Rocco Becht completed 18 of 23 pass attempts for 241 yards and three touchdowns as Iowa State earned a 38-14 Big 12 win over Kansas on Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
Carson Hansen rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, Brett Eskildsen caught six passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns, Benjamin Brahmer caught a touchdown pass and Aiden Flora ran for a score.
Marcus Neal had an interception and Kyle Konrardy made a 55-yard field goal for the Cyclones (7-4, 4-4 Big 12).
Jalon Daniels completed 13 of 23 pass attempts for 154 yards and an interception for the Jayhawks (5-6, 3-5). Boden Groen had five receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Leshon Williams had a rushing touchdown.
The Cyclones’ opening series was a 12 play, 75-yard scoring drive. Becht connected on all four passing attempts including a 9-yard touchdown pass to Eskildsen as Iowa State took a 7-0 lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, Hansen’s 4-yard rushing touchdown put the Cyclones up 14-0. After Kansas missed a field goal, Konrardy’s 55-yard field goal gave Iowa State a 17-0 lead it would carry into halftime.
Four Iowa State first-half drives featured 38 plays and 19 minutes in time of possession. The Cyclones held a 202-94 advantage in total yards and shut out a team in the first half for the first time this season.
It took Kansas four plays to get on the board in the second half. Williams’ 4-yard rushing touchdown, to cap a four-play drive, cut the Jayhawks’ deficit to 17-7.
Becht answered with a 20-yard TD strike to Eskildsen and the Cyclones took a 24-7 lead with 8:52 left in the third quarter. With 7:58 left in the third quarter, Daniles was hurt on a rushing attempt and missed one play.
Kansas’ backup Cole Ballard fired a 21-yard TD on his first pass to Groen and the Jayhawks trailed 24-14 in the third quarter. A 12-yard touchdown reception by Brahmer extended the Cyclones advantage to 31-14 with 2:18 left in the third.
Neal’s interception in the red zone came with 7:01 remaining and Flora tacked on a 38-yard TD run with just over a minute to play.
In order to become bowl eligible, Kansas faces a must-win game on Friday against Utah.
-Field Level Media
