Iowa State football takes Baylor down, completes season turnaround
By Zach Bigalke
Iowa State football claimed its sixth win of the year by doubling up the score on Baylor. Here’s what we learned from the Cyclones’ win over the Bears.
In the showdown in Ames on Saturday, both Iowa State and Baylor had a chance to reach bowl eligibility. But the No. 22 Cyclones proved why they have been far better in 2018 than the Bears, as they ran away with a 28-14 win over their visitors at Jack Trice Stadium.
Brock Purdy was near-perfect for the Cyclones at quarterback. Purdy went 18-of-23 for 230 yards and a touchdown through the air. Iowa State’s quarterback also ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground, as he led the Cyclones in rushing.
It was a relatively straightforward victory for Iowa State, as the hosts took a 17-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Baylor tried to make things interesting in the second half, as Charlie Brewer started to put together a comeback bid, but his ejection from the game for a personal foul proved both contentious and a drain on whatever momentum the Bears had built up.
Before his ejection, Brewer threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-36 passing. The Baylor quarterback added 72 rushing yards on a dozen carries. But without their field general, Baylor’s offense sputtered in the fourth quarter as backup quarterback Jalan McClendon went 3-of-12 for 71 yards.
For Iowa State, reaching bowl eligibility takes some of the pressure off the next few weeks as the Cyclones effectively play with house money. Games against Texas and Kansas State close out the regular season, and Iowa State will close out their regular season with a make-up game against FCS Incarnate Word at the beginning of December.
Projected CFB Playoff Ranks after Week 11. dark. Next
Baylor is still seeking out their sixth win of the season. The Bears have two more chances to get there, with games against TCU and Texas Tech to close out the regular season. Both the Horned Frogs and the Red Raiders come to Waco, providing Matt Rhule’s team with home-field advantage as they try to get back to the postseason.