No. 12 Iowa capitalizes on turnovers to beat No. 10 Iowa State 27-17 for Cy-Hawk trophy
Iowa took advantage of sloppy play and four Iowa State turnovers to continue its domination over its in-state rival as the No. 12 Hawkeyes beat Cyclones 27-17 for the sixth straight time.
Saturday's contest was the first Cy-Hawk game ever to feature two ranked teams. Iowa won their 13th straight non-conference game by scoring 20 points off Iowa State turnovers, pulling away on 10-0 run in the third quarter.
In the pivotal third quarter, Iowa State turned the ball over on three straight possessions: Breece Hall, a preseason All-American, was stripped of the ball and linebacker Jack Campbell recovered, returning it six yards, giving Iowa a 21-10 lead. Two plays later, Brock Purdy's pass intended for Xavier Hutchinson went through his hands and was intercepted by Seth Benson, leading to a 51-yard FG by Caleb Shudak. Purdy was picked off again by Matt Hankins early in the fourth quarter, and Shudak converted a short 22-yard kick.
Iowa, who has won eight straight games dating back to the 2020 season, repeated last week's performance – a win against Indiana – and didn't need to do much on offense, gaining -4 yards in the third quarter and 23 yards the entire second half.
The Hawkeyes won 34-6 against Indiana, using three turnovers, while gaining only 303 total yards. They could only muster 173 against Iowa State, averaging less than two yards per rush and converting on four of their 15 third-down attempts.
After opening the scoring on a first quarter field goal, Iowa State started its gift-giving campaign when Hankins intercepted Purdy. Tyler Goodson's 4-yard touchdown run gave Iowa the lead for good, capping off an eight-play drive.
Purdy went 13-for-27 for 139 yards with three interceptions and was benched in favor of highly recruited Hunter Dekkers early in the fourth. The offense promptly went three-and-out on his first possession. Dekkers threw a late touchdown strike with three minutes left to provide the final margin.
The Hawkeyes have tons of momentum with coming games against Kent State, Colorado State and Maryland before a matchup with Penn State on Oct. 9.
Iowa State takes on UNLV before starting Big 12 play on the road at Baylor Sept. 25.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa beats Iowa State, wins Cy-Hawk trophy for 6th straight year
