Nov 23, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) is grabbed by his shirttail from Utah Utes cornerback Cameron Calhoun (4) during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
They bumbled, fumbled, and stumbled with alarming regularity. They dominated the game statistically but needed a last-minute drive to win it. Such is life for the 2024 Iowa State Cyclones, who somehow overcame a pick-six and blocked punt for a touchdown to escape Utah with a 31-28 victory Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
ISU (9-2. 6-2) now largely controls its own destiny when it comes to reaching the Big 12 championship game, after previous leaders BYU and Colorado both sustained upsets earlier in the afternoon.
“The thing that’s really exciting about this group, is who they are and who they’ve become is really special. And it’s got a chance to become really, really special,” Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell said on the Cyclone Radio Network after the win.
ISU outgained the Utes (4-7, 1-7) 405 yards to 224. The Cyclones totaled 24 first downs to Utah’s nine. They converted eight of their 16 third-down chances against a Ute defense that led the country in that statistic entering the game — yet still almost hurt themselves so often that an upset loss remained possible until the end.
After quarterback Rocco Becht drove ISU on a 10-play, 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive capped by tailback Carson Hansen’s three-yard run with 1:31 left, the Utes’ last healthy quarterback, Luke Bottari, propelled his team to the Cyclones’ 36-yard line. But a 54-yard field goal attempt went awry, and ISU emerged victorious on the road for the seventh time in the past eight games.
“Everybody counted us out two weeks ago and we didn’t flinch, we didn’t waver,” Campbell said.
Becht completed 20 of 38 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown to Jayden Higgins, and a costly interception for a touchdown that gave Utah a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. Higgins surpassed 1,000 yards receiving this season via a nine-catch, 155-yard performance that included several drive-extending grabs that came in critical moments.
“I thought he was elite,” Campbell said. “Him and Rocco, they were so dialed in to each other on that last drive. … Late November and everything mattered the most, and those guys came through.”
Becht completed passes of 10 and 12 yards to Higgins on the game-winning drive — and the latter connection set up Hansen’s 26-yard trick play completion to tight end Gabe Burkle, who was tackled at Utah’s three-yard line. Hansen ran it in from there, notching his second rushing touchdown of the game and 11th of the season to provide ISU with its razor-thin winning margin.
“We were cooking that (pass play) up this week and it was something that was maybe, maybe not,” said Hansen, who finished with a game-high 57 rushing yards. “The coaches put in the trust in me and I put it out there for Gabe.”
The Cyclones possessed the ball nearly 12 minutes more than the Utes, but saw a muffed punt by Jaylin Noel turn into three points, while a blocked punt became a touchdown for the home team in the second half.
But as Campbell said, ISU “never flinched,” and when the game was on the line, the Cyclones delivered.
“I had no doubt that we were gonna go down there and score,” Becht said. “(Quarterbacks) coach (Jake) Waters said he had all the trust in me and I have all the trust in myself and my teammates to go down there and do it. It’s nothing else different — and better to do it in this stadium with this crowd. It was a fun one.”
