Rally in the state of Iowa defeats the Hawkeyes

Kyle Konrardy’s field goal sailed over territory where the game was lost for Iowa long before Konrardy’s 54-yard kick gave Iowa State a 20-19 victory over No. 21 Iowa on Saturday.

The kick with six seconds left sparked wild cheers from the Cyclones (2-0) – who won only their third time in the last 11 games of this intrastate rivalry – and further fueled the lament of the Hawkeyes (1-1), who lamented missed opportunities at the south end of Kinnick Stadium.

There were the two first-and-goals in the second quarter, one from Iowa State’s 1-yard line and another from the Cyclones’ 3-yard line, that ended in Drew Stevens field goals instead of touchdowns.

There was the attempt to score two points in the third quarter when the Hawkeyes led 19-7. Cade McNamara’s pass was incomplete, a play that turned into a monster of doubt when Konrardy’s kick decided the game instead of just tying it had Iowa simply not kicked the extra point.

“It’s going to hurt for a while,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, and he was right.

“Everyone is hurt, everyone is frustrated,” said running back Kaleb Johnson, whose 187-yard, two-touchdown game went from big-name to underdog when quarterback Rocco Becht needed 28 seconds to complete three passes for 42 yards to set up Konrardy’s kick.

Iowa led 13-0 at halftime and felt like it could have done even better. This was regretted not only by Ferentz, but also by Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who said his team felt like it was “on the brink” the entire game.

Threes instead of sevens weren’t ideal when trying to beat a rival that had the ability to break out despite Iowa’s defense.

“Those are some missed opportunities,” Ferentz said, “and they came back and caught us a little bit.”

“I really felt like that was the game,” Campbell said. “When we were in such good form down there, I thought, man, we can take the momentum in our favor in the second half.”

And the Cyclones did, especially when Cade McNamara’s pass was intercepted by Iowa State’s Darien Porter early in the third quarter.

The outburst of anger from the Cyclones sideline was almost one of relief that something was about to change on a day that had started so little right.

Nine plays and 75 yards later, Iowa State scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Jayden Higgins.

The Hawkeyes had an answer — 7 plays, 79 yards, a 3-yard touchdown run by Johnson, their second of the day. Then came Ferentz’s decision to go for two because a 21-7 lead would have put the Cyclones in a two-touchdown scenario.

“I think the debate would be whether it’s too early or something like that,” Ferentz said. “I thought it was our best chance to win the football game.”

The Cyclones then brought their answer to the debate when Becht threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel on the very first play after getting the ball back.

Iowa State’s defense then harassed the Hawkeyes, forcing three consecutive three-and-outs during a five-possession period to end the game in which Iowa had just 23 yards.

“They made it tough for us,” Ferentz said of the Cyclones. “And we probably missed some plays.”

McNamara, who was so good in last week’s 40-0 win over Illinois State, completed just 13 of 29 passes for 99 yards and two interceptions, the first to Porter, which rattled the Cyclones, and the last to Porter on the final play of the game.

“Ultimately, we couldn’t overcome our setbacks,” McNamara said. “That hurts.”

“A lot.”

Konrardy suffered his only setback of the game when he missed a 35-yard field goal attempt on the Cyclones’ best scoring opportunity of the first half.

“You can’t focus on the mistakes, you have to focus on what’s next,” he said. “Part of that was not even thinking about the mistake, but focusing on what I can do now.”

His approach?

“Don’t think,” Konrardy said. “That’s it. Just go out there, don’t think, and just do what you do.”

After the game, Ferentz was still thinking about the Hawkeyes’ missed shots.

“When we have the ball inside the 5, we have to score touchdowns because it’s like in baseball, if you let a guy walk in the ninth inning, it usually comes back and catches you,” he said. “It’s amazing how that works.”