Becht Leads No. 22 Iowa State Past No. 17 Kansas State 24-21 in Ireland
DUBLIN — Rocco Becht passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score, helping No. 22 Iowa State beat No. 17 Kansas State 24-21 in the Aer Lingus Classic on Saturday.
Becht was 14 for 28 for 183 yards. He found Dominic Overby for a 23-yard TD in the first quarter and passed to Brett Eskildsen for a 24-yard score in the third quarter.
The decisive moment came with 2:26 remaining when Iowa State coach Matt Campbell opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 at the Kansas State 16-yard line. Becht found Carson Hansen for 15 yards and iced the game.
"He called a great play, he gave me two plays and let me decide and I knew we were going to have a chance to get it," Becht said. "We've worked on it in practice and it's been working for us and we're confident with it and I have trust in my guys."
The Cyclones (1-0, 1-0 Big 12) opened a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter after a turnover on downs by Kansas State at its own 30-yard line. Becht finished the short drive with a 7-yard touchdown run with 6:38 left.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson provided a strong performance in the loss. Johnson passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas State (0-1, 0-1). He also had a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Johnson threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jerand Bradley with 6:23 remaining, but the Wildcats never got the ball back.
Wet conditions in Dublin created challenges for both teams early. Both teams struggled to deal with wet conditions in the first half. Kansas State had two turnovers and a turnover on downs while Iowa State committed two turnovers in the first 30 minutes.
Iowa State made crucial halftime adjustments that proved decisive. "We just made some great adjustments," Campbell said. "We saw some things different in the first game and the opportunity to make some adjustments and to have the ability to do that, to have the staff that's been together for so long that we have the confidence to make those adjustments."
The game featured several lead changes in the second half. The Cyclones grabbed a 14-7 lead when Becht found Eskildsen in the corner of the end zone with 1:07 left in the third quarter. Kansas State quickly responded as Johnson responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Brown, tying it at 14 with 14:09 remaining in the game.
On the ground, Carson Hansen led Iowa State with 71 yards rushing on 16 carries. Joe Jackson had 51 yards on 12 carries for Kansas State.
The victory continued Iowa State's recent dominance in the series. Iowa State has beat Kansas State in five of the past six seasons.
Kansas State suffered an early injury setback when running back Dylan Edwards was injured in the first quarter on a punt that he muffed. He didn't return to the game.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman remained optimistic despite the loss. "I mean that's the thing, regardless of the outcome we have 11 games to play," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. "We have our back against the wall, but now we've got to reset and regroup and get ready to play."
The international game featured a unique celebration as the matchup featured the past two champions of the Pop-Tarts Bowl. To celebrate, the Frosted Wild Berry and Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae Pop-Tarts were on the sidelines for the showdown in Ireland.
Iowa State hosts South Dakota on Aug. 30, and Kansas State hosts North Dakota the same day.