IOWA CITY — Down 13-0 at the half, Iowa State struggled to generate any offense or stop the run against No. 21 Iowa. After senior defensive back Darien Porter grabbed his first career interception, the Cyclones took control, came back and won 20-19.
Two big red zone stops in the first half by the Iowa State defense kept the lead at two possessions rather than three.
“Bend don’t break,” senior defensive back Myles Purchase said. “Our defense is made for that.”
With five straight defensive stops across the third and fourth quarters, the Cyclones had a chance with 40 seconds to go to win the game. After some quick plays, one being a 34-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel, Iowa State lined up for a 54-yard field goal.
Redshirt freshman Kyle Konrardy nailed the kick and gave the Cyclones the lead. With one second left on the clock, Porter made the game-winning interception that sealed the win for Iowa State.
“It’s a great feeling, especially in a game like this,” Porter said. “It feels good to positively impact a game.”
On the final play of the game, Porter had his second interception of the game. This time, it sealed the win for the Cyclones.
Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara struggled to move the ball down the field, connecting mostly on screens and dump-offs. McNamara ended the day going 13-for-29 passing for 99 yards and threw two interceptions to Porter.
Porter started his career at Iowa State as a wide receiver and made the switch over to defense later. Seniors Jaylin Noel and Purchase applauded Porter’s abilities.
“He used to be in the receiver room, that’s the craziest part,” Noel said. “He’s one of the most talented people on our team.”
“That’s my guy,” Purchase said with a smile. “He was tough to guard at receiver, and just to see him be able to do this in his senior year, his last year, to be able to perform like this is special.”
Porter nabbed his first interception of the game and his career on a lofted ball thrown by McNamara. Off of the turnover, Iowa State drove down the field and scored its first touchdown of the game.
“The game really swung from there,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “The ultimate team player here for the last six years is the guy that makes the play that swings the tide.”
The interception must have woken up both teams, especially the Cyclones. Iowa State was now on the board, but the Hawkeyes responded with a touchdown drive. Instead of trying the aerial assault, Iowa went back to the ground to do it.
Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson pierced through for a 54-yard run and finished the job with a three-yard touchdown. When the Cyclones hit the field again, quarterback Rocco Becht found Noel for a 75-yard touchdown to complete a one-play drive.
After Konrardy made a 46-yard field goal, Iowa’s lead was cut to two points. The Iowa State defense did everything it could to give the offense chance after chance, with four defensive stops in a row.
“Our kids’ poise was better than their head coaches’ poise at times,” Campbell said.
In the linebacker room, the biggest question was who would step up since junior linebackers Caleb Bacon and Will McLaughlin were out. Linebackers Cael Brezina, Jacob Ellis and Kooper Ebel led the way for the linebackers. The trio combined for 17 tackles.
“The reality is the next guy’s got to step up and play,” Campbell said.
Just like in week one, however, the Cyclones had no answer to stop the run. Johnson scorched the Iowa State defense for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson had four carries of over 25 yards, including his 27-yard touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes a 7-0 lead. The strength Iowa showed against Illinois State when running the ball bled into the Cy-Hawk game.
“It’s our kids stepping up and making the plays that got us out of the rut,” Campbell said.
When the defense needed to step up in the fourth quarter, it did. In total, the Hawkeyes had 20 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter. Four of the five Iowa drives ended in a punt, and the other ended with Porter’s pick.
“There’s no greater win than that,” Campbell said. “The real win is when you see young men respond to adversity.”
