Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht feels that the Cyclones have not yet reached their full potential, despite having their best start in 86 years.
Carson Hansen scored three rushing touchdowns, and Becht threw for another as No. 11 Iowa State defeated West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night. The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) achieved six wins to start the season for the first time since 1938.
“I feel like we haven’t even played our best game yet as a whole — special teams, defense, and offense,” Becht said. The goal is “finding ways to get better each and every single week, and our mindset is just 0-0 and trying to win that next game.”
With this victory, Iowa State is now tied for first place in the conference with BYU and the inactive Texas Tech.
The Cyclones took control of a tight game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half. Becht connected with Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards, placing the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17.
A holding penalty against West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State a first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play to make it 21-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Jontez Williams then made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, allowing Iowa State to take over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the next drive, finishing with a 2-yard touchdown run that extended their lead to 28-10 with 4:42 left.
Hansen, a sophomore who also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, ended the game with 96 rushing yards, just one short of his career high set last week against Baylor. He had only 67 rushing yards during an injury-plagued freshman season.
“For him to consistently play the way he has the last couple of weeks, it’s awesome to watch,” Becht said.
West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was limited to 148 rushing yards against the top defense in the league, having gained 389 yards on the ground the previous week against Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers struggled with several high snaps that disrupted their timing and runs that lost yardage.
“In the second half, when it was winning time, we didn’t win,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “We struggled to get into a rhythm.”
