Three Things We Learned: Kansas State

It was a wild night in Ames, and Iowa State finally exorcised their Kansas State demons with a furious come from behind win on Saturday. Iowa State now has a 9 win season in sight but before we get to that, let’s take a look at what we learned from Saturday night.

Defense Pulls Through

The Iowa State defense was their best unit for most of the season, but in recent weeks they were on the struggle bus. They were driving it for most of the night against Kansas State, until the fourth quarter. Iowa State found themselves down 17 points and needed something big. Iowa state got the ball back and scored but were still down 10. Willie Harvey came blitzing off the edge that forced a Wildcat fumble right into the loving arms of Mike Rose, who returned it for a score to bring Iowa State back within three. The Cyclone defense would rise up once against to force a Kansas State three and out and allow the offense to go down for the game winning drive. Following the score, the defense made one final stop to ice the game for Iowa State. It wasn’t pretty for most of the night, but they got the job done when the team needed it the most.

Brock Purdy Overcomes

Mistakes as a freshman happen, what you do after them is what defines you and Brock Purdy delivered. Purdy threw two interceptions on Saturday, one a missfire to Chase Allen and the other a jump ball to Landon Akers that personally I could have done without the attempt in the first place. Purdy remained calm and came back in the fourth to help lead the Cyclones down the field each time to help regain the lead and the win. Matt Campbell called it his best game of his career. It certainly makes Cyclones fans calm knowing Purdy has the ability to overcome mistakes.

Montgomery and Butler Shine

There is NFL buzz around both David Montgomery and Hakeem Butler, and if they wanted to impress the scouts, Saturday definitely didn’t hurt them. While it remains to be seen if either will bolt for the NFL, Montgomery and Butler both make impressive plays on the night. Whether it was the typical David Montgomery runs with finesse and power or Hakeem Butler beating Kansas State deep on multiple occasions, both showcased their skills for the entire country to see once again.