Nov 2, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Coy Eakin (8) catches a pass in front of Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Myles Purchase (5) at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
As rain rolled into Jack Trice Stadium and day turned to night, it looked like fate was giving No. 11 Iowa State every opportunity to flip the cards in what turned into a 23-22 loss.
The Cyclones had their chances, but couldn’t convert on enough of them to overcome Texas Tech.
“We beat ourselves,” defensive back Myles Purchase said. “We made a lot of mistakes. We had ill-advised penalties and stuff that we have to take control over. The things that we can control, we have to be able to control – like not making penalties like that.”
The Iowa State defense had the Red Raiders facing 3rd and 10 from its own 14-yard line in the third quarter. Jayden Higgins, who finished with 140 yards on 10 catches, had scored just before halftime to give the Cyclones a 13-10 lead.
Jontez Williams then picked off Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton, who had thrown three interceptions all season before Saturday.
It would have been Morton’s third pick of the game, but defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim was flagged for ‘hands to the face,’ giving Texas Tech the first down.
The Red Raiders went on to complete a 98-yard drive to take a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter.
“There (were) a lot of mistakes made,” defensive lineman Joey Petersen said in a somber voice, still fully digesting this group’s first loss of the year. “A lot of shooting ourselves in the foot.”
On the ensuing drive, Iowa State was moving the football, when wideout Jaylin Noel found space and caught a ball for what would have been a 20-yard gain.
But senior offensive lineman Jarrod Hufford was flagged for being too far down field.
The teams got together during the TV timeout before the fourth quarter. Shortly after, Abu Sama gave the stadium hope it hadn’t felt for much of the game, scampering to the 1-yard line while making defenders miss in the most improbable fashion.
After a review, Iowa State would get the ball on first and goal, with one yard to gain to find paydirt.
Senior fullback Stevo Klotz was called for a false start, and the Cyclones would settle for a field goal.
“I think it was due to just detail to precision and lack of mental- we had a lot penalties today, more than we’ve ever had,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “That hurt us a lot. I think everybody needs to look at themselves in the mirror and just see what they need to figure out.”
That’s just a sampling of the eight penalties that cost Iowa State 59 yards in the one-point loss.
“Some of those (penalties) hadn’t been called (this year),” coach Matt Campbell said. “We’re going to have to get it corrected because it’s close enough to whatever it is or it isn’t, that it put us in a really tough spot. From our end of it, we’ve got to coach better. That starts with the head football coach, and then we have got to execute better.”
Just like that, 7-0 turns to 7-1 and the next six days become ever so more important as Iowa State prepares for its next game against Kansas.
There’s no room for error, now, especially with preseason goals as lofty as making the first 12-team college football playoff.
“We’re fine, honestly,” Purchase said. “It’s a loss, but a loss isn’t going to deter our season all the way. We still have everything in front of us. We still control our own destiny. The leaders in the locker room are keeping everybody’s heads up.”
This is where the captains – and other leaders in the room – can shine the most.
“It’s really important,” Purchase said of leaders on the team. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are playing that haven’t been in these situations before, and the people that have been in the situations have to be able to pick these guys up. It’s really important.”
While postgame press conferences were going on, No. 17 Kansas State fell to 4-2 in Big 12 play after being upset by Houston.
There’s no telling what either result will do for the national perception of the league as the initial CFP rankings are revealed Tuesday, but the difference in room for error with a loss and a win is as large as one game could get at this point.
Regardless, Iowa State will play in the Big 12 championship game if it wins its final four games to to end the regular season.
“You don’t want to play that way, especially to start November, and we did,” Campbell said. “We’re going to have to own it. We live with it and we grow with it. Hopefully, we’ve got enough courage about ourselves to correct it and move ourselves forward.”
That courage is what this season will come down to, and this team’s response to its first loss as a group will be the biggest part in it.
