No. 16 Cyclones move to 5-0 with 43-21 win over Baylor

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State is still undefeated and stayed that way with an impressive win.

The 16th-ranked Cyclones recovered from an early deficit to outlast Baylor 43-21 on a warm, windy Saturday night at MidAmerican Energy Field in a sold-out Jack Trice Stadium.

The Cyclones, 5-0 for the first time since 1980 and 2-0 in the Big 12, wowed the White Out crowd of 61,500 with season highs in offense (542), rushing yards (265) and passing yards (277). . . Rocco Becht threw two touchdown passes, Jaylon Jackson scored his first two touchdowns as a Cyclone and Kyle Konrardy kicked three field goals to hand Baylor (2-4, 0-3) its eighth straight conference loss.

The 43 points were the most ISU scored in the 23-game series with the Bears. Baylor leads 12-11, but the Cyclones have won the last two.

Becht completed 16 of 25 passes for 277 yards and touchdown throws of 10 yards to Ben Brahmer and 11 yards to Ben Brahmer Jayden Higgins. It is the ninth straight game in which Becht has thrown a touchdown pass and the seventh straight game in which Higgins has caught a scoring pass, a school record and the longest active streak in the country.

Jackson, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, scored on runs of 10 and 20 yards in the second half to help the Cyclones take the lead after trailing 21-19 early in the final half. He finished his career with a career-high 107 yards on 15 carries Carson Hansen ran 15 times for a career best of 97 yards.

Becht also did some footwork, rushing three times for 28 yards.

Higgins recorded the third 100-yard receiving game of his ISU career, catching eight balls for 116 yards. Jaylin Noel also had a solid game with five catches for 98 yards.

The Cyclones put up big numbers after some troubling moments in the first half when they came up empty on two possessions in the red zone and struggled to stop Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson.

Robertson finished 25 of 44 for 258 yards and three touchdowns against an ISU defense that had not allowed more than 125 yards passing in any of the first four games and led the nation in pass efficiency defense. But in the second half he was just 9 of 19 and threw an interception, Jontez Williams Hit the pick with a jumping grab in the end zone. The Cyclones also limited the Bears to 79 yards rushing in the game.

Baylor took a 21-19 lead on the first series of the second half with a 25-yard TD pass from Robertson to Ketron Jackson Jr. But after that, it was all Iowa State.

Becht’s 43-yard completion set up Jackson’s 10-yard touchdown run, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound player leapt outside for a handoff and followed Becht into the end zone to put ISU ahead at 26 -21 to stay.

Williams’ interception led to a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard back-shoulder catch by Higgins. The defense then forced a three-pointer and the Cyclones again pushed down the field, marching 76 yards on five runs – including a 33-yard ramble by Hansen – to score another touchdown from Jackson, who pushed all the way to the end of the zone 20 meters away.

Konrardy tied the game with a 22-yard field goal with 2:16 left.

Baylor capitalized on the early momentum with a Cyclones stop in the red zone and two long shots on goal and held it for most of the first half.

Then, with less than seven minutes left in the half, the Cyclones turned things their way.

With Baylor leading 14-6, Iowa State forced a punt and quickly scored. Becht hit Higgins for 25 yards and Jackson rebounded off two tacklers on a 51-yard dash, setting up Becht’s 10-yard touchdown to Brahmer on a cross route, cutting the lead to 14-12.

The defense forced another punt less than 2 minutes later and Myles Mendeszoon break through to block it. teammate Caden Matson He picked up the ball on the rebound, ran 25 yards to the end zone and suddenly the Cyclones were leading 19-14.

They had a great chance to extend that lead before halftime by getting a first-and-goal at the Baylor 4, only to give up the ball with 27 seconds left after Becht’s interception.

Iowa State’s offense came alive on the first series of the game. Four different players carried the ball as the Cyclones marched to the Baylor 15. But the Bears dropped Abu Sama on fourth down for a loss of 1 yard, then drove 84 yards in nine plays for Robertson’s 4-yard TD pass to Josh Cameron.

Iowa State answered with Konrardy’s 45-yard field goal, but the Bears came right back with a 75-yard drive that Robertson capped with an 8-yard scoring throw to Michael Trigg. Another field goal by Konrardy, this one from 38 yards, made it 14:6.

Iowa State goes back on the road next Saturday, playing at West Virginia in search of its second 6-0 start in school history and first since 1938.