Iowa State Football: Drake upset runs out of time against Cyclones
By Zach Bigalke
In many ways the FCS visitors looked like the better team, but Drake ultimately ran out of time as they tried in vain to upset Iowa State football in Ames.
On Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa State hoped to run away with a big win to close out their regular season. They were taking on FCS Drake in a make-up game for their September contest against another FCS opponent, South Dakota State, that was cancelled due to lightning strikes and inclement weather.
Drake put up a huge fight, ultimately falling 27-24 in a game where they were huge underdogs. The Bulldogs outgained the Cyclones by six yards on offense, with quarterback Grant Kraemer going 20-of-29 for 221 yards and three touchdowns. On several occasions, he helped drive Drake into the lead, but Iowa State clamped down in the fourth quarter to prevent the Bulldogs from scoring any more points.
Entering the game with the No. 23 ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25, the Cyclones could be at risk of dropping out of the selection committee’s rankings after such a lackluster performance against a lower-subdivision opponent. Brock Purdy was outdueled by Kraemer, finishing the day with 153 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-22 passing.
Purdy ultimately came up big, throwing for the game-winning touchdown at the end of the third quarter, and he rushed for a score as well. But Purdy was outscored and outgunned by his FCS counterpart nonetheless.
David Montgomery was the other big game-changer for Iowa State. The running back posted his second huge game in a row, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries a week after posting 149 yards and three scores against Kansas State.
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Iowa State is left to await their fate as the Big 12 sorts out its bowl pecking order. The Cyclones will be headed to a bowl game for the second straight year under Matt Campbell, and they were in the running to reach the Big 12 championship game through late November. But this game was a disappointing cap to an otherwise-positive regular season.
For Drake, this contest offers a moral victory at the end of a disappointing year where they missed the FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs treated this FBS statement opportunity effectively like their bowl game, and it showed as they nearly pulled out the upset of the day.