Iowa State 38-35 UCF (Oct. 19, 2024) Game Recap

AMES, Iowa – Rocco Becht scored on a 1-yard sneak for the go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left, and Jontez Williams intercepted Jacurri Brown's final pass to give No. 1 Iowa State a 38-35 comeback win. 9 over UCF and allow the hurricanes to prevent major unrest on Saturday evening.

“I was just doing my job,” said Williams, who had an interception in four straight games. “The ball just came to me and I made the play.”

The Cyclones (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) tied the 1938 ISU team for the best start in program history and won four straight conference games for the first time.

UCF (3-4, 1/3 Big 12) lost its fourth straight after leading by two touchdowns early in the third quarter and rushing for 354 yards – a season-high 196 from RJ Harvey and 154 from Brown.

“They have great players and two phenomenal athletes,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. “That was the most athletically talented team we played against this year.”

Becht finished the season completing 43% of his passes (20 of 46) and threw two interceptions, the first of which was returned for a touchdown and the second almost returned for a pick-six, but he ran a career-high 20 times for 97 yards.

Harvey's 1-yard run gave UCF a 35-27 lead with 11 minutes left after Braeden Marshall intercepted Becht's pass and ran it back 70 yards before dropping the ball just shy of the goal line.

Kyle Konrardy's 30-yard field goal brought the Cyclones within five points, and after Iowa State forced two punts, Becht got the ball back with 1:48 left.

He teamed with Jaylin Noel for two crucial passes and scrambled for a first down before a pass interference penalty gave the Cyclones the lead at the UCF 4. Becht ran 3 yards before powering his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown.

“This ride was precise and detailed and we executed it well,” said Becht.

The snack bar

UCF: The Knights ran for the most yards against the Cyclones since Matt Campbell's first team gave up 469 yards to Baylor in 2016.

Iowa State: The Cyclones had the Big 12's best defense but struggled to stop the run.

Impact on the survey

Iowa State should stay in the top 25, if not move up a bit.

Next

UCF: Host No. 13 BYU next Saturday.

Iowa State: Hosts Texas Tech on Nov. 2 after an open schedule.

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