With the second-to-last home game of the season completed, Iowa State finds itself in the loss column for another week. This matchup marked the rematch of last season’s Big 12 Championship. As the Sun Devils took the victory, the team remains undefeated against the Cyclones.
Kicking trouble stunts Iowa State
In his second game returning from injury, Iowa State’s star redshirt sophomore kicker Kyle Konrardy’s spark has been tainted.
Throughout the first half, Konrardy faced five kicking opportunities and only drilled two. Konrardy’s sole field goal of the half was at 5:45 in the first quarter. With two first-half touchdowns, Konrardy only hit one point after touchdown kicks.
Compared to the last meeting between the Cyclones and Sun Devils, Konrardy went two for three in field goals and one for one in points after touchdown.
Heading to the second half, Konrardy and Iowa State trailed 17-16 behind Arizona State. Konrardy’s half-opening scoring came from a 35-yard field goal in the last second of the third quarter.
With an offensive halt in the second half, Konrardy was deprived of kicking opportunities. The Cyclones’ only touchdowns came in the first half and the late third-quarter field goal closed out the team’s scoring.
As Konrardy lacked the ability to push towards a lead for Iowa State, the defense of Arizona State stood strong to hand him plenty of relaxing time.
Collective defense dominance
After the conclusion of the first half, the Cyclones led the Sun Devils in total tackles with a 35-21 tackle differential.
Leading Iowa State was junior linebacker Kooper Ebel with seven total tackles. Ebel also contributed a tackle for loss, a break-up and a quarterback hurry in the first half.
With five quarterback hurries, the Cyclones had four players with credit. Defensive back senior defensive lineman Domonique Orange led in the first half with two. Ebel, sophomore linebacker Cael Brezina and redshirt junior defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu all tied with one each.
Ezeogu also earned a quarterback hurry and a touchdown-clinching fumble recovery.
One first-half standout play was sophomore defensive back Marcus Neal Jr.’s first career interception. This would set Iowa State up for a last-minute lead-clinching field goal that was missed by Konrardy.
As the Cyclones entered the second half, both the offense and defense collapsed and allowed the Sun Devils to score their game-clinching touchdown.
Despite the tough loss, Ebel tied for his career best in tackles with nine and recorded his first career pass breakup.
“Obviously, we put a lot of work into this game, so it’s great to see it pay off,” Ebel said. “I pay a lot of it to our coaches and the guys in front of me, the guys beside me, everyone, they do a great job preparing us throughout the week.”
Crucial plays turned into costly mistakes
Iowa State experienced the defeat starting from the beginning of the Big 12 Championship rematch to the crucial mistakes made during game-deciding moments.
Redshirt junior quarterback Rocco Becht faced adversity beyond recovery. Between getting sacked twice and six hurries against him, the Sun Devils defense was dialed in on Becht.
The tribulations of Becht, along with dropped passes, quickly added up and put Becht in a tight spot. Although Becht is the main offensive target, collective issues cost a game, not one player.
“We’ve got to be able to protect him [Becht] a little bit better in some critical moments,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “It’s the whole offense, so it’s tough to be the quarterback because everyone wants to point the finger at you, but that’s not the case.”
Seven of 15 Iowa State’s drives resulted in punts, with a lack of offensive power this game added to the other three losses to begin the journey towards clinching a bowl game.
With the Cyclones’ final three drives ending in an interception, a punt and a turnover on downs, the opportunity to clinch a victory withered away.
Iowa State’s biggest play came at the two-minute warning, with a Hail Mary on the cusp, and the energy of the team was through the roof.
As the Cyclones were at the Sun Devils’ 20-yard marker, the final play of the drive ended as the runner was short of the first down mark. The time clock hit 15 seconds and Arizona State reclaimed possession. This landed Iowa State another heartbreaking loss.
“You know we gotta stay positive, stay up and continue the grind,” Becht said. “Change up the rhythm, just find that joy again.”
