AMES — After the Cyclones took a 22-17 lead with just over two minutes left, it seemed as though the first 8-0 start in program history was in reach. 

Instead, after 58 minutes of good defense, the Cyclones allowed Texas Tech to go 71 yards for a game-winning touchdown, ending the Cyclones dream of an undefeated season by a score of 23-22. 

The game did not get off to a good start for the Cyclone defense, which has become a theme this season.

On the first drive of the game, the Red Raiders offense went right down the field for a touchdown, going 72 yards on seven plays, capped off by a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Behren Morton to wide receiver Josh Kelly. 

On the second drive of the game, the Red Raiders went on another extended drive, going 49 yards on ten plays, but the Cyclones were able to hold them to a field goal.

Through the first two drives, the Cyclones defense gave up 121 total yards and 10 points. It looked like it was going to be a long day for the Cyclone defense.

“I think we’ve started slow now for the last five weeks,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. “Offensively, defensively, and then they take the ball right down the field and score a touchdown.”

“I think it’s just coming out slow,” senior defensive end Joey Petersen said. “I don’t really know the answer, but I think it’s just coming out slow, maybe not being fully prepared.”

But after the second drive, the Cyclone defense came alive. 

The Cyclones forced the Red Raiders to punt the ball on their next three possessions, holding them to just 25 total yards over those three drives.

A big part of getting those stops was the Cyclone pass rush coming alive. Coming into the game the Cyclones were tied for last in the Big 12 with just nine sacks on the season, but on those aforementioned three drives, they sacked Morton three times.

The first sack came from freshman defensive back Marcus Neal, the second came from defensive captain J.R. Singleton and the third came from Petersen. 

The Cyclone defense wasn’t done there. 

On the next two drives, instead of forcing punts, the Cyclone defense forced turnovers, intercepting Morton on back-to-back drives. 

The first interception came from sixth-year senior Darien Porter, his third of the year. 

The second came from senior defensive back Myles Purchase, who after playing in all 45 games throughout his four-year career, finally secured his first career interception. 

“I played good most of the game, but at the end of the game, I had to step up and make better plays,” Purchase said. 

Purchase’s interception proved to be massive. The interception set up the Cyclone offense at midfield with 34 seconds until halftime. Iowa State went all the way down the field to score a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead going into the break. 

After the Cyclone defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half, the Red Raiders were finally able to put together another scoring drive. 

Texas Tech went on a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 19-yard touchdown reception by Kelly, his second of the game. 

The drive was aided by an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty against Iowa State’s Tyler Onyedim, which wiped away an interception by defensive back Jontez Williams, who was looking for his fifth consecutive game with an interception.

“Those are big plays,” Campbell said. “When you leave it to chance and you don’t do your job with great precision and detail, it’s tough.”

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Purchase said. “Penalties, ill-advised penalties and stuff that we have to take control over. The things we can control, we have to be able to control.”

The Cyclone defense found itself down 17-16. With their backs against the wall, they came up with two huge stops to keep the dream of an undefeated season alive. 

Iowa State’s offense was finally able to break through and take a 22-17 lead after a 44-yard touchdown reception from true freshman Carson Brown with just over two minutes to go. 

All the Cyclone defense had to do to secure the victory was keep the Red Raiders out of the end zone, but it wasn’t meant to be. 

Texas Tech went on a 12-play, 71-yard touchdown drive, converting on a fourth-and-seven in the process to take a 23-22 lead which ultimately resulted in handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season. 

“We just had to handle it better, honestly,” Purchase said.

“They made one more play than we were able to defend,” Campbell said. 

The loss ended the dream of an undefeated season, but the Cyclones still have all of their goals in reach. 

“Everything is still in front of us, everything we want is still ahead of us,” Petersen said. “It’s going to be a hard road and it’s always been a hard road, so it’s just moving forward, learning and keep growing.”