100 Things Cyclone Fans Should Forget Before They Die: Losing to Kansas in Football

Iowa State and Texas have something in common and it is not good. They both lost to the putrid football program that Kansas has.

It was a chilly November afternoon, neither team had won a Big 12 game. Kansas had only won one Big 12 game in the last four years. Iowa State was two years removed from a bowl game appearance, but it was clear ISU wasn’t close to getting back to that level. But no matter how bad they were, they could still beat Kansas, right?

Kansas opened up the game with a 6 minute scoring drive, a classic sequence under Rhoads. Iowa State got the ball and their first possession of the game went three and out. Kansas got the ball back and marched down the field in 8 plays, scoring another touchdown. Iowa State didn’t pick up a first down in the first quarter while allowing Kansas to score 17 points.

At the beginning of the second quarter a miracle happened, Iowa State got a stop! They forced KU to punt but then the Cyclones punted again, but hey! Grant Rohach and his offense moved the chains for the first time all day. Kansas was pinned at their own nine yard line, nothing could go wrong there. Kansas. 90 yards. Football. Not happening, right? Nope, Kansas took the ball down the field and scored a touchdown. 24-0 Kansas is up.

After nearly a half of misery, the Cyclones started to do something. The offense went 64 yards in 1:38 and capped the drive with an EJ Bibbs touchdown. ISU went into the half trailing 24-7 but with a little momentum.

The second half even opened up with promise, D. Montgomery (not that Montgomery) had a 35 yard touchdown. ISU was within 10 and forced a turnover on downs. Something might’ve been happening, and then Iowa State stuff happened. Someone who doesn’t write for WRNL (we love you Cole) missed a 37 yard field goal that would’ve made it a one possession game. It was all downhill from there.

Michael Cummings and KU’s offense went 80 yards in just 9 plays, a common theme on that Saturday afternoon. Rohach then fumbled on ISU next possession, and Kansas capitalized with a field goal. Kansas and Iowa went on to trade terrible offense during the fourth quarter, with Rohach throwing one interception. Kansas ended up winning the game 34-14. Kansas had 514 total yards of offense, and dominated time of possession.

Aside from a couple seasons in the late 2000s Kansas has been one of the worst football programs in the Big 12 since it’s inception. Iowa State hasn’t been good at football very often either, but Kansas’ lowest points were far lower than our own. Even in those meager seasons at the end of the Paul Rhoads era, the Cyclones should have never even sniffed losing to Kansas.