Video: Iowa newcomer Mason Woods – highlights of the first week, including two touchdowns
Highlights from Iowa’s Mason Woods’ first game of last season. Woods’ Iowa City West lost to Liberty 56-45.
IOWA CITY – Iowa State pulled off a stunning victory over Iowa on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Trailing by two points with less than 10 seconds left in the game, Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy sank a 54-yard field goal to give the Cyclones the lead. It was the first time Iowa State had led the entire game, but the Cyclones won 20-19.
Trailing 13-0 at halftime, Iowa State showed resilience. The Cyclones outscored Iowa 20-6 in the second half.
Aside from Kaleb Johnson, Iowa’s offense was shaky. After rushing for 196 yards in the first half, the Hawkeyes managed just 107 in the second. Iowa State, on the other hand, managed just 101 yards in the first half, but managed 260 yards in the second, getting into the game against Iowa’s defense, which doesn’t happen often.
After a slow start, Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht got the ball going and finished the game 23-35 with 272 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Cade McNamara left a lot to be desired after rushing for 251 yards against Illinois State on Saturday. The Iowa quarterback completed just 13 of 29 passes for 99 yards, including two interceptions and zero touchdowns.
The Hawkeyes wasted several chances in the first half, keeping Iowa State within shouting distance. Twice in the first half, Iowa failed to score touchdowns after having first and goals.
The first time came after an interception by star linebacker Jay Higgins that eventually allowed a first and goal from the one. The second time came later in the first half when Iowa had a first and goal from the three-point line and again failed to come away with seven points. On each of those occasions, Iowa was able to score at least three points, with Drew Stevens making field goals.
Iowa nearly gave Iowa State three points late in the first half. After a Cyclones punt, Deavin Hilson was flagged for roughing the kicker, which extended the drive and later put Iowa State in a position to attempt a field goal. Fortunately for Iowa, Iowa State missed the kick.
Iowa could have easily been ahead by at least 21 points at halftime, but with a defense as strong as Iowa’s, a 13-0 lead was still a good starting point.
But in the third quarter there was a somewhat unexpected flood of goals.
After McNamara threw his first interception of the season, Iowa State scored a touchdown on a pass from Becht to Jayden Higgins. On the very next possession, Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game. Iowa could not convert the two-point lead. Then Becht uncharacteristically exposed Iowa’s secondary with a 75-yard pass to Jaylin Noel, cutting the Hawkeyes’ lead to 19-14 after the extra point.
Iowa State struck early in the fourth quarter when Kyle Konrardy made a field goal, cutting Iowa’s lead to just two points.
Then, with less than a minute left on the clock, Iowa State stormed down the field and got within field goal range, allowing Konrardy’s game-winning field goal.
One of the few bright spots was Kaleb Johnson. The junior running back finished the game with 25 carries for 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
This makes it two stellar performances in a row for Johnson. After being suspended for the first half of Iowa’s season opener, Johnson managed 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns in just two quarters. On Saturday, Johnson was once again a weapon for the Hawkeyes’ offense, rushing for more than 100 yards before halftime.
Kirk Ferentz’s return on Saturday ended in disappointment. Iowa head coach and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr were absent from the 2024 season opener against Illinois State due to a university-imposed suspension. With Seth Wallace as acting head coach, Iowa won decisively 40-0 against Illinois State.
Both Ferentz and Budmayr were back at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.
With Iowa likely needing at least 10 wins to make the College Football Playoff, Saturday was important to Iowa’s long-term goals. Iowa now faces a much more difficult path to a playoff berth and has little margin for error in the remaining 10 regular-season games.
Notable pieces
Kaleb Johnson’s 27-yard touchdown run put Iowa first on the scoreboard.
Interception by Jay Higgins.
Kaleb Johnson’s second touchdown run of the game
Next
Iowa’s final nonconference game of the regular season is coming up. The Hawkeyes will face Troy on September 14 at Kinnick Stadium.
The Trojans go into the duel with a record of 0-2. They opened the season with losses against Nevada and Memphis.
Big Ten play begins after Iowa’s matchup with Troy. The Hawkeyes then head to Minnesota before taking a week off, after which they face Ohio State.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15Contact via email at [email protected]
