WACO, Texas — For the first 20 minutes, this looked like an extension of the Oklahoma State game. Iowa State led 10-0, Aiden Flora had over 100 rushing yards with 9:51 left in the second quarter, and the offense was moving. Then the Cyclones ran out of gas. From that 10-0 lead through the end of the third quarter, Baylor outscored Iowa State 35-7, and the Bears went on to win 42-31.
The Turning Point
The game turned on a punt. Back to back sacks forced Baylor to punt, but Flora muffed it and Baylor recovered.
It was a rare mistake from the player who has carried this offense all season, and Baylor took advantage. Gavin Freeman made a one handed catch, and Tony Livingston followed with another one handed catch for a touchdown to cut the lead to 10-7. Baylor led 21-17 at halftime.
The Second Half
Baylor kept it going after the break. Two third down conversions came on Iowa State penalties, Taz Williams Jr. caught a 62 yard touchdown, and Ryelan Morris broke off a 33 yard touchdown run to make it 35-17 in the third quarter. Through three quarters, Iowa State had six penalties for 60 yards and Baylor had none.
The Cyclones did not go away. Raynor found Vince Benetti for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the defense forced a three and out. But the comeback stalled when Iowa State was sacked on 4th and 16 with about seven minutes left, and Baylor answered with a touchdown. Iowa State added a late touchdown and two point conversion to make it 42-31, but Baylor recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Numbers
Flora finished with 182 rushing yards on 26 carries, a 7.0 yard average with a touchdown. That fell short of his career high of 212 against West Virginia. Raynor went 22 of 37 for 256 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and added 23 yards and a touchdown on the ground. As a team, Iowa State rushed for 216 yards. DJ Lagway went 16 of 28 for 229 yards and two touchdowns and ran 13 times for 119 yards and a touchdown.
The Outlook
Iowa State is now 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12 with three games left: Cincinnati, UCF, and Kansas State. Two wins gets the Cyclones to six and bowl eligibility. That is still very doable, but the margin for error is a lot smaller after a week where the team looked as good as it has all season and then followed it with this.
