Red Wolves No Match for No. 20 Cyclones in Ames

© Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 20 Iowa State (3-0) demolished Arkansas State (2-2) by a score of 52-7 inside Jack Trice Stadium on Sept. 21.

Led by 204 passing yards and 2 touchdowns passes from quarterback Rocco Becht, the Cyclones took an early lead and never looked back, building a 31-0 halftime lead that required little maintenance to retain in the second half.

Game Summary

Iowa State got on the board first, with Carson Hansen punching it in from 1 yard out to give the Cyclones a 7-0 lead.

While Arkansas State would intercept a pass from Becht on Iowa State's next possession, the Cyclones' defense held serve, getting the ball back to their offense. A 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive ensued, with Becht running into end zone for a 1-yard score. Iowa State led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The first drive of the second quarter would also end in an interception, though this time, it was Iowa State's Jeremiah Cooper coming down with the ball to return possession to the Cyclones' offense. The turnover translated into points, as kicker Kyle Konrardy knocked a 31-yard field goal through the uprights to give Iowa State a 17-0 advantage.

Becht's first passing touchdown of the afternoon came late in the first half, as a 10-yard touchdown toss to Tyler Moore gave ISU a 24-0 lead with two minutes to play in the first half. Another interception for the Cyclones' defense gave way to another touchdown pass from Becht, with Jayden Higgins hauling in the reception that gave Iowa State a 31-0 lead with 1:27 to play.

Hansen kicked off the scoring in the second half, capping a nine-play, 69-yard drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown that extended Iowa State's lead to 38-0.

Dylan Lee got his chance to shine early in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run to push Iowa State's lead to 45-0 with 11:54 to play. The Red Wolves finally got on the board with 4:53 remaining in the game, as Timmy McClain threw a touchdown pass to receiver Hunter Summers. Aiden Flora closed the scoring with a late touchdown run that made the score 52-7.

Turning Point

Early in the second quarter, Iowa State held a 14-0 lead. However, Arkansas State was driving inside the Cyclone 40-yard line, and had just converted a fourth-and-2. Unfortunately for the Red Wolves, Jaylen Raynor's pass was intercepted, giving the ball back to the Cyclones. Iowa State went on to add 17 more points in the half, but the interception snuffed out any momentum Arkansas State previously held.

What It Means

A blowout loss doesn't exactly give Arkansas State a ton of momentum going into their bye week, but there are still plenty of encouraging takeaways after their first four games of the season. A home matchup against South Alabama (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) looms on Oct. 5.

The Cyclones are on the opposite end of the momentum meter, as the win coming off of their bye week nets them a 3-0 record entering Big 12 Conference play. A road trip to Houston (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) on Sept. 28 will be ISU's first conference game of the season.