Texas pulls away from Iowa State to end Cyclones' Big 12 title game hopes
AMES – The Iowa State football team proved plenty throughout this season. The Cyclones exhibited resiliency, promise and improvement under difficult circumstances at various points dating back to last May.
They also showed they aren’t quite ready to compete on the Big 12’s biggest stage.
Iowa State lost Saturday to No. 7 Texas, 26-16, ending the Cyclones’ longshot bid for a spot in next month’s league championship game and giving the young Cyclones a reminder of the distance ahead of them to reach the conference’s upper echelon.
The Cyclones (6-5, 5-3) traded punches with the Longhorns (10-1, 7-1) into the third quarter before Texas was able to find separation.
More: Peterson thoughts on another entertaining Iowa State-Texas football game
The tide turned against Iowa State after the Cyclones scored their first touchdown of the game.
Quarterback Rocco Becht threw a beautiful 14-yard touchdown pass to Eli Sanders that should have brought the Cyclones within 13-10 of the Longhorns late in the third quarter, but the ensuing point-after was blocked and returned for a 2-point safety by Texas to put the score at 15-9.
Texas followed that up with its own touchdown in short order, going 57 yards in three plays to extend its lead to 23-9. But the Cyclones, as gritty as ever, responded with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Becht to tight end Easton Dean on 4th-and-1 to pull back within a score with just under 13 minutes to play.
It wasn't enough, though, as the Longhorns were able to keep the Cyclones at arm's length through the final frame.
Becht finished 24 of 32 for 323 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jayden Higgins had seven catches for 104 yards. Iowa State managed just nine yards rushing on the night.
While the loss on Senior Night to eliminate some of Iowa State’s loftier ambitions is certainly deflating, that the Cyclones were even in that position is both a minor miracle and a testament to their rather incredible improvement.
A bowl game seemed like a near-impossibility after the Cyclones’ loss to Ohio to fall to 1-2, and the idea of competing for a top-two league finish was laughable after a 50-20 loss to Oklahoma in September.
But then the Cyclones ripped off four wins in their next five games and then pushed Texas to the brink into the fourth quarter, giving life to a season that could have easily been left for dead.
While the Cyclones celebrated their seniors playing their final game at Jack Trice Stadium, all eyes will undoubtedly be on the waves of underclassmen Iowa State had on the field during this resurgence both as they finish off the 2023 campaign and then as attention turns to 2024.
Iowa State will look to improve its bowl standing in its regular-season finale next week at No. 21 Kansas State.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football falls to Texas at Jack Trice Stadium
