Another night, another undefeated Big 12 team survived with a last-minute comeback at home. On Friday night, it was No. 13 BYU scoring with 10 seconds left to topple Oklahoma State in a 38-35 victory. On Saturday, No. 9 Iowa State reached the end zone with 30 seconds remaining for a 38-35 win over UCF.
Two games, the same final scores and two top-15 teams remain unblemished in dramatic fashion.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht scored a game-winning one-yard run to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive in just 1:18 of game clock. The Cyclones erased a 14-point second-half deficit on their way to a 7-0 record (4-0 Big 12), matching their 1938 season for the best undefeated start in program history.
ROCCO BECHT SCORES THE TD AND IOWA STATE TAKES THE LEAD!!!!! 😱🙌 @CycloneFB pic.twitter.com/K4ZbrE7JPP
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 20, 2024
ISU remains tied atop the Big 12 standings with BYU and will likely climb higher in the AP Top 10 after a loss by No. 7 Alabama on Saturday.
The Cyclones are the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 and entered Saturday as the No. 4 seed in The Athletic’s College Football Playoff predictor, with a 51 percent chance of reaching the Playoff and a 31 percent chance to win the conference — odds that will also improve.
ISU fought back with 324 of its 530 yards of offense in the second half, with Becht completing 20-of-46 for 274 passing yards (13.7 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. He added 97 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to make up for the two interceptions.
Wide receiver Jaylin Noel led all pass catchers with 153 yards, and running back Carson Hansen ran for 91 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns.
UCF, now losers of four in a row, jumped out to a lead with big runs and momentum-swinging turnovers. The Knights (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) rushed for 354 yards out of 416 on offense, scoring on an 80-yard run by running back R.J. Harvey and a 67-yarder by quarterback Jacurri Brown.
Defensively, UCF added a pair of massive interceptions: the first was a 63-yard pick-six by Brandon Adams, and the second was a 70-yard return and near-pick-six that Braeden Marshall dropped just before crossing the goal line.
The ball stayed with UCF because there was no recovery after the play, and Harvey scored from a yard out on the next play.
How Iowa State pulled off the comeback
UCF’s 35 points were the most any team has scored on Iowa State this season, and the Knights averaged 9.1 yards per carry on 39 attempts. But ISU’s defense forced a pair of turnovers and held UCF to 0 for 4 on third down in the second half.
Following a 14-7 Iowa State lead in the first quarter, ISU punted on six of its next seven drives, including five three-and-outs. (The other drive that didn’t end in a punt during that stretch was the Adams pick-six.)
Then Becht led back-to-back touchdown drives of 75 and 76 yards in the third quarter, and the Cyclones scored 11 unanswered points over the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter. Becht threw for 226 of his 274 passing yards in the second half
Impact on Big 12 championship, CFP races
Iowa State is keeping pace with BYU as the only undefeated teams in Big 12 play and overall. Neither team faces each other in the regular season. The Cyclones have a bye next week before hosting Texas Tech on Nov. 2, and the Cougars play at UCF next Saturday.
BYU entered the morning with a 28 percent chance of reaching the Playoff in The Athletic’s projections, and a 17 percent chance of winning the league following Friday night’s comeback.
There was chaos elsewhere in the Big 12, as Texas Tech suffered its first conference loss to Baylor at home in a surprising 59-35 upset. No. 17 Kansas State, Cincinnati and Colorado all won to improve to 3-1, a game out of first. Cincinnati plays at Colorado next week.
Updated standings atop the Big 12
- BYU (4-0)
- Iowa State (4-0)
- Kansas State (3-1)
- Texas Tech (3-1)
- Cincinnati (3-1)
- Colorado (3-1)
Required reading
(Photo: Reese Strickland / Imagn Images)
