No. 18 Iowa State scored 14 points off turnovers and defeated No. 24 Kansas State 29-21 on Saturday on a frigid night in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) will face Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 7 if BYU beats Houston later Saturday. The Cyclones last won a conference football championship in 1912 when they were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Iowa State has 10 wins in a season for the first time in school history.
The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4) have lost three of their past four games.
Trailing 24-14, K-State looked poised to make it a one-score game midway through the third quarter after a first-and-goal at Iowa State’s 5-yard line. But two short gains set up a 21-yard field-goal attempt that was blocked.
The Wildcats converted on their next possession as Avery Johnson hit Garrett Oakley for a 7-yard touchdown to trim their deficit to 24-21 with 4:41 left in the third. Kansas State stopped Iowa State on fourth-and-2 at the K-State 7. On the Wildcats’ ensuing possession, Johnson was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, extending the Cyclones’ lead to 26-21 with 13:22 left in the game.
Iowa State then got a 20-yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy with 6:16 left to cap the scoring.
Johnson’s throw on the first play of the game was ruled a backward pass, which was recovered by Iowa State at the KSU 27-yard line. Six plays later, Rocco Becht found Jayden Higgins for a 15-yard touchdown.
After going three-and-out on their second drive, the Wildcats found their footing. Johnson found Jayce Brown for a 28-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 83-yard drive and tie the score at 7-7.
Iowa State regained the lead early in the second quarter on a 41-yard field goal by Konrardy. K-State then turned the ball over again when Keagan Johnson fumbled at the Wildcats’ own 30 after making a reception. Five plays later, Becht found Jaylin Noel in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 lead.
Kansas State got back into the game when Johnson threw a 65-yard touchdown to Brown to cut the Wildcats’ deficit to 17-14 with 5:49 left in the first half.
Becht’s 5-yard run with 43 seconds left in the second quarter gave Iowa State a 24-14 halftime lead.
