Kyle Konrardy kicked a 54-yard field goal with just six seconds remaining to lead Iowa State to a 20-19 win over No. 21 Iowa on Saturday. This was only the Cyclones’ third win in their last 11 games against the Hawkeyes.
Konrardy had earlier missed a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. However, he got another chance when the Cyclones (2-0) advanced 42 yards in three passes from quarterback Rocco Becht, who took the team from their own 22-yard line with 34 seconds left.
“You’ve got to focus on what’s next, not on past mistakes,” Konrardy said. “Part of it was just not thinking about the error and focusing on what I needed to do now.”
He added that the key was to “not think.”
“Just go out there and do what you do,” he said.
When asked if he managed to do that, Konrardy responded with a smile, “Yes sir.”
“It’s just like practice,” Becht said. “He makes those kicks all the time in practice. He has no doubt.”
Following Konrardy’s kick, Iowa (1-1) got a 35-yard return from Max White on the kickoff and had time for one more play, but Cade McNamara’s pass was intercepted by Darien Porter.
Iowa led 19-7 with 4:47 left in the third quarter after Kaleb Johnson’s 4-yard touchdown run. McNamara’s two-point conversion pass was incomplete, which proved crucial later in the game.
“I felt like we were on the edge the whole time,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.
The Cyclones came back with Becht throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel late in the third quarter and Konrardy adding a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth.
“The real victory is seeing young men respond to adversity,” Campbell said. “Life is tough, and there will be hard moments, but you have to respond to them.”
