Cy-Hawk Trophy Stays in Ames

AMES, Iowa – Kyle Konrardy did it again.

Konrardy kicked a 54-yard field goal with 1:52 remaining to lift No. 16 Iowa State to a 16-13 victory over Iowa on a gorgeous late summer Saturday at MidAmerica Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.

It was déjà vu for the redshirt sophomore, who booted a 54-yarder with :06 left to beat the Hawkeyes 20-19 in Iowa's Kinnick Stadium at this time a year ago.

A clutch leaping catch by tight end Gabe Burkle of a tipped pass helped pave the way for Konrardy's heroics, which gave the Cyclones (3-0) their first victory in the Cy-Hawk game in Ames since 2011. It was the first victory for the home team in the series since 2019 and the first time ISU Coach Matt Campbell has defeated the Hawkeyes at The Jack.

Plenty of clock remained after Konrardy's kick – his third field goal of the game – but the Cyclones' defense stepped up to secure the victory. Consecutive sacks of Iowa's Mark Gronowski by Yale transfer Tamatoa McDonough left the Hawkeyes facing fourth-and-15 from their own 19 and redshirt sophomore Ta'Shawn James broke up a final pass to squelch the visitors' last hopes.

Iowa State's Rocco Becht threw a touchdown pass in his 21^st straight game, the longest active streak in FBS, and converted three times on third down to set up the winning kick. The ball was in perfect position in the middle of the field and everything that followed was perfect, too – the snap, the hold and the kick.

Becht's final numbers were modest by his standards – 18-of-27 for 134 yards – but he was not intercepted and delivered when his team needed him the most.

With the score tied at 13, the Cyclones took over at their own 10 after the defense forced an Iowa punt from midfield. Becht ran 3 yards for a first down at the 21 and converted again with his pass to Burkle, who leaped to corral a ball that had been tipped for a 17-yard gain and a first down at the ISU 44.

Completions of 7 yards to Chase Sowell and 10 yards to Burkle, the latter on a jump pass, took the ball to the Iowa 38 and when three plays gained only 3 yards, Konrardy blasted his game winner to pierce Hawkeye hearts again.

Iowa State seized the early momentum in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 61,500 to take a 6-0 lead on Konrardy field goals of 44 and 27 yards. A Drew Stevens field goal after an ISU muff on a punt cut the lead in half before another big play by the ISU defense, which held the Hawkeyes 214 yards and a single touchdown.

Jeremiah Cooper intercepted Gronowski and returned the ball to the Iowa 18. Five plays later, Becht fired a pass to the back of the end zone and the 6-foot-7 Benjamin Brahmer outjumped his defender to make a 2-yard touchdown catch and a 13-3 lead late in the first half.

Iowa (1-1) answered with a 16-play, 85-yard drive that Gronowski ended with 2-yard TD run, cutting the lead to 13-10 at halftime after a holding penalty and an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Cyclones negated a third-down sack of Gronowski.

Iowa tied it at 13 on Stevens' 36-yard field goal with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter. Then, when the ISU defense stiffened midway through the final quarter to force a punt, Becht took the Cyclones on their game-winning drive, the seventh in his engineered in his two-plus seasons in Ames.

The Cyclones hit the road for their next one, playing at Arkansas State next Saturday, a 3 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.

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Team Stats

Rocco Becht

Players Mentioned

Rocco Becht

Benjamin Brahmer

Gabe Burkle

Jeremiah Cooper

Ta’Shawn James

Kyle Konrardy

Tamatoa McDonough

Chase Sowell

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics