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Iowa State football beats West Virginia 6-0 for the first time since 1938

Posted on by Kennedy
Iowa State football beats West Virginia 6-0 for the first time since 1938

For the first time since 1938, Iowa State football is 6-0.

The 13th-ranked Cyclones' perfect start to the season continued Saturday night with a 28-16 road win over West Virginia.

Iowa State's strong defense forced two second-half turnovers that led to touchdown-scoring drives as the Cyclones improved to 3-0 against Big 12 Conference opponents.

Carson Hansen, who entered the game with two career touchdowns, reached the end zone three times for the winning score. He had 20 carries for 96 yards.

Quarterback Rocco Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown pass. Many eyes were on the Becht family as Rocco's father Anthony was honored during the first half of the game for his induction into the West Virginia University Hall of Fame. Becht grew up a Mountaineers fan, but did not receive a scholarship from West Virginia after graduating from high school.

More: Hines: Iowa State football remains perfect with statement win at West Virginia

Jayden Higgins had a team-high 102 receiving yards on six catches. Jaylin Noel caught five passes for 77 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown reception.

On defense, Jamison Patton and Jontez Williams each recorded an interception.

After both teams remained scoreless in the third quarter, Iowa State broke through with a touchdown from Hansen early in the fourth quarter. West Virginia appeared to be able to get a crucial stop in the red zone when Becht threw away a pass on third-and-six, but the Mountaineers were stopped for their defensive hold, giving the Cyclones a new string of losses and a first-and-goal bestowed. Hansen had a three-yard touchdown run on the first play after the penalty to give the Cyclones a 21-10 lead with 11:57 to play.

On the second play of West Virginia's ensuing drive, Williams intercepted a pass that was tipped by teammate Beau Goodwin. It was Williams' third straight game with an interception.

Hansen scored a fourth-down conversion on fourth-and-2 from the West Virginia 25-yard line. Seven plays later, he scored the game-winning touchdown, giving the Cyclones a 28-10 lead.

More: Iowa State football: 5 numbers that stood out in the Cyclones' win over West Virginia

West Virginia didn't pull away quietly, scoring a touchdown in the final minutes of the game. Garrett Greene connected with Jahiem White for a 10-yard touchdown reception with 1:10 to play.

Greene completed 18 of 32 passes for 206 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also carried the ball 10 times and accounted for 87 of the Mountaineers' 148 rushing yards.

West Virginia's vaunted rushing attack came into its own early, with White capping the first drive with an eight-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter. 11 of the 14 plays on this drive were running plays, with three different players recording carries.

Iowa State's first drive wasn't as successful, despite a 37-yard reception by Higgins on the Cyclones' first offensive snap. The Cyclones stalled in Mountaineer territory and a 47-yard field goal attempt by Kyle Konrardy went wide of the left net.

West Virginia marched back into the field. The Mountaineers appeared to execute a third-down conversion that would have given West Virginia first-and-goal at Iowa State's 9-yard line, but the play was overturned after a video review. Jeremiah Cooper knocked the ball loose for fourth down, and it proved to be a crucial stop as West Virginia's Michael Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Iowa State took the lead on consecutive touchdown scoring drives. Becht found Noel, who took advantage of the broken coverage and made the game-winning 60-yard touchdown reception. After forcing West Virginia to punt, the Cyclones went on a 17-play, 91-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown run by Hansen to go up 14 with 2:39 left in the first half :7 in the lead.

West Virginia's Hayes made up for the earlier miss by kicking a 43-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 32 seconds left in the half.

The Cyclones return home next week to host Central Florida in their 6:30 p.m. opener. The Knights are 3-3 this season and 1-2 in conference play. They suffered their third straight loss to Cincinnati on Saturday, 19-13.

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