VICTORY!
October 22, 2004
WACO, Texas — Stevie Hicks scored on a 5-yard run with 41 seconds left and Iowa State ended its 13-game Big 12 losing streak with a 26-25 win Saturday at Baylor, which took over the league’s longest streak of futility.
The winning touchdown came on the 10th play of an 80-yard drive right after Baylor had regained the lead. Iowa State (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) twice got first downs because of Baylor penalties, including an offsides on fourth down two plays before Hicks took a pitch right and swept into the end zone.
Hicks had 260 carries and 1,008 yards in his 1 1/2 seasons at Iowa State before scoring his first career touchdown on that play.
Baylor (2-5, 0-4) has lost 11 straight Big 12 games since coach Guy Morriss won his conference debut over Colorado last October. The previous 10 had been by an average margin of 39 points.
Todd Blythe tied a Cyclones’ single-season record with his eighth touchdown catch, and had a 46-yard catch on the final drive, and 300-pound defensive tackle Brent Curvey returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown.
Iowa State hadn’t won a Big 12 game since beating Missouri 42-35 on Nov. 2, 2002. A few weeks after that, the Cyclones — who had a winning overall record that season — went to their third straight bowl game.
The Bears outgained Iowa State by almost 200 total yards (450-257), but were hurt by four fumbles, a missed field goal, a missed extra point and several ill-timed penalties.
Iowa State faced third-and-14 on its final drive when cornerback James Todd was called for pass interference against Blythe, who two plays later had his 46-yard catch to the Baylor 22. On fourth-and-1 from the 13, Baylor was offsides.
Curvey rumbled 65 yards early in the fourth quarter, the ball bouncing right into his hands after Tyson Smith blindsided quarterback Shawn Bell. It was the first fumble return for a touchdown by the Cyclones since 1996.
But Iowa State’s lead was just 20-18 after Braelon Davis intercepted the 2-point conversion pass and returned it 100 yards for two Baylor points.
Anthony Krieg’s 1-yard TD run with 4:58 left gave Baylor a 25-20 lead. Paul Mosley, who finished with 100 yards on 20 carries, had gained the first 39 yards of the drive on six straight runs before Krieg scored.
Blythe’s 22-yard TD catch between two defenders capped the opening drive of the second half and snapped the 7-7 halftime tie. The freshman tied the school record held by Ty Watley (1997) and Tracey Henderson (1983).
Baylor then drove 81 yards in seven plays for Dane King’s 16-yard TD pass to Dominique Ziegler, but didn’t tie the game when Kenny Webb’s extra-point attempt bounced off the right upright. It was his first miss in 43 career PAT attempts.
Webb, whose 37-yard attempt at the end of the first half was blocked, ended the next drive with a 19-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead.
King completed 29 of 37 passes for 289 yards.