AMES, Iowa (AP) — Rocco Becht threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and No. 17 Iowa State's defense came up with big stops in the second half to help the Cyclones beat Kansas State 29-21 on a cold Saturday night for the first 10-win season in program history.
About three hours after the game ended, they had their ticket to the Big 12 championship game punched when BYU's win over Houston provided the help they needed to advance to a meeting with Arizona State next Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Cyclones (10-2, 7-2 Big 12, No. 18 CFP) will make their second appearance in the conference championship game. They lost to Oklahoma in 2020.
“It will have been earned. Our kids have really never wavered," said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, whose team bounced back from two straight losses after a 7-0 start and won their third straight. “It'll be a great opportunity for our program and obviously for our fanbase to be able to be a part of that with us.”
Becht’s first touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to Jayden Higgins, came after Myles Purchase recovered Avery Johnson’s errant pitch on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Becht’s 9-yard TD pass to Jaylin Noel came after Joey Petersen picked up Keagan Johnson’s fumble. Noel went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season with the catch.
Becht’s 5-yard run put the Cyclones up 24-14 at half.
“The ability for our kids to make critical plays in critical moments was certainly the difference in the game,” Campbell said. “We knew with the weather and the field, it was going to be a hard-fought football game. We were going to have to make those plays. Probably fitting for this team to win that way and finish the regular season. Really excited for them and what they’ve accomplished, and certainly for what the future holds for them as well.”
A safety and Kyle Konrardy’s 20-yard field goal gave Iowa State an eight-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4, No. 24 CFP) turned over the ball on downs at the Cyclones’ 35 when a pass went off Garrett Oakley’s hands on a fourth-and-2 with 4:59 left. They got the ball back for a final possession with no timeouts and 1:11 left when Kyle Konrardy missed what would have been a game-clinching 37-yard field goal. K-State went nowhere, with Avery Johnson knocked out of the game on third down and Ta’Quan Roberson throwing incomplete on fourth-and-15.
Becht took a knee, and the fans poured out of the stands to celebrate with the Cyclones on the field.
“Can’t play a team like that and make the mistakes we made,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. "We made some mistakes in that first half that led to points, and you can’t do that against good football teams. That’s obvious.
“Congratulations to Matt and his team. They’ll represent the Big 12 well. They don’t make mistakes, and we made them today, and that got us down at halftime.”
Avery Johnson threw touchdown passes of 28 and 65 yards to Jayce Brown in the first half, and his 7-yarder to Oakley pulled K-State within 24-21 late in the third quarter. He threw for 220 yards and ran for 64 on 13 carries, and Brown caught three balls for 106 yards.
The Cyclones made a huge stop earlier in the third after DJ Giddens’s 36-yard run set up K-State inside the 5-yard line. They kept the Wildcats out of the end zone, and then Darien Porter blew through the right side of the line to block Chris Tennant’s 21-yard field-goal try.
The defense recorded a safety when Jacob Ellis chased Avery Johnson into his own end zone. Johnson desperately unloaded the ball and was called for intentional grounding.
Kansas State: The Wildcats failed to play spoiler after finding out their hopes of making the Big 12 championship game were squashed earlier in the day. Two turnovers, having a field goal blocked, surrendering a safety and failing to convert two fourth-and-2s hurt.
Iowa State: The Cyclones' seven conference wins are the second-most in program history — they had eight in 2020 — and their 17 wins since 2023 mark their best two-year stretch. They also finished in the top four of the Big 12 for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Iowa State could move up a bit with No. 12 Clemson losing this week.
Kansas State: Will play in a bowl game.
Iowa State: Will play in a bowl game and possibly the Big 12 championship game.
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