The Cyclones saw their third straight against their Farmageddon rival.
DUBLIN, Ireland — It was a game anticipated by many for months. When it was all set and done, the Cyclones came out on top.
No. 22 Iowa State took care of business in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, defeating No. 17 Kansas State 24-21. It’s the third straight win for the Cyclones over the Wildcats, and the team’s fifth overall win against their Farmageddon rival over the last six seasons.
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It was a sloppy first half, with rain taking center stage in Dublin. For three quarters, just 21 combined points were scored, with ISU leading 14-7 after three quarters of play.
Jayce Brown’s 37 yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson tied things up in the fourth quarter, about 40 seconds in. Four minutes later, Kyle Konrardy put the Cyclones back in front with a 37-yard field goal.
Rocco Becht took control three and a half minutes later. Becht used his legs for a 7-yard touchdown run to complete a four-play 30-yard drive, putting ISU ahead 24-14.
K-State jabbed back seconds later with a 65-yard touchdown reception by Jerand Bradley, cutting the Cyclones’ lead to 24-21.
Matt Campbell and company’s big risk late in the fourth quarter paid off, going for it on fourth down with 2:13 left to play. Becht found Carson Hansen for a 15-yard completion, which put Hansen a half-yard short of the end zone.
From there, ISU killed the clock, kneeling three times en route to double zeros.
Becht completed 14 of his 28 yards passing, throwing for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the ground, Becht had the insurance touchdown, along with 18 yards.
Brett Eskildsen led the way in receiving, catching three passes for 46 yards — one of which was the second Iowa State touchdown.
Carson Hansen was in control of the rushing game for ISU. He led the way in carries with 16, collecting 71 yards. Abu Sama III collected 14 carries for 43 yards.
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Campbell’s win in Ireland is his 100th as head coach at Iowa State. The Cyclones are coming off an 11-win season, the most in program history.
The recent dominance continues for Iowa State, now 5-1 since 2020 and 55-50-4 overall, in what was the 109th consecutive playing of Farmageddon. Iowa State moves to 1-0 in what was the Big 12 opener, in both conference and overall, a week early.
The Cyclones return to Ames next Saturday, Aug. 30, to host South Dakota in the home opener. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.