Peterson: Iowa State football didn't look like a first-place team in loss to Kansas
AMES – They broke out the inspiring black uniforms, and fireworks lit the sky above Jack Trice Stadium. A sold-out homecoming crowd was poised to cheer an Iowa State team that surprisingly owned a share of the Big 12 Conference’s lead.
For the most part, the scene was better than the game.
No. 21 Kansas played well enough to beat the Cyclones 28-21, proving that yes, the Jayhawks were back to earth after upsetting Oklahoma a week prior.
One play stood out above all, proving how momentum very quickly turned into a major downer.
More: Iowa State football can't overcome slow start vs. Kansas, falls out of first place
The Cyclones opened the playbook for a change with a double pass midway through the final quarter – Rocco Becht passing to Jaylin Noel, who passed to Jayden Higgins.
That play covered 42 yards. The crowd was electric, sensing a rally after Becht completed the 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 2-yard scamper into the end zone. Suddenly, the Cyclones trailed just 21-18 with 8:09 left.
The crowd was jacked. Music filled the stadium. Emotions were high.
Then fans were silenced by Kansas’ 80-yard scoring pass on first down.
The Cyclones, 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, fell out of a first-place tie. They're still one win from being bowl-eligible.
Even Iowa State’s good plays, some of them, didn’t turn out so good ...
Like Jaylin Noel’s long kickoff return after Kansas went up 14-0 in the second quarter.
Noel caught the kick at Iowa State’s 17-yard line, then straddled the right sideline until finally being tackled at the Kansas 1-yard line.
On further review, there was a problem. Noel's nifty, momentum-building, 82-yard return was ruled out of bounds at the Jayhawks’ 31.
From there, the Cyclones’ next three plays lost six yards, and the drive ended with a Tyler Perkins punt from the Kansas 37-yard line.
I don’t know why it took so long to figure out Becht actually didn’t fumble with just 6 seconds left in the first half.
But it did, during a curious first-down play at the Kansas 17-line and the Jayhawks leading 14-0.
Becht, back-pedaling while under the same extreme defensive pressure he’d been seeing since the game’s first possession, had his arm hit while in his passing motion. The ball sailed forward in the air, glanced off a hand of tight end Easton Dean and Kansas jumped on the ball.
On-field officials signaled the Jayhawks recovered, which led to a chorus of boos from the capacity crowd and heavy consternation from Iowa State’s sideline.
To recap: Replay clearly showed Becht’s arm moving forward and the ball traveled downfield, 10 yards or so. It was obviously an incomplete pass.
How refs initially ruled that a fumble, I’ll never understand. The drive ended with Chase Contreraz’s 19-yard field goal gave the Cyclones their first points of the offensively-challenged first half.
Was Kansas quarterback Jason Bean really that good Saturday night, or did Iowa State help his cause?
My hunch was a little of both, yet I’d lean toward the Jayhawks’ play-making passer having a pretty darn good game.
Taking advantage of absolutely zero pressure from a defensive line that didn’t play well, either against the rush or the pass, Bean often had his way. He completed passes on the run. He completed them from the pocket, and it was clear Kansas knew Iowa State’s Jeremiah Cooper was on the sidelines, unable to play because of injury.
Cooper is second nationally with five interceptions, and Bean often passed toward his replacements.
If Iowa State’s offensive game plan was to keep possessions alive with clock-burning short rushes, then it didn’t work.
That was opposite of what got the Cyclones into a tie for first in the conference. Victories against Cincinnati and Baylor included opening the offense as soon as the opening drive. They included downfield passes from Becht and planned rushes from Becht. And the Cyclones did it with success.
Saturday night, the Cyclones called rushing plays on seven of 10 first-down situations, and most of them went into the middle of the line.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football didn't look like Big 12 leader in loss to Kansas
