Iowa State football lost its second-straight game, falling to the Colorado Buffaloes on the road in a 24-17 contest on Oct. 11.
The No. 21 Cyclones (5-2, 2-2 Big 12 Conference) lost a back-and-forth battle to Colorado (3-4, 1-3). It was the Buffaloes’ first conference win of the season and their first win over a ranked opponent since coach Deion Sanders’ debut victory over TCU on Sept. 2, 2023.
Iowa State seemed to lose momentum after a flag was thrown in the end zone for an apparent defensive pass interference was picked up, and the Cyclones had the ball picked off on the same play.
Abu Sama III finished with 177 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Ben Brahmer led all Cyclone receivers with 56 yards on five catches. Quarterback Rocco Becht completed 18-of-33 passes for 205 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Offense
Grade: C+
It took Iowa State more than a quarter-and-a-half to get going, but once the Cyclones were able to jump-start their offense with a quick two-minute drive to close the first half, they had much better momentum.
Iowa State punted on each of its first four drives. While Sama built off of his season-high rushing game by setting another new season-high, Becht and the Cyclone receivers started slowly. Becht was off-target on some throws, but there were also four or five catchable balls in the first half that weren’t reeled in by his receivers.
Becht started by completing just 8-of-18 passes for 80 yards, before going an improved 10-of-15 for 125 yards the rest of the way. Despite being more efficient, the passing game didn’t seem overly effective, but the Cyclones still managed to outgain the Buffaloes, 441-395.
As for Sama, he played well from the opening drive of the game, stepping up big to carry the rushing attack while Carson Hansen was nursing a concussion. Colorado entered Saturday’s game as the lowest-ranked run defense in the Big 12, and the offensive line did its job, paving the way for Sama’s big rushing day.
It was Sama’s first 100-yard game since the Sept. 28, 2024, win over Houston. It is also now the second-most rushing yards he has had in a single game, right behind his noteworthy 276-yard, three-touchdown performance at Kansas State as a true freshman in 2023.
After punting on its first four drives, Iowa State put up points on three of its next four drives. The Cyclones were on the brink of possibly taking the lead with a third-and-goal when Becht’s pass was picked off by Colorado’s Tawfiq Byard. However, away from the ball, Brahmer got tangled up in the end zone and appeared to be pulled down by a Colorado defender.
The flag was thrown, but it was later picked up by officials. The costly no-call kept Iowa State behind and it never got close to a scoring opportunity again for the remainder of the game. The Cyclones also made a gutsy fourth-down attempt and were stuffed at their own 18-yard line, giving the Buffaloes possession in the red zone. That resulted in a field goal for Colorado.
Defense
Grade: B-
After getting gashed by Cincinnati last week, it was an improved game for the Cyclones, but there were costly moments.
The Cyclones forced four three-and-outs in the first half.
Colorado did get a touchdown to close out the first quarter, after back-to-back three-and-outs to start the game. But the defense played a key role in keeping the Buffaloes at bay while Iowa State tried to get going offensively early in the game.
The Cyclones were shaky out of the halftime break, allowing touchdowns on consecutive Colorado drives. On one play, Iowa State gave up a 70-yard touchdown reception to Omarion Miller, when he was left all by himself to reel in a deep pass from Kaidon Salter. Miller streaked downfield past Quentin Taylor Jr. and Jamison Patton — neither of whom dropped back deep to cover him — and Miller was able to easily catch the deep ball over their shallow zone coverage.
They gave up another touchdown late in the third quarter after Iowa State briefly regained the lead. A gutsy decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from Iowa State’s own 18-yard line gave the Buffaloes positioning in the red zone. Iowa State’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown on that drive; it still resulted in an easy field goal for Colorado.
At the end, a missed assignment by Marcus Neal on a Colorado third-and-17 play allowed for Salter to complete a deep pass down the middle for a fresh set of downs to ice the game.
Special teams
Grade: C
Kyle Konrardy was missed once again, and it was evident when Iowa State was forced to punt from the Colorado 33-yard line on the first drive of the game.
Chase Smith improved to 2-for-3 on field goal attempts on the season in Konrardy’s absence, converting on a 38-yarder to give the Cyclones their first points of the game midway through the second quarter. He also made both of his point-after attempts.
There were no obvious lowlights or highlights on special teams, but Beni Ngoyi deserves a nod for his hustle on the punt unit. He hustled downfield twice to bat the ball from bouncing away for a touchback and pin the Buffaloes near their own endzone.
It is worth noting that Smith appeared to tweak his hamstring during the opening kickoff of the second half. Although he did return to kick extra points, offensive lineman Carson Rhodes, the fourth-string emergency kicker, handled a kickoff in the second half.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State vs Colorado football report card, Cyclones lose second straight game
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
