Completed Event: Football versus #17 Kansas State on August 23, 2025 , Win , 24, to, 21
Final
Football
24
#17 Kansas State
21
Iowa State University Athletics
Saturday, October 5
Ames, Iowa
6:30 p.m.
Iowa State University
5-0 , 2-0
43
vs
21
Baylor
2-4 , 0-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Baylor
7
7
7
0
21
#16 Iowa State
3
16
14
10
43
Photo by: LUKE LU @KL6PHOTO
No. 16 Cyclones Move to 5-0 with 43-21 Victory over Baylor
10.05.2024 | Football
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State is still unbeaten and stayed that way with an impressive victory.
The 16th-ranked Cyclones rallied from an early deficit and rolled past Baylor 43-21 on a warm, windy Saturday night at MidAmerican Energy Field at sold-out Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones, 5-0 for the first time since 1980 and 2-0 in the Big 12, delighted the White-Out crowd of 61,500 with season highs in total offense (542), rushing yards (265) and passing yards (277). Rocco Becht threw two touchdown passes, Jaylon Jackson scored his first two TDs as a Cyclone and Kyle Konrardy kicked three field goals to send Baylor (2-4, 0-3) to its eighth straight conference loss.
The 43 points were the most ISU has scored in the 23-game series with the Bears. Baylor leads it 12-11, but the Cyclones have won the last two.
Becht completed 16 of 25 passes for 277 yards and touchdown throws of 10 yards to Ben Brahmer and 11 yards to Jayden Higgins. It's the ninth straight game Becht has thrown a touchdown pass and the seventh straight game Higgins has caught a scoring pass, a school record and the nation's longest active streak.
Jackson, who transferred in from Eastern Michigan, scored on second-half runs of 10 and 20 yards to help the Cyclones pull away after trailing 21-19 early in the final half. He finished with a career-high 107 yards in 15 carries, while Carson Hansen ran 15 times for a career-best 97 yards.
Becht also did some work with his legs, scrambling three times for 28 yards.
Higgins recorded the third 100-yard receiving game of his ISU career, catching eight balls for 116 yards. Jaylin Noel also had a solid game with five catches for 98 yards.
The Cyclones put up their big numbers after some unsettling moments in the first half, when they came up empty on two red-zone possessions and struggled to stop Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson.
Robertson finished 25-of-44 for 258 yards and three touchdowns against an ISU defense that had not allowed more than 125 yards passing in any of the first four games and came in leading the nation in pass efficiency defense. But he was just 9-for-19 in the second half and threw an interception, Jontez Williams making the pick with a leaping grab in the end zone. The Cyclones also limited the Bears to 79 yards rushing for the game.
Baylor grabbed a 21-19 lead on Robertson's 25-yard TD pass to Ketron Jackson Jr. on the first series of the second half. But it was all Iowa State after that.
Becht's 43-yard completion set up Jackson's 10-yard touchdown run, the 5-foot-7, 180-pounder bouncing outside after taking a handoff and following Becht into the end zone to put ISU ahead to stay at 26-21.
Williams' interception led to a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Higgins' back-shoulder catch from 11 yards out. The defense then forced a three-and-out and the Cyclones drove the field again, marching 76 yards in five running plays – including a 33-yard ramble by Hansen -- to get another TD from Jackson, who juked his way into the end zone from 20 yards out.
Konrardy finished with scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 2:16 left.
Baylor seized the early momentum with a red zone stop of the Cyclones and two long scoring drives and held it for most of the opening half.
Then, with less than 7 minutes remaining in the half, the Cyclones turned things their way.
With Baylor leading 14-6, Iowa State forced a punt and scored quickly. Becht hit Higgins for 25 yards and Jackson bounced off two tacklers on a 51-yard dash that set up Becht's 10-yard touchdown to Brahmer on a crossing route, trimming the lead to 14-12.
The defense forced another punt less than 2 minutes later and Myles Mendeszoon burst through to block it. Teammate Caden Matson picked up the ball on the bounce, ran 25 yards to the end zone and suddenly, the Cyclones led 19-14.
They had a great chance to extend that lead before halftime, getting a first-and-goal at the Baylor 4, only to give up the ball on Becht's interception with 27 seconds left.
The Iowa State offense clicked on the game's first series. Four different players carried the ball as the Cyclones marched to the Baylor 15. But the Bears dropped Abu Sama for a 1-yard loss on fourth down, then drove 84 yards in nine plays to get Robertson's 4-yard TD pass to Josh Cameron.
Iowa State answered with Konrardy's 45-yard field goal, but the Bears came right back with a 75-yard drive that Robertson capped with an 8-yard scoring toss to Michael Trigg. Another Konrardy field goal, this one from 38 yards, made it 14-6.
Iowa State goes back on the road next Saturday, playing at West Virginia in search of the second 6-0 start in school history and first since 1938.
Team Stats
BAY
ISU
Total Yards
337
542
Pass Yards
258
277
Rushing Yards
79
265
Penalty Yards
74
55
1st Downs
21
27
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
2
1
TOP
24:06
35:54
1st Quarter
BAY 7, ISU 0
BAY - Cameron,Josh 4 yd pass from Robertson,Sawyer (Hankins,Isaiah kick) 9 plays, 84 yards, TOP 02:44
BAY 7, ISU 3
ISU - Konrardy,Kyle 45 yd field goal 7 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:13
2nd Quarter
BAY 14, ISU 3
BAY - Trigg,Michael 8 yd pass from Robertson,Sawyer (Hankins,Isaiah kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:33
BAY 14, ISU 6
ISU - Konrardy,Kyle 38 yd field goal 8 plays, 30 yards, TOP 03:12
BAY 14, ISU 12
ISU - Brahmer,Benjamin 10 yd pass from Becht,Rocco () 5 plays, 84 yards, TOP 02:27
BAY 14, ISU 19
ISU - Matson,Caden 25 yd punt return (Konrardy,Kyle kick)
3rd Quarter
BAY 21, ISU 19
BAY - Jackson Jr.,Ketron 25 yd pass from Robertson,Sawyer (Hankins,Isaiah kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:05
BAY 21, ISU 26
ISU - Jackson,Jaylon 10 yd run (Konrardy,Kyle kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:22
BAY 21, ISU 33
ISU - Higgins,Jayden 11 yd pass from Becht,Rocco (Konrardy,Kyle kick) 13 plays, 80 yards, TOP 06:08
4th Quarter
BAY 21, ISU 40
ISU - Jackson,Jaylon 20 yd run (Konrardy,Kyle kick), 5 plays, 76 yards, TOP 02:41
BAY 21, ISU 43
ISU - Konrardy,Kyle 22 yd field goal 12 plays, 73 yards, TOP 08:11
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
16
TD
2
YDS
277
INT
1
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
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