Iowa State Cyclones tight end Stevo Klotz (49) celebrates with team mates after a touchdown against Cincinnati during the third quarter in the week-12 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES —Unsung. Unknown. Unshaken.
Iowa State relied on a blend of well-established role players and freshly minted contributors to turn early tension into late elation in a convincing 34-17 win Saturday night over Cincinnati before 52,881 hardy fans at Jack Trice Stadium.
“I keep saying this,” said Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell, whose team improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play. “I feel like it’s the story, right? We just keep comin’ — and they come from everywhere.”
They came from Cedar Rapids, as sophomore tight end Gabe Burkle caught a career-high six passes for a career-best 73 yards.
They came from Frisco Texas, as true freshman receiver Brett Eskildsen turned his first two career catches into critical third-down conversions.
They came from Chaska, Minn., as hybrid fullback Stevo Klotz galloped 22 yards on a fake punt that extended a touchdown drive, and also caught a 26-yard scoring strike from quarterback Rocco Becht that gave ISU the lead for good early In the second half.
And it came from the usual suspects, as well, including Becht, who essentially sealed the triumph after jumping to catch a high snap and running for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:04 remaining.
“It was good knowing (late) that we could put a dagger in them and we can end it right now,” said Becht, who completed 24 of 33 passes for 234 yards and the touchdown to Klotz. “So I think our defense did a good job in that first half keeping us in the game when we weren’t at our finest. It’s definitely a momentum builder and hopefully we can use (that) in the next couple of weeks.”
The Bearcats (5-5, 3-4) pushed ISU into its heels early, driving 75 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on tailback Evan Pryor’s 12-yard run on the opening possession of the game.
The Cyclones eventually took advantage of a poor punt to finish a game-tying drive with tailback Carson Hansen’s ninth touchdown of the season from two yards out.
Cincinnati inched ahead moments later with a 29-yard field goal and ISU’s offense continued to struggle — until defensive lineman Dom Orange asserted his dominance in the final minute of the first half.
The Bearcats saw Orange blow up three consecutive plays to force a punt with 35 seconds left. The kick spanned just 18 yards, which set Becht up to drive 20 yards on five plays to get the Cyclones into field goal range. Kicker Kyle Konrardy drilled the 52-yard field goal to make the score 10-10 at halftime. ISU reached the end zone immediately in the second half with the Becht-to-Klotz 26-yard connection and it would maintain the lead the rest of the way.
“I feel like from the beginning of the season to where we are today, this group has never flinched,” said Campbell, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak. “They’ve never backed down. They’ve never wavered. And, to me, that’s a such a credit to the senior leadership that we have on our football team right now.”
Those leaders helped the Cyclones stay resilient after a Hansen fumble in his own territory eventually turned into a 41-yard touchdown run by Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Becht responded by calmly leading a 15-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that spanned 7:33. It culminated in that oh-no high snap moment he leaped to grab before toting it into the end zone to make the score 27-17 with 4:04 remaining.
“I feel like whenever the ball’s in my hand I can make a play with it,” Becht said. “Fortunately, in that scenario, the line did block all their keys, and it made it easier for me even though it wasn’t a designed run by me.”
Nothing’s come easy for the Cyclones lately, but the defense did enjoy the return of experienced linebacker Will McLaughin, who had missed the previous nine games after undergoing back surgery in August.
“I love the game too much,” said McLaughlin, who notched four tackles and a quarterback hurry in his long-awaited return. “If I had to sit out the whole season, man, it’d be tough.”
Now he’s back — and even as senior captain and defensive tackle J.R. Singleton had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury — along with a handful of his cohorts on defense.
Unbroken. Unfazed. Unwilling to surrender.
“It was beautiful,” said safety Malik Verdon, who sat out most of last week’s loss to Kansas because of what he called a “small, small, small fracture” on his left arm. “We put the past behind us (and came) out here focused on winning the game, going 1-0 this week.”
