Iowa State Football: 3 takeaways from huge win at No. 17 Texas

1. Iowa State has a legitimate shot at the playoff

Iowa State fell behind after the first quarter and went into halftime with a deficit, but the Cyclones never panicked and put together a strong drive in the final three minutes to take a 23-20 lead, forcing Texas to scramble with 1:25 remaining.

When Iowa State needed a clutch drive from Brock Purdy and Breece Hall, it got one. The talented quarterback finished with 312 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-36 completions. Hall had 91 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 20 carries. He didn’t have his best game running the ball, missing 100 yards for the first time this season, but Hall ran hard in that final drive.

Matt Campbell’s team looked like it was out of the running for any sort of relevant postseason positioning after a season-opening loss to Louisiana at home, but the Cyclones bounced back and only lost one Big 12 game leading up to Friday. Then they went on the road to beat the No. 17 team in the country in comeback fashion.

There’s a reason the playoff committee ranked the Cyclones No. 13 in the initial rankings this week and after this win, you can bet they’ll be moving up.

Hall, Purdy and Charlie Kolar are playing well and Iowa State is now 7-2 with one regular season game and a Big 12 title game appearance remaining. A playoff berth is not out of the question.