No. 9 Iowa State Escapes Upset, Edges UCF 38-35

© Reese Strickland/USA TODAY SPORTS

The No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones (7-0, 4-0 Big 12 Conference) and UCF Knights (3-4, 1-3) battled to the very end at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 19 with the Cyclones just barely escaping the clutches of an upset in a 38-35 thriller. Rocco Becht scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard sneak with 30 seconds left for Iowa State. Then, Jontez Williams intercepted Jacurri Brown’s last pass to secure the win.

Vintage Big 12 Conference Ball

This contest was a slugfest from start to finish. The Knights opened up scoring with a 6-yard Jacurri Brown quarterback run that was set up by a 46-yard RJ Harvey gash. The Cyclones scored one of their own after Carson Hansen broke off a big run of his own for 57 yards, making it 7-7.

Both run games were punishing and efficient, with each run having the potential to be broken off into a major play. Harvey finished with 25 carries for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Hansen finished the game with 9 carries for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns even after exiting early in the second half.

Not only were the running backs making big run plays, though, but the quarterbacks, too. Brown finished with 13 carries for 154 yards and 2 scores, while Becht finished with 20 carries for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This contest was only going one way with all this high-powered offense. That was toward a shootout. A vintage Big 12 Conference shootout was afoot. Blow after blow came and adversity reared its ugly head after the Cyclones fell behind, but Iowa State remained steadfast in its resilience. Not even two major interceptions with one being a Pick 6 could shake Becht.

"The reality of it is, you got to be mentally tough." Cyclones' head coach Matt Campbell said in his postgame presser. "For him that courage to just play...it's (Rocco's) character and it exuded tonight."

Becht turned this game on his head even after getting beaten up by this physical UCF defense, who laid the wood all game. This still didn't shake his confidence even into the final drive, a drive that defined this game.

The Definition of Resiliency

Becht had not been throwing the ball well all game, only having a 43 percent completion percentage. Getting brutalized by a fierce UCF defense didn't help that. That final drive, though, he shined.

Becht found Jaylin Noel multiple times on big plays and escaped multiple pressures. Having the ball at the 1-yard line after a defensive pass interference, the ball belonged in one man's hands only. Becht pushed it in and gave the Cyclones the lead with 30 seconds to go, winning the game after Williams made the game-sealing interception.

“I was just doing my job,” said Williams, The Associated Press reported. “The ball has just been coming to me and I’ve been making the play.”

The Cyclones' perfection lives another day after a truly resilient performance.

Iowa State Stays Perfect

The Cyclones continue to climb the ladder toward a Big 12 title game bid and College Football Playoff berth, notching their seventh win in seven games and remaining perfect for another day. Iowa State plays the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2) next weekend at home for their Homecoming matchup.

The Knights, after their fast start, have lost four in a row now. Victory was ripped from their clutches in the final seconds and it resulted in a demoralizing, heartbreaking loss. They will have to regroup and rearm to save their season, as they fall below .500. The Knights will play another undefeated Big 12 team that escaped upset this weekend in the No. 13 BYU Cougars (7-0) at home in hopes of righting the ship.