Recap: Iowa State football falls to Kansas 28-21 in Big 12 Conference matchup

AMES — For most of Saturday’s matchup between Iowa State and Kansas, it looked like the Jayhawks would walk away with the win.

And Kansas did end up defeating Iowa State, 28-21, but the Cyclones made things interesting in the second half.

After managing only a field goal in the first half, Iowa State scored two touchdowns — one with a successful two-point conversion after — to move within a field goal of tying the game. But immediately after Iowa State’s second touchdown, Kansas took another trip to the end zone.

The Cyclones added another field goal before the end of the game, but it wasn’t enough to get past Kansas.

ISU falls to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, which drops the Cyclones out of the tie for first place in the Big 12. Kansas improves to 7-2 on the year and 4-2 in conference play.

Here is a recap of all the action from Iowa State’s loss to Kansas.

FINAL: Kansas 28, Iowa State 21

Kansas holds off Iowa State after fourth-quarter touchdown for the Jayhawks first win in Ames since 2008.

4:53/Q4: Kansas 28, Iowa State 21

Iowa State drives all the way to the 11-yard line but settles for a field goal. Chase Contreraz’s 29-yard field goal attempt is good, and the Cyclones need another touchdown to tie.

7:51/Q4: Kansas 28, Iowa State 18

The Jayhawks stifled Iowa State’s momentum, scoring on the first play of the drive after the Cyclones’ touchdown. Jason Bean threw an 80-yard to Lawrence Arnold to restore Kansas’ 10-point lead.

8:11/Q4: Kansas 21, Iowa State 18

Rocco Becht rushed two yards on the quarterback keeper to put Iowa State a field goal away from tying the game.

It was Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins who did the heavy lifting on that drive. Iowa State ran a bit of a trick play when Rocco Becht pitched the ball backward to Noel, who threw it 42 yards to a Higgins. It gave the Cyclones possession on the 20-yard line, and five plays later, Iowa State scored.

End of the third quarter: Kansas 21, Iowa State 11

Kansas punted after an injury scare with Jason Bean. The Jayhawks quarterback when down awkwardly after throwing an incomplete pass and struggled to get up. He went to the sidelines and Cole Ballard entered the game for one play, but Bean was back in for the next snap.

3:26/Q3: Kansas 21, Iowa State 11

Eli Sanders rushes for six yards and the Cyclones’ first touchdown of the night. Sanders gets the ball for the two-point conversion and is successful. Iowa State makes this a two possession game with over a quarter left to play.

3:30/Q3: Iowa State in the red zone

Dimitri Stanley hauled in a 32-yard pass from Rocco Becht and advanced to the 11-yard line. An illegal substitution penalty on Kansas resulted in five extra yards for Iowa State, and the Cyclones have the ball on the six-yard line.

9:24/Q3: Kansas 21, Iowa State 3

Devin Neal’s one-yard run (and the point after) pushes Kansas’ lead to 18 points, with the Jayhawks up 21-3. That drive took nearly nine-and-a-half minutes off the clock.

HALFTIME: Kansas 14, Iowa State 3

Chase Contreraz makes a 35-yard field goal to get Iowa State on the board. Iowa State kicked off after with three seconds remaining, and Kansas returned it to the 18-yard line before Jared Casey was tackled and time expired.

0:38/Q2: Another failed field goal for Kansas

The Jayhawk attempted a 50 yards kick but it was wide left. Iowa State will take over on the 33-yard line, but after Kansas let 27 seconds run off the clock before Matt Campbell called a timeout.

8:35/Q2: Iowa State punts…again

It looked like Jaylin Noel returned the kick (after the pick six) for a touchdown, but the officials said he stepped out of bounds at the 31-yard line. Iowa State didn’t recover after that and opted to punt on 4th and 16 instead of attempting a 54-yard field goal.

Chase Contreraz made a 56-yarder earlier in the season.

10:21/Q2: Kansas 14, Iowa State 0

Rocco Becht’s pass — intended for Jayden Higgins — was intercepted by Ra’Mello Dotson. He returned it 50 yards for another Jayhawks touchdown. That was Becht’s third pick six of the season, after one against Iowa and one against Oklahoma.

Dotson was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for removing his helmet after the play. The 15-yard penalty will be enforced on kickoff.

Iowa State fans give Brock Purdy a warm welcome back to Jack Trice

End of the first quarter: Kansas 7, Iowa State 0

The Cyclones finish off the first frame with a 15-yard rush from Cartevious Norton. Iowa State has the ball on the 38-yard line to start the second quarter.

0:01/Q1: Kansas’ field goal attempt is no good

Seth Keller’s 41-yard field goal try when wide right and looked low. Iowa State will take over on the 23-yard line with one second remaining in the first quarter.

5:00/Q1: Iowa State punts for second consecutive drive

The Cyclones made it to the 34-yard line on its opening drive but punted after 1:48 with the ball.

One the second drive, Iowa State got to the 35-yard line, and punted again. Tyler Perkins kick went 42 yards to the 13-yard line and Ben Nikkel returned it to the 36.

8:40/Q1: Kansas 7, Iowa State 0

Devin Neal took the direct snap six yards into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Point after by Seth Keller is good, and the Jayhawks are up by seven after taking nearly five minutes off the clock.

6:10 p.m. — Kansas wins the coin toss

Iowa State will receive first after Kansas wins the toss. Kick goes out of bounds and the Cyclones will start with the ball on the 25-yard line.

5:25 p.m. — Jayhawks' quarterback Jalon Daniels will not play against Iowa State

If there were any more questions about whether Jalon Daniels would be the starting quarterback for Kansas, here's the answer. He isn't even in Ames, so there is no chance that Daniels takes the field on Saturday.

5:20 p.m. — Cyclones could be without Jeremiah Cooper against Kansas

Brendan Black making rare contribution for Cyclones as a true freshman

Competing on the offensive line is no easy job, especially as a true freshman in the starting rotation of a Power 5 program. But Brendan Black has stepped up to the challenge, becoming the first true freshman to start on Iowa State’s offensive line since 2008.

Best yet, is that he earned the spot after arriving in Ames over the summer, rather than graduating high school in December to join the Cyclones sooner.

More: Iowa State football's Brendan Black making rare contribution for Cyclones as a true freshman

In a few short months, though, Black has quickly earned the love and respect of his teammates.

“I love Brendan Black,” Verdon said of the 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from just outside Jacksonville. “That boy knows how to play football. I love him. He’s got a great character on the field and off the field. You just want to be around him.”

Iowa State football's defense key to its first-place resurgence

Cyclones beat reporter Travis Hines summed up Iowa State’s defense best:

“There weren’t ever major doubts about the Iowa State defense. Coordinator Jon Heacock’s group mostly was doing more than a passable job each Saturday, and, certainly, Iowa State’s horrible-and-then-resurgent offense drew most of the attention.”

Ben Brahmer's emergence as a leader for Iowa State football shows promise

There is another true freshman who has made an impact for the Cyclones. Ben Brahmer has contributed to Iowa State’s offense from the moment he arrived on campus. That was evident by his stat line from the very first game of his college career: One reception for 36 yards and a touchdown.

More: Ben Brahmer's emergence as a leader for Iowa State football shows promise for the future

The freshman tight end has 17 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns through Iowa State’s first eight games. Brahmer didn’t score any touchdowns against Baylor, but it was his most prolific game, with a career-high 69 yards and a career-long 48-yard reception.

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 falls to Kansas 28-21