Recap: Iowa State football beats Oklahoma State, 34-27, in Big 12 opener

AMES — Iowa State football bounced back from last weekend’s road loss with a 34027 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Iowa State (2-2) began Big 12 conference play on a high note, defeating the Cowboys (2-2) in Jack Trice Stadium. Oklahoma State holds the all-time series advantage and had won 11 of the previous 14 matchups between these two programs.

This was the most points the Cyclones have scored since dropping 43 against Ohio last season. It was the most points in a conference game since November 2021.

Iowa State will travel south next Saturday to face #14 Oklahoma.

Here is a recap of what went down in Iowa State’s win over Oklahoma State.

FINAL: Iowa State 34, Oklahoma State 27

Down by one score and with less than two minutes on the clock, Oklahoma State elected to go for it on 4th and 10. Alan Bowman pass, intended for Talyn Shettron, was intercepted by T.J. Tampa at the 38-yard line.

2:46/Q4: Iowa State 34, Oklahoma State 27

The Cowboys inched closer to the Cyclones lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Alan Bowman to Rashod Owens. The drive lasted 11 plays and went 65 yards, while taking 3:48 off the clock.

8:15/Q4: Iowa State takes over on the 19-yard line

The defense stepped up on the latest Oklahoma State drive and stopped the Cowboys at the 37-yard line. OSU was forced to punt, once again, and the Cyclones take over with a little over half the fourth quarter remaining.

13:04/Q4: Singleton sack gives the ball back to Iowa State offense

Oklahoma State is forced to punt after failing to convert on 3rd and 27. How did the Cowboys get into that position? Iowa State fans can thank J.R. Singleton, who sacked OSU quarterback Alan Bowman for a loss of 17 yards.

14:54/Q4: Iowa State 34, Oklahoma State 20

Eli Sanders rushed seven yards for another Iowa State touchdown, extending the Cyclones lead to 14 points. The scoring drive lasted six plays and went 75 yards over three minutes.

End of the third quarter: Iowa State holds 10-point lead to start the fourth

The Cyclones have the ball on the seven-yard line to start the final quarter. It will be first down for Iowa State in the red zone.

2:54/Q3: Iowa State 27, Oklahoma State 20

5:30/Q3: Iowa State 27, Oklahoma State 17

Two plays and a touchdown, that’s all it took for Iowa State to extend its lead to 10 points. Abu Sama had a 21-yard catch and run on the first play, and Daniel Jackson scored off a 26-yarder pass from Rocco Becht.

8:03/Q3: Iowa State fans unhappy with Cyclones offense

The Iowa State run game has left a lot to be desired this season, and fans were not pleased with the lack of forward movement on the latest drive. The Cyclones ran the ball four times for a total of five yards, less than half of the one 11-yard pass that gave ISU a first down.

There was no gain Carson Hansen’s final run of the drive, and Iowa State fans showed their displeasure by booing.

11:17/Q3: Beau Freyler makes up for first half mistake

Freyler had a chance on an interception in the first half, but he dropped it. He wasn’t going to let that happen again, as he grabbed a deep pass intended for Josiah Johnson at the 17-yard line and returned it 18 yards to the 35.

Iowa State gets the ball back with 11:17 remaining in the third quarter.

15:00/Q3: Cartevious Norton out for the remainder of the game

HALFTIME: Iowa State 20, Oklahoma State 17

The Cyclones traveled 56 yards on 14 plays and ate up nearly five-and-a-half minutes of clock but couldn’t convert it into a touchdown.

Iowa State did manage to add a field goal, a 46-yarder off the foot of Chase Contreraz, and extended its lead to six heading to the half.

Oklahoma State got the ball back on the 35-yard line, with the ball going out of bounds. The Cowboys advanced to the 29-yard line and opted to kick with four seconds left. Gerry Vaughn jumped the gun and moved Oklahoma State up to the 21-yard line.

The 38-yard kick was good, but Vaughn was penalized for roughing the snapper, which will be enforced at the start of the second half.

7:12/Q2: Iowa State 17, Oklahoma State 14

Iowa State made it down to the 33-yard line — on a drive lasting nine plays and 42 yards — but couldn’t get any further, with two runs for a loss and an incomplete pass. The Cyclones settle for a field goal and Chase Contreraz hits a 51-yarder to give ISU the lead.

11:01/Q2: Iowa State 14, Oklahoma State 14

Jaden Nixon grabs a 60-yard pass play from Alan Bowman — making the catch at the 24-yard line and stepping out of a tackle — to tie the game, again.

12:55/Q2: Iowa State 14, Oklahoma State 7

It took just three plays for Iowa State to add more points to the scoreboard. Rocco Becht sent a 32-yard pass into the hands of Jaylin Noel, then Abu Sama picked up a yard on the ground. But it was Daniel Jackson, who reeled in a 29-yard pass from Becht, who got the go-ahead touchdown.

14:05/Q2: Oklahoma State punts…again…to start the second quarter

On the first play of the second quarter, Ollie Gordon took the handoff from Alan Bowman, but Caleb Bacon was waiting and threw Gordon down for a loss of two yards. The Cowboys followed that with two incomplete passes.

That led to a punt and Iowa State takes over from the 38-yard line.

End of the first quarter: Iowa State punts at the end of the opening frame

It was a whole lot of nothing in the final few minutes of the first quarter, and Iowa State was facing a 4th and 11 situation before punting. Tyler Perkins sends the punt 53 yards and Oklahoma State will start the second quarter on the 18-yard line.

3:23/Q1: Iowa State 7, Oklahoma State 7

The Cyclones go for it on 4th and 3 and Rocco Becht delivers. He sends a deep pass 38 yards downfield to Jaylin Noel, who picks up Iowa State’s first touchdown of the game. Chase Contreraz’s point after is good, and it’s all tied up late in the third quarter.

5:40/Q1: Oklahoma State 7, Iowa State 0

Alan Bowman holds onto the ball and runs 12 yards for a Cowboys touchdown. Oklahoma State got in the red zone with a 71 yard dash by Ollie Gordon on the play before.

Iowa State will get the ball back with less than six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

8:34/Q1: Near interception for Iowa State

Iowa State punts on its first drive, after making it to the 50-yard line. The Cyclones had 25 total yards of offense on six plays and took about four minutes off the clock.

Oklahoma State takes over from the 20-yard line, and opts for a run on the first play of this drive. Beau Freyler nearly gets an interception but the Sooners hang onto the ball.

13:03/Q1: Early three-and-out for the Cowboys

Oklahoma State goes three-and-out on its first drive, attempting three runs by Ollie Gordon. He gained a total of three yards, and the Cowboys punt after less than two minutes with the ball.

3:05 p.m. — Oklahoma State to receive first

Iowa State won the toss and deferred to the second half. Keegan Shackford out for the opening kickoff.

2:20 p.m. — Malik Verdon, Darien Porter out against Oklahoma State

Malik Verdon and Darien Porter are both in sweats for warmups. Verdon has recorded six solo tackles, 11 total tackles and two broken up passes. Porter has two total tackles on the season.

Gerry Vaughn is in uniform but he has gone through warmups the last two weeks without playing.

2:07 p.m. — Is the quarterback tryout over at Oklahoma State?

It looks like senior quarterback Alan Bowman will get the start against Iowa State and, if all goes according to plan, he'll be the only quarterback registering time for the Cowboys. For the first three games, Bowman has been sharing snaps with Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy.

Dave Hunziker reported the news Saturday on the Cowboy Radio Network's pregame show.

2 p.m. — Looks like it might rain on Iowa State's parade

A thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Iowa until 10 p.m. and, wouldn't you know it, Ames is located in the middle of the storm map. Both teams are going through initial warmups right now, and the pregame clock is around 67 minutes, so all signs point to kickoff as planned...for now.

1:30 p.m. – The Cyclones are still adjusting to a young roster

Iowa State has a new starting quarterback who, prior to this season, only appeared in three games. The Cyclones have a true freshman running back out on the field and a true freshman starting at linebacker.

Freshman after freshman appears in the starting lineup, on both sides of the ball. Only four seniors started Iowa State’s game against Ohio.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson breaks down how exactly the Cyclones ended up with such a young starting lineup.

1:30 p.m. – Iowa State and Oklahoma State meet amid similar circumstances

The Cowboys may hold the (slightly) better overall record but both programs come into Saturday’s game following losses to Group of Five teams due to poor performances on offense.

Iowa State fell to the Bobcats, 10-7, while Oklahoma State lost at home to South Alabama, 33-7.

“They have the same fire that we have right now,” said Iowa State safety and captain Ben Nikkel. “It’s not fun when you lose, so I think they’re going to come out and prove something, too.”

More: Iowa State football and Oklahoma State meet Saturday amid similar circumstances

1:30 p.m. – Is Tyler Perkins the best punter in the nation?

Well, that’s at least how the Iowa State punter was described by Nikkel.

The sophomore was recognized as the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week after his performance against Ohio. He’s improved his punting average from 42.2 yards as a freshman to 50.5 yards this season, which is the second-best in the nation.

More: The 'best punter in the nation'? Tyler Perkins is making his case at Iowa State this season

But as for the statistics and the accolades, Perkins doesn’t focus on that aspect of his game. He knows what he needs to work on, and he also understands how important his skill is to flipping the field when Iowa State’s offense struggles.

“I want to eliminate some of the touchbacks I’m hitting,” Perkins said. “In my mind, I’m just thinking, ‘Can I consistently flip the field and help our defense and offense at the same time?’”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Recap: Iowa State football beats Oklahoma State in Big 12 opener