Rocco Becht completed 16 of 25 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and No. 16 Iowa State finished strong for a 43-21 win over Baylor in a Big 12 Conference matchup on Saturday night in Ames, Iowa.
Jaylon Jackson finished with 15 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State (5-0, 2-0), which has won its first five games of the season for the first time since 1980. Jayden Higgins had eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Benjamin Brahmer also caught a touchdown pass.
Sawyer Robertson completed 25 of 44 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for Baylor (2-4, 0-3). Ketron Jackson Jr., Michael Trigg and Josh Cameron hauled in one touchdown pass apiece for the Bears.
Baylor opened a 14-3 lead before Iowa State scored 40 of the final 47 points. The Cyclones finished with a 542-337 advantage in total yards.
Baylor got on the scoreboard first when Robertson found Cameron for a 4-yard touchdown. That capped a nine-play, 84-yard drive.
Kyle Konrardy answered with a 45-yard field goal for Iowa State, but the Cyclones trailed 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bears made it 14-3 when Robertson hit Trigg for an 8-yard touchdown 1:14 into the second quarter.
Iowa State scored the next 16 points of the first half to pull ahead, however.
Konrardy cut the deficit to 14-6 with a 38-yard field goal. On the next possession, Becht found Brahmer for a 10-yard touchdown to pull Iowa State within 14-12 with 6:10 left in the half (though Konrardy missed the extra point).
Iowa State took the lead with a special-teams touchdown with 4:46 left in the half. The Cyclones blocked a punt and Caden Matson scooped up the ball and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 19-14.
Baylor briefly regained a 21-19 lead early in the third quarter. Robertson notched his third touchdown pass when he hit Jackson for a 25-yard score 2:05 into the third.
Iowa State reeled off 24 unanswered points to seal the victory.
Jackson put the Cyclones on top 26-21 with a 10-yard rushing touchdown with 10:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Becht hit Higgins for an 11-yard score to make it 33-21 late in the third quarter.
Jackson scored again, this time from 20 yards out, to make it 40-21 with 11:31 remaining.
Konrardy finished the scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 2:16 left.
–Field Level Media
