Top 10 Matt Campbell Era Wins: #7 2018 vs Kansas State

Football season is rapidly approaching. The WRNL staff is getting excited. As we head towards the beginning of the 7th season with Matt Campbell as the head coach at Iowa State, we wanted to look back and rank our top 10 wins from the first 6 seasons. To do this, the staff was polled to give their personal 1-10 rankings. Win #1 was worth 10 points, #2 worth 9 points, and on down. The games that earned the most “points” are what we will look back on throughout this series. Next up is the 2018 home game against Kansas State that finally broke a 10 game losing streak.

SETTING THE STAGE

Kansas State had 10 consecutive wins in Farmageddon, and for maximum pain, Iowa State could have easily won 4 or 5 of those games. This was the year after the infamous picked up pass interference that would have sealed the game in Manhattan. Brock Purdy had emerged as a star, and Hakeem Butler was one of the best WRs in the country at this point. This K-State team came in only 5-6 overall and coach Bill Snyder was nearing retirement, but somehow his wizardry would come into play again.

REREAD OUR GAME PREVIEW

GAME RECAP

Iowa State entered this one as a program on the rise, and jumped out to a terrific start with Brock Purdy hitting Hakeem Butler deep down the middle of the field and finished the drive off with a 1 yard TD reception get things going. The vibes in Jack Trice Stadium were immaculate. The all black uniforms looked perfect. Our freshman QB was on his game. But Kansas State answered, as they often do in Farmageddon. After David Montgomery gave Iowa State a 14-7 lead in the 2nd quarter, the Purple Cats took over. Next thing we knew, our lead was a 21-14 halftime deficit.

Iowa State did manage to tie the game up after halftime, and maybe, just maybe we thought things were back on track, and our superior team would take over. The vampire Bill Snyder had his own young QB, Skyler Thompson, who was on his game. The Wildcats would not stop executing offensively and all of a sudden we were down 38-21 early in the 4th quarter. The stadium was silent, and our hopes of finally ending this long losing streak looked dim. Then, the game absolutely lost it’s mind.

Sam Seonbbuchner of all guys scored on a play action pass to cut the K-State lead to 10. On the ensuing possession, we knew things were going our way. Willie Harvey was instantly in the backfield on a blitz, hitting Skyler Thompson and knocking the ball free. Freshman LB Mike Rose was right there, catching the ball out of the air and returning it for a 21 yard TD. In two minutes, we scored 14 points. Jack Trice was shaking yet again. The defense got another stop, and David Montgomery broke loose down the sidelines for his 3rd score of the night. 42-38. Pandemonium in Ames. Like a Hoiball run in Hilton Coliseum, we had turned the tides. But the job was not done yet. K-State’s last minute gasp got them to midfield. On 4th & long, Thompson airmailed a ball incomplete. In a bit of irony, his pleas for pass interference went unanswered just as ours were a year prior. A couple of kneel downs later and the losing streak was over. Iowa State got over the hump, and at 5-7 on the season, Coach Snyder finally decided to retire.

THREE STARS

1. RB David Montgomery (19 carries, 149 yards, 3 TDs, 3 receptions, 20 yards)
2. LB Mike Rose (7 tackles, fumble recovery, 1 TD)
3. WR Hakeem Butler (5 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD)

SIGNATURE MOMENTS

1. Brock Purdy to Hakeem Butler for multiple deep bombs over the middle for huge gains in the first half
2. Sam Seonbuchner scores a TD that starts the 4th quarter comeback
3. Willie Harvey forces a fumble on a sack that Mike Rose grabs out of the air and runs back for a TD to bring Iowa State within 3
4. David Montgomery gives Iowa State the lead with 4 minutes left
5. K State fails to convert on 4th & 8 with a minute left to seal the game for the Cyclones

HEAR FROM OUR STAFF

November 24, 2018: Our 6 win 2018 Cyclones were poised to play a home game against Bill Snyder and his Kansas State Wildcats, who were playing their final game of their 5 win season. A win in Ames would put them into bowl game contention and earn them the bragging rights of extending a 10 year winning streak against our mighty Cyclones. Personally, our best friends traveled south to tailgate with us, the day had been sunny and not too chilly, and the guy next to us in the lots had Jello shots. I was ready for a great night. But as the sun went down and the temperature plummeted, things started to look bleak. The Wildcats took full advantage of fumbles and missed kicks to saunter into halftime with a 21-14 lead and momentum on their side.

The second half seemed to be slipping away with the Wildcats stretching their lead to 17 late in the 4th quarter. Fans in the stands, cold and weary, were beginning to think that the vampire would never be slayed. Matt Campbell and the Cyclones on the field, however, weren’t done yet. After a quick Seonbuchner touchdown to pull within 10, the Wildcats fumbled the ball right into the hands of a freshman linebacker - maybe you remember him? A little fella named Mike Rose? Jack Trice Stadium erupted, the air filled with that inexplicable electricity, and we all learned to never count this team, or black uniforms, out. A David Montgomery touchdown (he had 3 total, of course) and a defensive stop earned Iowa State its second bowl game in as many years. Bill Snyder retired the following week. -Megatron

YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS

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