What is it with Iowa State football and oddball games? 

Yes, Iowa State won, beating Drake 27-24 on a miserable first day of December, but the dreadful conditions and an uncharacteristic lack of detail from the Cyclones played a hand in what would have been one of the biggest upsets in college football history. It was another addition to a growing list of wacky games from Iowa State this year.

Drake was a 41-point underdog heading into Saturday’s contest. The Bulldogs were in the game from the jump. This was their Super Bowl, and they were buzzing around the field with something to prove. 

The Cyclones, meanwhile, were playing a non-scholarship FCS team they didn’t know they were playing until last week due to Incarnate Word dropping out to focus on the FCS playoffs. It was supposed to be a day to get an eighth win, get young players some playing time and await their bowl destination.

That win came in the end, but nothing else went to script.

Coach Matt Campbell shouted out the Bulldogs for their play.

“We need to say that coach [Rick] Fox is great,” Campbell said. “Just like I told you on Tuesday, I was really impressed with the detail and the intensity they played with.

“I thought their kids did a great job today.”

With the conditions on the field — a cascade of rain, sleet and snow leading up to kickoff — the potential for wackiness was through the roof. The weirdness truly arrived after Iowa State’s first possession of the game, when punter Corey Dunn failed to handle the snap and Drake took over on the Iowa State 7-yard line, scoring two plays later to go up 7-0. 

After the game, former Cyclone quarterback Sage Rosenfels took to Twitter to show off the sad state of MidAmerican Energy field.

“The field was awful,” Hakeem Butler said.

After two straight scores and a 14-7 lead, it looked like the Cyclones had battled through the elements and were positioned to pull away. 

Then Drake scored again and two Iowa State starters — Bryce Meeker and Marcel Spears — limped off with injuries.

The worst-case scenario this added game presented was being fully realized by the Cyclones. 

After the game, Campbell said he hoped to have updates on the two players’ injuries by Sunday. Missing either player for the bowl game would be a big loss for an Iowa State team already struggling with injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Redshirt freshman Jake Hummel said the Bulldogs played well in the margins.

“With the weather situation, obviously the game came down to those details,” Hummel said. “Props to them.”

An early second-half turnover on a Brock Purdy sack-fumble handed the Bulldogs great field position, and a field goal made it 20-17. Then, the unthinkable: a Kyle Kempt interception followed another Drake touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 24-20 late in the third quarter. 

Drake won the turnover battle, forcing two Cyclone turnovers while only coughing the ball up once. Combined with the botched Iowa State punt, the Bulldogs scored 17 points off of Cyclone mistakes.

The weather effectively neutralized the Cyclones’ obvious edge in athleticism, as it was difficult to make cuts upfield. Multiple times, kick returner Kene Nwangwu had potentially big returns snuffed out because he slipped while trying to cut into a hole.

Wide receiver Deshaunte Jones said the Cyclones came out flat to start the game and took a while to get their feet under them, and it showed.

After the Drake touchdown, Iowa State flipped the switch, if only for one drive. A quick-moving drive ended with a Purdy touchdown pass to Jones to give Iowa State the lead for good at 27-24. 

Still, Iowa State’s offense sputtered and gave Drake opportunities. 

Campbell wasn’t in the mood postgame to be asked about the Cyclones’ struggles in the margins over the past month. 

“We’ve won seven of our last eight games,” Campbell said.

The Cyclones are now 8-4, having won 16 games in the last two seasons (tying a school record) and heading to a bowl game. But a flat start, gruesome weather and three mistakes almost put Iowa State in the history books for the wrong reasons.