Iowa vs. Iowa State score, takeaways: Cyclones storm back from double-digit deficit, stun rival on go-ahead FG

The Cyclones rallied behind quarterback Rocco Becht to upend the No. 21 Hawkeyes

By Will Backus

Sep 7, 2024 • 1 min read

Iowa State earned a huge early season win Saturday afternoon by downing No. 21 Iowa 20-19 in the Hawkeyes' home stadium. Cyclones kicker Kyle Konrardy will go down in Cy-Hawk lore with his 54-yard field goal that gave his team the lead with five seconds left to play.

This is the second time in three years that Iowa State has beaten Iowa in Iowa City.

Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht, who had an up-and-down game overall, made some crucial throws down the stretch to put his team in a position to kick the go-ahead field goal. His 30-yard connection with wide receiver Jaylin Noel, who sped down the sideline to get the ball to Iowa's 38-yard line, was the biggest throw of the game.

Becht and Noel also connected for a 75-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter to give the Cyclones the momentum they needed to finish the game. Becht finished with 272 yards passing and two touchdowns after throwing for only 67 yards in the first half.

Iowa State's entire defense deserves a game ball as well. The Cyclones had two key red zone stands in the first half that limited Iowa to a field goal and held the Hawkeyes to just six points over the final six minutes to allow the offense to find its footing and eat away at a 13-0 halftime deficit.

CBS Sports was with you throughout the game with updates, analysis and highlights. Read on below for more takeaways from the game.

No ad available

Live updates

Iowa State looks like a Big 12 competitor

It wasn't just the defense that stepped up for the Cyclones; they were firing on all cylinders in the second half. Quarterback Rocco Becht, the 2023 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, had a few huge throws that swung the momentum. His 75-yard touchdown connection with Jaylin Noel near the end of the third quarter gave the Cyclones a ton of momentum. His 30-yard connection with Noel with the clock draining in the fourth quarter played a huge part in winning the game.

Speaking of Noel, he and Jayden Higgins might just be the best wide receiver duo in the conference. Saturday marked the second straight week that they accounted for at least 200 yards receiving, and they accounted for both of Iowa State's touchdowns through the air. While the Cyclones need to get more production from the running game and running back Abu Sama, the offensive line deserves some credit for keeping the pocket mostly clean against a quality Iowa pass rush.

With teams like Oklahoma State and Kansas State struggling on Saturday, the Big 12 looks as open as ever. This is a marquee win for Iowa State, one that can propel it to big things in its ninth year under Matt Campbell.

Iowa State's defense could take it far

Iowa's historic struggles on offense are well-noted, but Iowa State's defense made some huge plays that kept the Cyclones in the game despite some early dominance from their Cy-Hawk rival. Perhaps the most crucial sequence came near the end of the first quarter, when Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht threw an interception to Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins that gave the Hawkeyes the ball on ISU's 12-yard line.

To make matters worse, Iowa then converted on third-and-10 on its ensuing possession to put the ball on Iowa State's doorstep. But from there, the Cyclones logged two tackles for loss and broke up a pass in the end zone to force a short Iowa field goal. Though the kick gave Iowa a 10-0 lead at the time, those timely stops were a recurring theme in the first half.

Iowa had two drives stall near Iowa State's end zone thanks to big stands from the Cyclones defense. Midway through the third quarter, Iowa State defensive back Darien Porter logged an interception that led to Iowa State's first touchdown of the game.

Of course, the Cyclones also came up huge late in the game when they forced Iowa to punt with 38 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter. Without that, Iowa State doesn't even get a chance to win the game. That type of defensive effort translates to any opponent in any situation. If Iowa State can keep it up, it's going to push some opponents once conference play begins.

Iowa has something with Kaleb Johnson

As Iowa's offense continues its journey of self-improvement, the Hawkeyes have an emerging superstar to lean on with running back Kaleb Johnson. The 6-foot and 225-pound bowling ball looked like one of the Big Ten's running backs against Iowa State. Though power is a well-known facet of his game, he also displayed some top-shelf speed to generate huge chunk plays for Iowa.

He had four rushes of at least 20 yards, including one 54 yarder that led to his own 3-yard rushing touchdown. He finished the game with 25 carries for 187 yards and both of the Hawkeyes' touchdowns. It was impressive to see the different ways that Iowa used him out of the backfield. He looked comfortable both plunging through the inside of the line and bouncing outside of the tackles, using his underrated speed to race past the Cyclones defense.

If Iowa's passing offense continues to struggle, Johnson is an elite safety valve with the upside to win games all by himself.

Iowa State will get the ball back

The Cyclones may not have a lot of time, but they are going to get one more possession to win this game. Iowa converted on a third-and-1 with two minutes left to play, but Iowa State was able to limit any more damage and allow just two more yards to force an Iowa punt with 38 seconds left on the clock. Iowa State has hit on a couple big plays today, something that Iowa's defense certainly has in the back of its mind.

Iowa has a chance to grind this one out

And the Hawkeyes have the right guy to do it in running back Kaleb Johnson. Though Iowa State still has two timeouts to stop the clock, time is starting to run low. The Hawkeyes will have the ball, and the lead, when play resumes after the 2-minute timeout. They'll face probably the biggest third-and-1 of the entire game. Convert, and there's a good chance to drain the rest of the clock. An Iowa State stop means that the Cyclones will get the ball with a chance to go down the field and win the game.

These are the types of moments rivalry games are made for.

Defenses re-asserting dominance

Cy-Hawk is starting to re-enter some familiar territory. After an offensive flurry at the end of the third quarter that saw the two teams score three touchdowns in a span of four minutes, both the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones have started to settle down again on defense. Since Iowa State's field goal that cut Iowa's lead to 19-17, the Hawkeyes went three-and-out and then Iowa State picked up one first-down conversion before its drive stalled just short of its own 40-yard line. Iowa now has the ball and a chance to score, which would likely put this game to bed.

Iowa State draws closer

Early 4Q: No. 21 Iowa 19, Iowa State 17

Defense may be back on the menu after a flurry of touchdowns, but Iowa State just cut into Iowa's lead with a 46-yard field goal. That capped a four-play drive that started on Iowa State's own 49-yard line. The Hawkeyes did a good job of limiting a Cyclones offense that has started to hit on some big chunk plays. Iowa State managed a stop of its own to start the fourth quarter.

Still, ISU is chipping away. Iowa might need to find another answer since momentum is starting to thoroughly shift towards its in-state rival.

Cy-Hawk will come down to wire

End 3Q: No. 21 Iowa 19, Iowa State 14

This one's been really fun so far. Just when it looked like Iowa might start pulling away, rolling with momentum from a 19-0 halftime lead and holding Iowa State to three-and-out on its second-half opening drive, the Cyclones have battled back to make this one of the most thrilling Cy-Hawk clashes in recent memory.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht threw two touchdowns in the first quarter, including one 75-yard connection to explosive wide receiver Jaylin Noel. Iowa leaned on an emerging rushing attack under running back Kaleb Johnson, who had his own big gain of 54 yards to set up his own 3-yard touchdown run. Hopefully the fireworks continue in the final frame.

Hello, Iowa State

Late 3Q: No. 21 Iowa 19, Iowa State 14

What is happening? Iowa State and Iowa have combined to score three touchdowns in the last four minutes of game time. After the Hawkeyes pounded the rock and marched down the field to expand their lead to 12 points, Iowa State punched right back on the first play of its ensuing drive with a 75-yard touchdown connection between quarterback Rocco Becht and explosive wide receiver Jaylin Noel.

It's rare that Iowa completely busts like that on defense, so it was good for Iowa State to take advantage of it. Noel also had just 18 yards receiving before that, so it's good for the Cyclones to get him going.

Iowa strikes back

Late 3Q: No. 21 Iowa 19, Iowa State 7

"I went to Cy-Hawk and all I got was this lousy offensive shootout!" Print the shirts now. The Hawkeyes and the Cyclones are now trading scoring blows early in the second half. After the Cyclones engineered their first scoring drive of the game, Iowa answered by spamming the Kaleb Johnson button. The Hawkeyes running back carried the ball three times for a gain of 62 yards and the touchdown that ballooned Iowa's lead.

He started the drive with a 54-yard run that put the Hawkeyes in striking distance. Iowa has placed an emphasis on getting Johnson outside the tackles, where he's done a good job of outracing Iowa State's defense and generating some considerable chunk gains. The ball is back in Iowa State's court to keep this one from spiraling away.

Iowa State's offense wakes up

Mid 3Q: No. 21 Iowa 13, Iowa State 7

Iowa State's offense has decided to finally repay the stellar play of its defense. Following a key interception from defensive back Darien Porter, the Cyclones marched down the field on a 9-play, 75-yard drive capped by a beautiful touchdown throw from quarterback Rocco Becht to wide receiver Jayden Higgins, who made a spectacular catch to come down inbounds and secure the score.

Becht looked great on the scoring drive. He completed all four of his passes for 54 yards and the touchdown, finding some momentum after a rough first half. If he can get going, Iowa State has a great chance to really put its foot on the gas over the final two quarters.

Iowa State's defense deserves a nice steak dinner

And Iowa may want to just throw gimmick plays out of its gameplan moving forward. Quarterback Cade McNamara faked a handoff out of an under-center look and rolled to his right. Meanwhile, tight end Luke Lachey ran a wheel route down the left sideline and McNamara tossed the ball to him for a quick throwback-type play. Iowa State was all over and defensive back Darien Porter came down with the interception. This on a drive that started on Iowa State's 42-yard line. The Cyclones' defense keeps making huge plays but at some point the offense has to reciprocate.

No, Iowa State cannot find its footing

At least on offense. Iowa State gained three plays and gained a whopping seven yards to open the second half. To make matters worse, the Cyclones were called for a false start on the ensuing punt that negated a majority of the meagre gains they made and further complicated the ensuing punt. Iowa will take over at Iowa State's 42-yard line after a 30-yard boot, with a real chance to blow this game wide open.

Can Iowa State find its footing?

Five of Iowa State's first-half drives ended in a punt. Another was cut short by an interception, and the Cyclones' final possession in the second quarter resulted in a missed 41-yard field goal attempt. That was their only real scoring opportunity thus far. Iowa State has made it into Iowa territory just twice. The Cyclones have been completely unable to push the ball down the field and, to make matters worse, Iowa has done a great job playing close to the line and eliminating both the run game and any underneath throws that Iowa State may want to try to get quarterback Rocco Becht into any sort of momentum.

Iowa State does get the ball to start the second half. It feels like the Cyclones need to get any sort of points on the board or, even though the margin is just 13-0, this one could really start getting out of hand.

Iowa State defense keeping it close

Late 2Q: No. 21 Iowa 13, Iowa State 0

Another red zone possession, another field goal for Iowa's offense. The Hawkeyes are moving the ball well, and have been placed in some great positions thanks to the defense, but they're having trouble finishing drives. Quarterback Cade McNamara didn't even see a wide open receiver third-and-goal from Iowa State's 3-yard line and instead threw a pass across the back of the end zone that wasn't catchable. Iowa had to settle for the 21-yard field goal.

It was another big stop for the Cyclones, who have yet to really get going on offense. Iowa State's defense deserves a huge hat tip. It's the only reason that Matt Campbell's squad is still in this game.

Iowa limiting Iowa State's explosive playmakers

In Iowa State's season-opening win against North Dakota, receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins combined for 13 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Abu Sama finished top-20 in the Big 12 last season with 614 yards rushing on 84 carries. So far against the Hawkeyes, Noel, Higgins and Sama have generated 56 total yards on 13 touches. Noel hasn't caught a ball so far. Iowa has done a really good job of highlighting Iowa State's top playmakers and taking them out of the game.

Becht not bringing his best

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is one of the more underrated arms in the Big 12, but he isn't having his best game so far. He's completed just four passes thus far for a gain of 17 yards and no touchdowns. A bad interception, with Iowa State's back to its own goal line, allowed Iowa to kick an easy field goal to expand its lead to two possessions. He hasn't completed a ball longer than six yards and, outside of the interception, has made some questionable decisions. Iowa isn't allowing him to get any rhythm, either. The Hawkeyes have done a great job of tackling and eliminating underneath routes.

Iowa State's offense faltering thus far

Iowa State just had a drive end after five plays and 19 yards. That was its longest drive of the game so far. The Cyclones gained a total of six yards on their other three possessions. Two ended in a punt, while one ended in a Jay Higgins interception that gave Iowa the ball on ISU's 12-yard line. Quarterback Rocco Becht has yet to complete a pass over six yards.

Iowa State defense makes a stand

Early 2Q: No. 21 Iowa 10, Iowa State 0

But Iowa was still able to expand its lead with a 23-yard field goal from kicker Drew Stevens. Even so, it's hard not to call that a win for the Cyclones. The Hawkeyes were put in prime scoring position by an interception from linebacker Jay Higgins, who was able to give Iowa's offense the ball on ISU's 12-yard line. Then the Hawkeyes converted on third-and-10 to set up a goal-to-go situation.

But two straight tackles for loss and a nice pass breakup in the end zone by Iowa State forced Iowa to settle for the field goal. It was a nice stand from a Cyclones defense that was banged up entering the game. It's also good news for Iowa State's offense, which has started all but one drive thus far inside its own 5-yard line after a pair of great Iowa punts.

Iowa closes first frame with a lead

End 1Q: No. 21 Iowa 7, Iowa State 0

Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins, one of the best tacklers in the entire nation, is also great in coverage. The preseason All-American just provided a huge play for the Hawkeyes defense, intercepting a pass from Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht and returning it to the Cyclones' 12-yard line. That set up a prime scoring opportunity for his team, which will open the second quarter with the ball on Iowa State's doorstep.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara has done well so far. The gameplan has made it easy on him so far. The Hawkeyes are working underneath routes effectively. They just turned one of them into a first down on third-and-10 from Iowa State's 12 to end the first quarter. McNamara has completed eight of his 11 pass attempts for 72 yards so far.

Where does Iowa keep finding these punters?

Iowa's going to be fine after losing its top weapon: former punter Tory Taylor. The Hawkeyes are in good hands with Rhys Dakin. After he drilled a punt to Iowa State's 1-yard line after Iowa's opening possession, he just had another punt downed at the 5-yard line after Cyclones return-man Jaylin Noel called for a fair catch.

Iowa offense strikes first

Early 1Q: No. 21 Iowa 7, Iowa State 0

Just like we all predicted. And it was an explosive play, too. After forcing Iowa State to punt from its own end zone, the Hawkeyes took over in Cyclones territory. Quarterback Cade McNamara moved the ball 16 yards with a nice pass to Jacob Gill and then, on the ensuing play, running back Kaleb Jackson took a handoff around the right edge and outraced Iowa State's defense for a 27-yard touchdown.

Iowa is averaging 7.2 yards per play on its first two possessions. Maybe the Hawkeyes are different this year.

Iowa crowd having a huge impact

As if having the ball on its own 1-yard line wasn't enough, Iowa State is having some major issues with the crowd noise inside Kinnick Stadium. The Cyclones did well to get out of the shadow of their own end zone with a couple nice runs from Abu Sama, to set up third-and-2 from their own nine, but two straight false starts completely wiped those gains off the board. Then, on third-and-9, ISU coach Matt Campbell was forced to call a timeout to try and help his team regain some composure in an already high-pressure situation.

Punts are already on point

Iowa's drive may have stalled after a promising start, but the punts are already on point. Facing fourth-and-10 from Iowa State's 39-yard line, the Hawkeyes brought new weapon Rhys Dakin on to boot the ball away. Boot it he did, all the way to Iowa State's 6-yard line. The ball took a perfect bounce to the one and was downed by John Nestor to put Iowa State's back against the wall.

What else should we expect, given the teams involved?

New-look Iowa offense takes the field first

Iowa is set to get things started after receiving the opening kickoff. The Hawkeyes put 40 points on the board last week against Illinois State in what was an impressive debut for new offensive coordinator Tim Lester. Iowa State is a much tougher test, but Iowa has a real chance to prove that it's a new team against the Cyclones.

Iowa vs. Iowa State prediction

On paper, these two teams seem fairly evenly matched, but Iowa has one glaring advantage: the run game. Hawkeyes backs Kaleb Johnson and Kamari Moulton combined for 185 yards rushing in the Week 1 win against Southern Illinois. Iowa State allowed 174 yards on the ground against North Dakota, while only running for 86 of its own. Iowa also has a strong secondary that should be able to at least limit the Cyclones' passing attack and take some of the explosiveness away from receivers like Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. As long as the Hawkeyes can limit glaring errors, they've got a good chance of winning a tight one. Pick: Iowa -3 (-115)

Iowa vs. Iowa State live stream, where to watch, TV channel, odds, spread, prediction, pick

Will Backus

Rocco Becht ready to breakout

This won't be Becht's first Cy-Hawk Game, but it certainly might be the biggest. Maybe it's due to the overall quality of quarterbacks in the Big 12, but Becht has largely flown under the radar despite a great first 14 games as Iowa State's starter. He was the 2023 Big 12 Freshman of the Year after completing 231 passes for 3,120 yards and 23 touchdowns -- all freshman records at ISU. He kept the momentum rolling in the 2024 season opener against North Dakota, completing a crisp 20 of his 26 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. A big performance against Iowa would definitely open some eyes.

Is Iowa's offense... improving?

It was a small sample size against an overmatched team, but Iowa's offense looked improved in Week 1 -- after a slow first half, at least. The Hawkeyes scored 30 points in the second half of a 40-0 win over Illinois State and threw for three touchdowns in a single game for the first time since 2021. They had their best yardage total since 2019. Freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee had two touchdowns, which is more than any Iowa wideout has had in a single season since 2022. Iowa State provides much stiffer competition, but it was a good debut for new offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

And, hey, with how dominant the Hawkeyes are on special teams and defense, they might not need their offense to be much better than average.

Iowa doesn't need its offense to be special; an utterly average unit would lift Hawkeyes to powerhouse status

Ryan McGrady

Iowa WR Anderson out for second straight week

Iowa wide receiver Seth Anderson, an expected starter for the Hawkeyes, is out for Saturday's game against Iowa State. Anderson also missed Iowa's season opener against Illinois State. The 6-foot and 180-pound junior appeared in 14 games for the Hawkeyes last season and finished third among wide receivers with 11 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown. Without Anderson, look for freshman Reece Vander Zee to factor heavily into the offensive gameplan again. He impressed in his collegiate debut, leading all receivers with five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Digging deep into one of college football's best traditions

Tune into this Saturday's game between the Iowa State Cyclones and Iowa Hawkeyes, and at the end of the first quarter, you'll witness one of the best traditions in college football. During the Hawkeye Wave, fans in Kinnick Stadium will turn and show support to kids in the nearby children's hospital.

The Hawkeye Wave has quickly become one of the most touching and uplifting traditions the sport has to offer. For just a moment, fans of both teams will come together to give a boost to children battling illness just across the street.

The fact that the Hawkeye Wave will get both sides of the Cy-Hawk Series to come together says a lot about its impact. So, let's look at the origins of this now famous Saturday tradition.

History of the Hawkeye Wave: How Iowa's iconic college football tradition began

Austin Nivison

1 of 2