The rain could not wash away the Cyclones’ good vibes as they traveled to Waco, Texas, to take down Baylor 30-18 and extend their winning streak to three.

After a dominant performance against Cincinnati, it was clear that Iowa State’s road issues were gone. Another dominant road win, this time against Baylor, helped keep Iowa State’s postseason hopes alive.

As the Cyclones moved to 4-1 in Big 12 play, they moved into a four-way, and possibly five-way, tie for first place, after Oklahoma lost on the road to Kansas.

Higgins and Noel: The dynamic duo

The first drive of the game for Iowa State showed Baylor what to expect all day long.

After getting good field position off a misfire on a Baylor punt, Iowa State needed just two big plays to find the end zone. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht knew he had to play it safe right away, so he found wide receiver Jaylin Noel on a short route to get the ball moving.

Noel sprinted down the field for a 26-yard gain to punch the ball into the red zone. One play later, Becht let the ball fly. Becht found Higgins on the sideline for the first touchdown of the game.

Both those receivers’ days did not end there. Noel was constantly ripping off big plays every time the ball ended up in his hands. Higgins also stayed steady.

Higgins got wide open near the end of the first half, but Becht over threw him for what would have been a touchdown. One drive later, Noel nearly caught a touchdown but the ball was just too low to secure.

By the end of the first half, Noel had six catches for 61 yards, while Higgins had four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Late in the game, as Baylor was piecing together a comeback, Noel picked up a crucial first down to extend Iowa State’s drive and get the Cyclones into the red zone. When Iowa State needed Noel to clutch up, he did.

Noel ended the game with eight catches for 76 yards, while Higgins finished for 74 yards. The two had around two-thirds of the team’s total receiving yards.

With the weather affecting the passing game, both Noel and Higgins were still as consistent as ever.

Rainy day keeps the ball on the ground

It was a wet day in Waco, Texas, which played a role in many drives throughout the game. Instead of favoring the air, which both teams excel at, the run game came into play.

Becht and Eli Sanders extended the drives on the ground early on. However, it was the return of true freshman Abu Sama that sparked the run game but also spelled out what to expect from the weather.

Sama got some work halfway through the first quarter by ripping off a 19-yard run. However, the rain came into play on the same drive, as Sama’s next carry resulted in the ball getting easily ripped out of his slick hands to turn the ball over and end a promising Cyclone drive.

Sanders got his name in the mix again early in the second quarter. He found a crease on the outside and found open field for a 27-yard gain. That pick-up helped the Cyclones tack three more points onto the scoreboard.

Sanders even got active in the passing game as he caught a pass in the red zone late in the first half to nearly get into the end zone. Just a few plays later, Cartevious Norton finished what Sanders started by punching in the touchdown himself.

Across the board, running backs were major factors in the game.

Baylor was not handling the rain as well as the Cyclones early on. Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen was finding his guys in the air, but the rain proved to be more of a factor in the passing game than expected.

Two Baylor drives ended in the same outcome. A dropped pass on third down.

As time was winding down in the first half, Baylor took advantage of its big-bodied running back to get its first points on the board. However, as the rain poured down, the extra-point attempt was not as smooth as the touchdown run.

Baylor kicker Isaiah Hankins misfired on his kick and booted it into the line to give Iowa State an easy block. That blocked extra point helped Iowa State maintain an 11-point lead going into the half.

The second half started with Iowa State favoring the run game again. With the rain keeping the ball on the ground, Iowa State had to find success with its running backs.

That success came earlier than expected. After pounding the ball up the field on the ground to move the chains, Norton had another chance to shine.

Norton broke past the line on the outside to find himself in a foot race to the end zone. Norton capped off his nearly 50-yard run with a touchdown; his second of the day and of the season.

Iowa State’s running backs ended with 160 total yards. Sanders led the team with 90 yards, while Norton finished with 58.

Defense slips late, Baylor nearly comes back

With the rain keeping the game on the ground, Iowa State utilized its big safeties and linebackers to stop Baylor drives early on. Baylor started the game going 0-for-3 on third-down attempts. The Bears’ first fourth-down attempt fell short as well.

Later in the first quarter, Malik Verdon stopped the Bears as they were driving down the field with ease. Shapen threw up a long ball to the end zone in hopes to cut the lead. However, Verdon jumped at the ball and snatched it out of the air for his second interception of the season.

Jacob Ellis completed the trifecta of turnovers by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Joey Petersen. That was also Iowa State’s first fumble recovery of the season.

Whenever Baylor tried to get back in the game, Iowa State’s defense put the brakes on the attempts.

Iowa State was still consistent in stopping big third-down plays, but Baylor found some life halfway through the third quarter.

On fourth-down, Baylor needed to drive down the field. Instead of driving, Shapen found Monaray Baldwin wide open for a 70-yard touchdown. Although the Cyclones stuffed the two-point conversion attempt, it was clear that Baylor found the spark it needed.

Baylor looked like a completely different team on its next drive. First downs were coming with ease.

The Bears started to dominate in the air and on the ground as they marched into the red zone to end the third quarter. With one quarter left, the Bears were on the verge of a comeback.

Baylor rushed the ball into the end zone with nearly a full quarter left to cut the lead to nine following another failed two-point attempt.

Trailing by two scores and half a quarter to play, Baylor started driving down the field again. The Bears were starting to complete third downs with ease and moved the ball on the ground consistently.

However, just outside the red zone, Iowa State’s defense knew it needed to lock in. Baylor was faced with another fourth-down attempt with just a few yards for a first down.

As the Bears handed the ball to Dawson Pendergrass, who already had two touchdowns on the day. A herd of Iowa State defenders swarmed to Pendergrass and stuffed him on fourth down.

Baylor’s last chance at a comeback was over. Iowa State cruised to a 30-18 victory.