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No. 13 Iowa State is one game away from playing in the Big 12 Championship Game. That would be a huge feat for a program that hasn’t won a conference title since 1912. The Cyclones needed a late score from star running back Breece Hall and a missed basket from No.17 Texas to hold the. 23-20. win friday. Playing from behind most of the game, Iowa State rode a five-game, 69-yard practice with three minutes remaining and scored a necessary touchdown when the fate of its season was on the line.
But Texas still had time – and quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The senior, who had been efficient all game, brought the Horns to the Iowa State 36-yard line with 10 seconds left. But Ehlinger took a brutally bad sack at the hands of Cyclones defensive lineman Latrell Bankston for a loss of 4 yards. This forced Texas to take their final time out to prepare Cameron Dicker for a 58-yard field goal, which just passed the left slightly.
Texas and Iowa State both had a lot to play for when it comes to a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, and the result ended up being a tie. Texas had great offensive success over wide receiver Brennan Eagles, who had five catches for a career-high 142 yards. Ehlinger was the complementary piece in the running game with 65 rushing yards and one touchdown – a combination Iowa State struggled to stop throughout the game.
But the Cyclones were also able to move the ball. Quarterback Brock Purdy had 312 yards in the air and favored his tight ends Charlie Kolar (six catches, 131 yards) and Dylan Soehner (five catches, 69 yards). Kolar was particularly effective in the second half in the vertical game. And while Hall didn’t have the most dominant day – he was held under 100 for the first time this season – he still had the go-ahead score and a few key points on the decisive run.
Bankston was the defensive MVP for the Cyclones as he contributed to important negative plays and held the line in a game in which the three-man front of Iowa State was asked to do the heavy lifting for get to the back ground. It didn’t always work, but the Cyclones played another game when it mattered.
With the win, Iowa State remains stable with a 7-1 record in the Big 12 and will face West Virginia at home on Dec. 5 in the final game of the regular season. Texas, which falls to 5-3 and 4-3 in the conference, would need a lot of help to stay in the conference title race.
Here’s what else we learned from Friday’s game.
Disappointing senior day for Ehlinger
It would not have been surprising if Ehlinger – he is the longtime Texas Longhorns fan – had one last hero game in him on senior day. Ehlinger played his ass, for the most part, with 363 yards of total attacking and two touchdowns. He was generally on point with his downstream passes and a threat to run the ball, especially on scrambling. The connection he and Eagles had was unstoppable, and it wasn’t a big enough part of the fourth quarter game plan. Ehlinger played well enough to win, period.
But there were two examples that stood out in which the state of Iowa found Ehlinger’s answer. The first was the aforementioned sack with 10 seconds left to make Dicker’s basket even more difficult. The second was a fourth and a second from the Iowa State 13-yard line with eight minutes left in the game. Ehlinger kept the ball on a read and was stopped before the first goal. At 230 pounds, Ehlinger isn’t easy to take down, but the Cyclones have found a way. While taking a shotgun shot such a short and long distance leads some people to climb a wall, you have to love your odds when Ehlinger is the one carrying the ball. Iowa State did a play.
In that sense, Texas will be kicking each other for missed opportunities to put the game aside. The Horns’ last four possessions have had three turnovers on the lows and a punt. This is how you keep the state of Iowa.
The tight ends of the state of Iowa are gone
Bread and butter for the Cyclones this year has been good defensive play and feed Hall in the running game. But Texas quickly pulled the state of Iowa from the scenario. The Cyclones entered a 10-0 hole and were no good in the red zone. The first three trips inside the Texas 20-yard line produced nine runs, and another trip inside the 25-yard line just before half-time resulted in a missed field goal. It’s not generally winning football for Matt Campbell’s side.
So credit a few second half adjustments that put more emphasis on the tight ends of the passing game. Kolar and Soehner were a game-changer, even though they didn’t score any touchdowns. They gave Purdy points of sale and were inadequate against the Texas defense. The state of Iowa hasn’t been too dependent on the pass this year, but they were today. Purdy, who has now put in a strong back-to-back performance, has been good throws and runners. He might be playing his best football at the right time. Tight ends certainly did today.
The story of two coaches
The Iowa State victory means two things will happen. The first is that Campbell’s name will continue to shine stronger as the coaching carousel begins to spin more. Iowa State fans are rolling their eyes on social media a lot at the mere mention of Campbell’s potential departure for another job – which, for the record, I’m not saying he will or won’t – but it is a story that comes with the territory. Campbell did a great job at Ames, and if it’s a highly sought after product, it’s a good problem to have.
For Tom Herman, the loss will only add to the chatter on the hot seat. Keep in mind that Herman made some big staff changes during the offseason – a move that usually serves as a final line of defense. It’s the fourth year, and in all likelihood, Herman is going to have an appearance in a Big 12 title game for his time in Austin.
Herman actually made bold appeals against the state of Iowa. The false punt didn’t work, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad call. An Iowa state defenseman made the key tackle. Otherwise, it was a first try. And the decision to take fourth place with Ehlinger was the right one, too, they just didn’t make the game. But so many times it’s the types of calls that are considered great when they work and terrible when. they don’t.
What is remarkable about the predicament in Texas is that Herman was the guy in the coaching cycle four years ago. He had connections to the program and the Big 12, coached under Urban Meyer and built a high ceiling in a good group of five program. He checked off all the things Texas should want in someone. For some reason, it didn’t work. Maybe Texas takes a step, maybe not, but there’s no denying that Herman’s time in Austin was a disappointment.
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