#13 Baylor Comes Back to Defeat Iowa State in Fourth Quarter

For three quarters today, Iowa State took Baylor to the woodshed. The unfortunate part about that statement is football is played with four quarters, and Baylor took advantage of the final period of the game by scoring 17 points to Iowa State’s goose egg to come away with a 45-42 victory.

The winning points came on a short field goal with 3 seconds left after the Bears drove down the field and bled the clock dry. The kick kept Baylor undefeated on the year and dropped Iowa State to 1-4 overall, 0-2 in the Big 12.

The Cyclones notched 465 yards of total offense on the day, repeatedly gashing the Baylor defense on the ground and through the air. The Bears, through the first three quarters, had trouble stopping ISU. Iowa State finished 9/13 on 3rd down conversions and also converted their only attempt on 4th down.

“Close, but no cigar” is often a phrase that comes to mind regarding Iowa State over the past few years. Many times, the Cyclones have gone into the 4th quarter with a lead or with the game in reach, only to let the game slip away. A win today would have been a huge sign of a true culture change in Ames. Unfortunately, it appears Matt Campbell and staff will need a bit more time to develop a program that doesn’t fold when it counts the most.

Joel Lanning played arguably his best game in an Iowa State uniform, consistently making accurate passes and moving the offense effortlessly for the first three quarters. He finished with a line of 17/23 for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. Lanning also tallied 57 yards on the ground on 14 attempts, adding a TD on the ground in the process.

ISU’s running backs also had a nice day. Mike Warren toted the rock 30 times for 130 yards and 2 TDs. True freshman David Montgomery got 7 attempts for 32 yards and 1 TD.

The “M” position receivers led the way for the pass-catchers. Trever Ryen had a team-high 5 receptions for 75 yards, while Deshaunte Jones added 4 receptions for 62 yards and a TD. Allen Lazard made a few nice grabs, but was mostly held in check by the Baylor defense, coming away with just 3 catches for 33 yards.

This makes two games in a row where Iowa State’s offense has looked good (overall), and they’ll hope to continue that trend when they hit the road to take on Oklahoma State next Saturday. The Cowboys are fresh off victories over Baylor and Texas, so it’ll be another stiff test for a young ISU team. If they want to pull off the victory, their defense must play better than they did today. Though, it’s unfair to say they were expected to perform well against Baylor’s offense.

The Cyclones and Cowboys kick off at 2:30 p.m. Central next week