The Cyclone offense featured inconsistency, and the special teams failed to convert simple duties. Meanwhile, the Iowa State defense dominated.

The Cyclones managed to knock off Texas Tech 40-31 on Saturday — in large part because of the defense. Iowa State’s defense maneuvered around a touchdown off a blocked punt and a touchdown off a Brock Purdy fumble. The defense spurred on Iowa State with three interceptions and a safety in the second half.

“It was fitting in the second half of the game, just like it really has been all year, when our defense has needed to rise up the most, they rose up and made huge plays,” said coach Matt Campbell. “I think obviously the turnovers become the difference in the football game.”

Trailing 40-31 with 2:17 left, freshman Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman dumped the ball to Antoine Wesley. Wesley rumbled down to the Iowa State 44-yard line.

After an incompletion, Bowman forced a pass, and redshirt sophomore safety Greg Eisworth swooped in for an interception. 

Bowman played a pretty clean game in the first half, but the freshman became sloppy with the football as the game progressed. 

The drive before Eisworth plucked his pass out of the air, the Red Raiders looked to break the 31-31 tie with 4:45 left in the game.

Bowman received a snap on first down and bobbled the ball on the ground. Junior defensive lineman JaQuan Bailey pursued Bowman, forcing the Grapevine, Texas, native to backpedal into the Texas Tech end zone.

Bowman chucked it to avoid the sack, but an intentional grounding call resulted in a safety regardless. 

Before the two miscues by Bowman, the second half belonged to redshirt junior linebacker Marcel Spears.

“MVP, man,” Bailey said with a laugh about Spears. “It’s kind of crazy because we were all [jokingly] saying Marcel must have had some glue or something because usually in practice it’d be butterfingers.”

Spears made his name known in Lubbock, Texas, last season with a pick-six in Iowa State’s 31-13 win.

The encore came on Saturday when Spears snared a Bowman pass and streaked to the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown, putting the Cyclones on top, 24-17.

“During practice, we work on it so much, when you do see those kind of plays, it’s kind of second nature,” Spears said. 

In the fourth quarter, the instincts kicked in again and Spears struck. 

At Iowa State’s 49-yard line, Spears jumped another pass, giving the ball back to the Cyclones in a tied game. 

“Marcel, [probably] got to get him in on offense at some point,” Campbell joked. “He’s a guy who can catch the football. He told me he could, I didn’t believe him.”

While the sparks emerged on passing plays for Iowa State’s defense, the Cyclones suppressed the rushing attack for Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders compiled 30 rushing yards (55 yards without sacks) with an average of 1.3 yards per attempt. The plugged holes on rushing plays forced Bowman to pass 56 times in the loss.

Overall in the past two games, Iowa State’s defense allowed seven points in the 30-14 win over then-No. 6 West Virginia and 17 points in Saturday’s win over Texas Tech. Against the Mountaineers, Red Raiders and Oklahoma State, the Cyclones connected for one safety in each game.