AMES, Iowa — We’ve all had that moment growing up. You’re standing in the backyard or in the driveway, and no matter the sport you play, there’s always that moment where you want to be the one that helps the team win the game when it matters the most.
It’s the final seconds of the game, and you have the ball in your hand. You make the winning shot, catch the winning pass, or blast out the winning home run. Every single one of us, at some point, has lived that dream when it didn’t matter.
But what happens when you get the chance to do it when it does matter? When it doesn’t just matter to you, but it matters to your teammates, your coaches, and 61,000 screaming fans in a lit-up stadium in the Midwest?
Well, now you have something. Now you find out who you really are as an athlete. Rocco Becht found that out on Saturday night, and in doing so, he and his Iowa State teammates kept their dream season alive, going into a crucial bye week.
Like that backyard alter ego, Becht seemed to have all the confidence in the world — at least, that’s what he said after the game.
“I knew we were gonna score,” Becht said. “There’s never a play on a drive where I don’t think we’re gonna score. That’s just the mentality I have.”
He’s built for this. They’re built for this. This conference is built for this.
Down five points with 1:48 left to play, standing at your own 20-yard-line with no timeouts. Pick your generation, and it’s John Elway, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Patrick Mahomes time. That’s what Becht and his teammates faced against UCF. Twelve plays later, well, you know the rest.
Sometimes, the journey matters more than the destination. Each play didn’t just move Iowa State down the field; it was connective tissue to the previous 58 minutes of a 38-35 victory.
Play-By-Play Breakdown of Becht’s Game-Winning Drive
Iowa State drive start at 01:48 on ISU20
Play 1: 1st and 10 on ISU20
(01:47) BECHT, Rocco pass short to the left complete for 8 yards to BROWN, Carson caught at the ISU23 and advanced to the ISU28 (BARR, Ethan), out of bounds, clock 01:42.
It was a simple out route to start the drive, something to get the ball moving and allowed Brown to get quickly out of bounds. It was also what the UCF defense gave the Cyclones all night. Their corners and safeties did a masterful job ensuring Becht connected little downfield. No big plays. That was the Knights’ obvious mantra all night, and they rarely violated it.
He threw for 274 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six and another that nearly was, but the UCF offense later turned into a score. He was 20-of-46 passing. Objectively, Becht didn’t play well.
“I played bad today,” Becht said. “I’ll put that on me. I gave the defense a hard time, basically giving them twpick-sixeses.”
But if you want to be great at quarterback, you have to find ways to affect the game when you’re not playing well.
Play 2: 2nd and 2 on ISU28
(01:41) BECHT, Rocco scrambles up the middle for a gain of 8 yards to the ISU36, End of Play, 1ST DOWN, clock 01:35.
This might have been Becht’s biggest play of the drive. ISU coach Matt Campbell admits Becht is not exactly fleet of foot. And none of the running the sophomore quarterback did was by design. The Knights’ pass rush was relentless. Becht feels pressure well. He knows where to move to avoid it, to buy time to throw around it, or to run down the field.
But this run was necessary because, on the previous drive, Becht had his worst series of the entire game. On three separate plays, leading to a punt, he seemed hurried trying to run the ball, failed to go through progressions, and made the wrong decision on where to run. UCF sacked or tackled him each time.
It could have sapped his confidence. Instead, he went right back to it and moved the chains. Campbell said after the game that they want Becht to rush for 20-35 yards per game. He rushed for 97, and every yard was tough.
“The reality is you’ve got to be mentally tough,” Campbell said. “I mean the quarterback position; nobody can tell me there’s another position in sports that is harder to play than that.”
Play 3: 1st and 10 on ISU36
(01:27) BECHT, Rocco pass deep to the left incomplete intended for MOORE, Tyler thrown to the UCF45, clock 01:24.
Play 4: 2nd and 10 on ISU36
(01:23) BECHT, Rocco pass deep to the right complete for 29 yards to NOEL, Jaylin caught at the UCF36 and advanced to the UCF35 (JACKSON, Antione), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN, clock 01:17.
Play 5: 1st and 10 on UCF35
(01:17) BECHT, Rocco pass deep to the right incomplete intended for HIGGINS, Jayden thrown to the UCF18, clock 01:12.
Play 6: 2nd and 10 on UCF35
(01:12) BECHT, Rocco pass to the right complete for 16 yards to NOEL, Jaylin caught at the UCF21 and advanced to the UCF19 (PACE, Deshawn), 1ST DOWN, clock 01:06.
Play 7: 1st and 10 on UCF19
(1:06) BECHT, Rocco pass spiked, incomplete. Clock stopped, clock 01:04.
This set of plays demonstrated the stop-and-go nature of the Cyclones’ passing game all night. Again, UCF did a great job on the back line, making it difficult for Becht to find targets like Jaylin Noel all evening. At times, you couldn’t blame Becht for trying to force it into Noel. And for the first three quarters, it was either an incompletion or a small gain every time he went Noel’s way.
But midway through the fourth quarter, Becht finally got Noel on a beautiful 51-yard bomb that set off the 61,000 at Jack Trice Stadium. Everyone thought that was the open-the-floodgates moment. It wasn’t. The drive sputtered into a field goal, and the Cyclones were down five.
But that connection gave Becht a little more confidence. On two of the next four plays, he found Noel twice for a combined 37 yards in an incredible 21 seconds to get in the red zone.
“I went and told the whole offense (before the last drive) we’re going to win this game,” Noel said, who finished with a game-high eight receptions for 153 yards.
Play 8: 2nd and 10 on UCF19
(01:04) BECHT, Rocco pass to the right incomplete thrown to the UCF8; QB hurried by BARBER, Ricky, clock 00:56.
Play 9: 3rd and 10 on UCF19
(00:55) BECHT, Rocco pass deep to the right incomplete intended for HIGGINS, Jayden thrown to the UCF3, clock 00:52. PENALTY UCF Pass Interference on ADAMS, Brandon enforced at the spot of the foul for 15 yards to the UCF4 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN. (No Play)
Remember, Becht spiked it on the first play of this series. So the Cyclones had three plays to move the chains or score a touchdown. Becht decided to go outside and try to connect with Jayden Higgins, who had also had a tough night. Campbell said later that Becht’s throw to Higgins on a fourth-down scramble to move the sticks earlier in the game was probably the quarterback’s best play of the night. Higgins ended up with six catches for 58 yards.
Becht threw a pass he hoped only Higgins could catch. All Higgins caught was a lot of contact from UCF corner Brandon Adams, which was too much for the official’s liking, and it drew a pass interference flag.
If Becht’s run earlier in the drive was the most crucial play for him, this was the most critical play for the team. The Cyclones were now inside the 5-yard-line, had a fresh set of downs, and, incredibly, 51 seconds on the clock. Now, Iowa State could use its entire playbook.
Play 10: 1st and 4 on UCF4
(00:51) BECHT, Rocco pass short to the left incomplete intended for NOEL, Jaylin broken up by JOHNSON, Chasen at the UCF0, clock 00:47.
Play 11: 2nd and 4 on UCF4
(00:46) QB Keeper BECHT, Rocco rush to the right for 3 yards to the UCF1 (BARR, Ethan), clock 00:40.
Play 12: 3rd and 1 on UCF1
QB Keeper BECHT, Rocco rush up the middle for a gain of 1 yard to the UCF0, TOUCHDOWN ISU, clock 00:30 (Scoring play confirmed).
Iowa State Stuck to its Identity in Crunch Time — and it Paid Off
Running the football has been built into Iowa State’s DNA since Campbell arrived. He once told me the Cyclones had to start running the ball early in his tenure because there was a talent gap, and running the football effectively shortens the game.
Now Iowa State does it because the Cyclones are just good at it. Really good at it.
The Cyclones are going to run the ball down your throat, even at the end of a two-minute drill. I mean, seriously? How many two-minute drills have you seen end with a quarterback sneak? I thought about it for a day, and I couldn’t think of a single one.
With 50 seconds and a fresh set of downs, even with no timeouts, Iowa State did what it wanted. After Becht threw a short incompletion, the Cyclones just ran the ball. And when that didn’t work, they ran it again and Becht got the ball across the goal line behind an obviously exhausted, but effective offensive line.
Iowa State could have gone to Carson Hansen there. The young back rushed for 91 yards and two first-quarter scores but was banged up, Campbell said, and played little the rest of the way. Abu Sama pitched in 55 rushing yards. But it was fitting that it was Becht, and it was fitting that it was a run.
This is who Iowa State is. Because the Cyclones have had this identity for so long, they don’t panic in situations like this; they just trust.
“When it’s moments like that, two minutes or down two scores (Iowa State was down 14 points at one point), we know not to panic,” Noel said. “We know the work we put in and the team we are.”
Iowa State is 7-0 for the first time since Seabiscuit won the Kentucky Derby. Saturday was the Cyclones’ second win as an AP Top 10 team. They get a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for the back half of their schedule, which starts with Texas Tech.
Becht got his backyard moment. The Cyclones got their win. The folks at Jack Trice Stadium got to party. It was just another Saturday night in the Big 12.
And, yet, it all seems like a propellant for what is emerging as a special fall in Ames.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
