Carson Hansen scored two touchdowns, including a 3-yard run with 1:31 left, to help No. 22 Iowa State secure a 31-28 win over Utah on Saturday night.
Rocco Becht passed for 256 yards and one touchdown, leading Iowa State, while Jayden Higgins had a standout performance with 155 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. Iowa State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 22 CFP) stayed in the hunt for a Big 12 title spot with their second consecutive win.
“That’s what you want at the end of November,” Becht said. “Meaningful games and everything to play for.”
Isaac Wilson led Utah with 74 yards on 8-of-8 passing before leaving the game with an injury late in the third quarter. Luke Bottari, who started the season as fifth on the depth chart, finished the game with 102 yards of total offense.
Utah (4-7, 1-7) managed only 99 yards of offense in the first three quarters but came alive in the fourth, setting up a tight finish. The Utes have now lost seven straight games and are certain to finish below .500 for the first time since 2013.
Bottari made key runs of 40 and 16 yards, bringing Utah to the Iowa State 1-yard line, where Micah Bernard scored Utah’s first offensive touchdown of the game with 5:51 left, giving them a 28-24 lead.
“Doesn’t matter who’s in there — we play as one on offense and one defense,” Bottari said. “I just told the boys, ‘No flinch, let’s go, keep rolling.’”
Hansen answered back for Iowa State with a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Cyclones ahead again. Utah’s kicker, Cole Becker, missed a 54-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.
The victory keeps Iowa State one game away from achieving its first 10-win season in school history.
“Everyone counted us out two weeks ago,” said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. “We didn’t flinch, we didn’t waver and we just keep fighting.”
Iowa State took a 24-13 lead late in the third quarter after Becht scored on a 1-yard fourth-down run. The drive was set up after Jack Sadowsky V recovered a fumble by Wilson at Utah’s 23-yard line.
Utah responded early in the fourth quarter by recovering a blocked punt in the end zone, bringing the score to 24-21.
Utah’s Lander Barton gave the Utes their first lead in the second quarter, intercepting Becht’s pass and returning it 87 yards for a touchdown.
“Great play by Lander,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “The whole defense, they executed that interception return drill — which we work on every week in practice — flawlessly.”
The Cyclones answered on their next drive, with Hansen scoring on an 8-yard run to give Iowa State the lead again. Becht later connected with Higgins for a 35-yard gain on a crucial 3rd-and-13, putting Iowa State deep into Utah territory.
Utah had a chance to score before halftime after JT Greep recovered a muffed punt at Iowa State’s 17-yard line. However, the Utes lost 12 yards on three plays and settled for a 47-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 14-13 at halftime.
