A year ago, Iowa State went into Austin, Texas and pulled off an historic upset, defeating the then-No. 22 Longhorns 28-21. Fans and followers of ISU expected another close game in Ames on Saturday night, but they did not get it.

No. 17 Texas (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) beat Iowa State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) 37-14 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

The Lowdown

The Cyclones hurt themselves early and often Saturday night. Three turnovers and eight penalties for 90 yards, to go along with a missed field goal and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, highlighted a mistake-prone game for Iowa State. It seemed that whatever could’ve gone wrong did for the Cyclones.

“You can’t play like we did to start this game, again unfortunately, and win against the 17th-ranked team in the country,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads.

A variety of mental mistakes and on-field miscues haunted Iowa State throughout the game. In the second half alone, a holding call against Darius Reynolds negated a James White touchdown. On that same drive, Darius Reynolds was flagged for offensive pass interference on a play where he caught a touchdown from Jantz.

To make matters worse, Iowa State lost left tackle Kelechi Osemele late in the game when he reaggravated a right-ankle injury, and cornerback Leonard Johnson after a head-to-head hit on a collision with teammate Stephen Ruempolhamer while trying to make a tackle. Also injured in the game was running back Shontrelle Johnson, who went out with a stinger and Rhoads said right tackle Brayden Burris went out with a broken bone in “his lower leg.”

The Cyclones did add some points late in the game, getting in the endzone twice. The first came on a one-yard run from James White, then second on an 18-yard pass from Jantz to Chris Young.

Texas beat Iowa State using a variety of strategies. The Longhorns alternated quarterbacks, using both freshman David Ash and sophomore Case McCoy. Ash saw some success through the air, throwing for 145 yards on seven of 12 passing and two touchdowns. McCoy had nearly identical numbers, going seven of 12 passing as well, totaling 110 yards.

Freshman Jaxon Shipley made the biggest impact for the Longhorn offense, catching six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.

When not going to the air, the Longhorns turned to Malcolm Brown and Fozzy Whittaker to carry them to victory. Brown rushed for 72 yards on 15 carries, while Whittaker rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. 

The Longhorns also scored on a blocked punt in the second quarter.

“When you get possessions you have to do something with it,” Rhoads said. “When you are facing a team as good as Texas, you cannot turn the ball over.”

Quarterback Steele Jantz failed to provide any dazzling comebacks, and finished the game 28 of 51 for 251 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

An announced crowd of 56,390 filled the stadium before the start of the game, but the crowd thinned as Texas took a 34-0 lead into the half.

Turning Point

Down 13-0 in the second quarter, ISU cornerback Leonard Johnson was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty following an incomplete pass from Ash to receiver Shipley.

Without the penalty, Texas would have been forced to punt, potentially giving Iowa State decent field position and a chance to get back in the game.

The Longhorns scored on the very next play, Ash threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Davis that put Texas up 20-0. From there, the wheels fell off for the Cyclones, and the Longhorns rolled to the victory.

X Factor

Texas defense and special teams

The special teams unit capitalized on a Cyclone mistake in the first quarter, jumping on a fumble by ISU receiver Josh Lenz. The Longhorns forced three ISU turnovers and returned the blocked punt for a touchdown.

“I saw the ball got tipped, so I just grabbed it and went,” said Texas defensive back Josh Turner. “It was a momentum shift and it helped us a lot.”

By the Numbers

2: Touchdowns called back due to ISU penalties

3: Turnovers for Iowa State. Jantz threw one interception, Lenz had a fumble on a kickoff return and White fumbled a handoff from Jantz.

90: Penalty yards called against Iowa State in the game.

141: Receiving yards from Texas’ Shipley on only four catches.

400: Total yards of offense from the Texas offense, gained on only 64 plays, compared to 380 yards of total offense for Iowa State on 89 plays.

56,390: Fans in attendance at Jack Trice Stadium. The second largest crowd in Jack Trice Stadium history.

167,145: Total attendance through three home games at Jack Trice Stadium. That shatters the previous three-game record of 154,566 in 1982.

Up next for Iowa State

The Cyclones next head to Waco, Texas to face Robert Griffin III and No. 15 Baylor. The Bears lost to Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan., but Griffin threw for 346 yards, five touchdowns and one interception on 23 of 31 passing. Baylor lost on a 31-yard field goal with 3:10 left to play.