspicious one for both the Cyclones and the Longhorns, as on the 2nd play from scrimmage, Isheem Young ripped the football out of the hands of star Texas running back Bijon Robinson and recovered it as well. However, Texas was able to hold Iowa State to an Andrew Mevis field goal, as the Cyclones took a 3-0 lead. Both sides would trade punts, before Texas mounted a touchdown drive in the 2nd quarter, as quarterback Hudson Card, who was inserted in relief of Casey Thompson, found Xavier Worthy for a 4-yard touchdown pass to put Texas up 7-3. The Longhorns would hold that lead into halftime.
Iowa State came out of the locker room for the 2nd half, and wasted little time in opening up the offense, as Breece Hall capped off a 4-play drive with a 47-yard touchdown scamper to put Iowa State up 10-7. The Cyclones would never look back, as Tom Manning later went to his bag of tricks, dialing up a double pass, where Xavier Hutchinson found Tarique Milton for a 47-yard touchdown to put Iowa State up 17-7. Following another Texas punt, Iowa State marched another short field, capping the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run to put Iowa State up 24-7. A pair of Andrew Mevis field goals in the 4th quarter, gave the Cyclones a 30-7 win.
Paired with Baylor’s loss to TCU, the Cyclones win vaulted their name back into the Big 12 Championship Game discussion, as Iowa State travels to Lubbock, Texas next Saturday, to face Texas Tech at 2:30 PM.