Big Plays Propel Iowa State to 37-34 Win Over TCU
Just two weeks after the season opener debacle against Louisiana Lafayette, Iowa State decided to play some football Saturday afternoon. Last season, the Cyclones put up 49 points and over 400 yards of offense on the Horned Frogs and Saturday looked similar to the 2019 matchup as Iowa State was able to put up 37 points and over 400 yards of offense.
The first quarter went about as ugly as all get out as the over/under of this game was set at 44 points and after a scoreless first quarter, it looked like the first team to score ten points was going to win this game.
But out of nowhere, the Iowa State offense woke up as running back Breece Hall put the Cyclones on the board with a 75-yard touchdown run. However, TCU responded with backup quarterback Matthew Downing finding Quentin Johnston for a 37-yard touchdown pass to tie things up at seven. And the scoring did not stop there as Iowa State added another ten points before the first half ended thanks to a Connor Assalley field goal and a Brock Purdy touchdown pass to Darren Wilson Jr. to put Iowa State up 16-7 at halftime.
To open the second half, Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy was pressured and threw arguably the worst pass I have ever seen right to TCU’s La’Kendrick Van Zandt for a pick six. Luckily for the Cyclones, they responded rather quickly as Kene Nwangwu ran for a 49-yard touchdown. But TCU would not back down as Max Duggan entered the game in the third quarter and threw a 27-yard strike to Taye Barber for a score to pull his team within two heading into the fourth quarter.
And just like how 2020 has gone so far, this fourth quarter got whacky. Breece Hall scored on a short play to put Iowa State up 30-21 but TCU would not go away as Max Duggan found a wide open Artayvious Lynn for a 48-yard score to pull within two once again with under seven minutes left to play. Surprisingly, it was a defensive play that help seal the deal for Iowa State as linebacker Mike Rose made a beautiful diving interception. Soon after, Breece Hall would score his third rushing touchdown of the day to put Iowa State up by two scores. The final score from TCU happened as time expired but it was the Cyclones who were victorious with the 37-34 win.
Both defenses allowed too many big plays and TCU still has some growing pains to go through on offense as Max Duggan is still a young quarterback. But perhaps the biggest difference in this game was the run game. Iowa State racked up 211 yards on the ground while TCU was held to under 100. It was not always pretty but the Cyclones got a much-needed win after their season opening loss. They will host Oklahoma next weekend as TCU will travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns.
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