ARLINGTON, Texas — The pressure was significant for Iowa State as they faced a familiar situation in the Big 12 championship game, but unfortunately for the Cyclones, the result mirrored their previous experience. The quest for a conference title that has eluded them for 112 years continues.
Ranked 16th, Iowa State entered the showdown against 12th-ranked Arizona State with aspirations of securing a place in the College Football Playoff. This was a stark contrast to their last Big 12 title game encounter four years ago, where they were outmatched by Oklahoma. The Sun Devils, currently sitting at No. 15 in the College Football Playoff standings, are positioned to potentially enter the expanded 12-team playoff format, possibly as the 12th seed thanks to their automatic conference bid.
The Cyclones faced a difficult path in the 2020 COVID-19-affected season as well, where both Iowa State and Oklahoma struggled to secure a spot in the four-team playoff system following Oklahoma’s close 27-21 victory. In that game, Brock Purdy, who would later become known as Mr. Irrelevant after being drafted last, struggled with three interceptions. Fast forward to this year, and Iowa State hoped for a different outcome, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed early in the second half.
The turning point came after Abu Sama III lost a fumble shortly into the third quarter, followed quickly by an interception from Rocco Becht. These crucial turnovers led to scoring opportunities for Arizona State, with Xavier Guillory capitalizing on the mistakes to bring the score to 38-10 with under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. The chain of events only worsened for the Cyclones when Sama fumbled again during the next possession, allowing Cam Skattebo to score on a 33-yard catch-and-run, helping him to a notable 170 yards rushing along with two touchdowns.
Iowa State finished the game with a record of 10-3, celebrating what was their first 10-win season in the program’s long history, which spans 133 years. The Cyclones briefly held the lead in the first half at 7-3, courtesy of Becht’s touchdown pass to Carson Hansen, extending his streak of games with at least one touchdown pass to 17. However, despite having the only quarterback in the nation with two receivers each exceeding 1,000 yards, Becht struggled to generate effective plays as the game progressed.
Arizona State solidified their lead, reaching 45-10 in the third quarter. At that point, Jayden Higgins had made four receptions for 58 yards, while Jaylin Noel had two for 25 yards. The game concluded with Higgins accumulating 115 yards and Noel scoring a touchdown and recording 64 yards. Becht finished the game completing 21 passes out of 35 attempts for a total of 214 yards. Iowa State remains in pursuit of their first conference championship since 1912, a year in which they finished the season with a 6-2 record and went 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. This was a continuation of their success from the prior year, where a 2-0-1 record claimed the Missouri Valley title during a 6-1-1 season.
