LAWRENCE, Kan. – Different chapter, same story.

The ISU football team found itself holding a once in a lifetime opportunity – for the second straight year. Both times, the chance was squandered away in overtime.

Last season it was a 17-14 overtime loss to Missouri that prevented the Cyclones from entering the Big 12 championship game.

This year, it was Kansas playing the spoiler role.

Despite leading for the majority of the game, Iowa State was never able to put away the Jayhawks and ultimately fell – again – in overtime, 24-21. Kansas (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) is bowl eligible for the second time in three years.

“I can’t put into words our disappointment with coming up short today,” said coach Dan McCarney. “Thankfully, it’s not our last football game.”

The Cyclones earned their second straight shot at the Big 12 title game after both Missouri and Colorado lost, but could not hold their lead.

Iowa State (7-4, 4-4) held a 21-14 lead with under two minutes left in regulation, but Kansas’ reserve quarterback Brian Luke found Dexton Fields for a 15-yard touchdown pass, knotting the score and sending the game to overtime.

Kicker Bret Culbertson missed a 41-yard field goal on Iowa State’s first possession in overtime, and four plays later, Kansas’ Scott Webb iced the game with a 34-yard shot between the uprights.

Culbertson missed a potential game-winning field goal last season against Missouri.

“It sucks that it’s happening all over again,” Culbertson said. “We just need to stay strong.”

Culbertson said the snap and the hold were good.

“It was just a missed kick,” he said

After falling down early 3-0, the Cyclones seemed to have things under control, jumping ahead 14-3.

Todd Blythe caught his 16th career touchdown at Iowa State, which set a new school record. Blythe appeared to give the Cyclones a 20-3 lead in the third quarter catching the ball and landing one foot in bounds, but the referees ruled the play an incomplete pass, and the replay booth upheld the call.

“In the beginning I thought I was in,” Blythe said. “I knew I caught it – I never bobbled it, so that wasn’t in question . That’s just the way it goes.”

Up 14-6 with 11:28 left in the fourth quarter, the Cyclones appeared to hold Kansas on the 1-yard line on fourth and one. Officials ruled that Luke did not break the plane on an attempted quarterback sneak.

The replay booth overturned that call, and Kansas tied the game on a successful two-point conversion.

“I just have to trust that a TV screen and the reviews are accurate,” McCarney said.

Kansas’ rush defense is second in the Big 12 and it showed, as they limited Iowa State to 56 yards on 36 attempts. Quarterback Bret Meyer was 18-of-34 for 257 yards, one interception and two touchdowns. Meyer set a new school record with 155 pass attempts without an interception, breaking the old mark of 141 set by Todd Bandhauer in 1997.

The Cyclone defense was strong all game, forcing three interceptions, but the ISU offense was unable to capitalize on the opportunities.

“[The offense] has to do our part,” Meyer said.

Iowa State may not be lucky enough to be in this position again, and the players expressed compete disappointment.

“This hurts because we got a second chance at it,” Blythe said. “We had the opportunity today and weren’t able to capitalize on that.”