ORLANDO — Rallying from a 10-point second-half deficit, No. 18 Iowa State (11-3, 7-2 Big 12) outlasted No. 15 Miami (10-3, 6-2 ACC), 42-41, in a high-scoring Pop-Tarts Bowl Saturday afternoon at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
When the game was on the line, the Cyclones went to their field general quarterback Rocco Becht, who delivered again with his fourth game-winning drive of the season.
Down six points with under six minutes remaining, Becht engineered an impressive 15-play, 84-yard drive culminated with a TD dive on 4th-and-goal to provide the Cyclones their first lead of the second half with 59 seconds left.
Becht, who was named Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP, had an 11-yard scramble on 3rd-and-6 and a 29-yard pass to Jaylin Noel on 3rd-and-1 to keep the march alive.
Miami had one more chance, but Drew Surges picked off an Emory Williams pass on the game’s final play to secure the win and break the school record for victories in a season (11) along the way.
Becht threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns and Noel caught eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown to help the Cyclones score their highest point total in a bowl game in school history.
Noel ended his amazing career as one of the greatest wideouts in school history, moving to No. 2 on ISU’s all-time reception list with 245.
Running back Carson Hansen had one of his most productive days as a Cyclone, scoring three touchdowns (2 rush, 1 pass) to break the school record for most touchdowns in a bowl game. Hansen recorded 82 yards on 16 carries and finished the season with 13 rushing TDs, tying for 11th on ISU’s single-season list.
The first half was an epic scoring bonanza where ISU set school bowl records for most points in a quarter (21, 1st) and half (28, 1st).
After Miami lost the ball on its first play from scrimmage when ISU’s Cael Brezina recovered a high snap, both teams scored touchdowns on each of their next four offensive possessions.
Following the initial Miami turnover, Gabe Burkle snagged his first career TD catch, a 9-yarder from Becht seven plays later to put the Cyclones on the board first.
ISU’s lead was short, as Damien Martinez, who led all rushers with 179 yards, busted a 75-yard TD gallop on the Hurricanes’ second play from scrimmage to even the score at 7-all.
Hansen had a pair of TD rushes in the first quarter to cap off long drives, including a 30-yard scamper, the longest rushing score by a Cyclone in bowl history.
But Cam Ward also threw a pair of TD strikes, including a 40-yard pass to Joshisa Trader to knot the score at 21-21.
Hansen answered again for the Cyclones with his third touchdown of the day, this time on a 13-yard strike from Becht to put ISU up 28-21 in the 2nd quarter, but Ward found Elijah Arroyo on a 33-yard TD pass on its next drive to make it 28-28.
An Andres Borregales field goal (30 yards) in the final seconds of the second quarter gave the Hurricanes a 31-28 halftime lead.
Miami took a 38-28 lead with a 10-play, 71-yard touchdown drive early in the second half, but the Cyclone offense then responded after stalling on their previous three drives.
Hansen had a 27-yard rush and Isaiah Alston caught a 13-yard pass near the goal line to set up a four-yard TD catch by Noel from Becht to inch the Cyclones closer at 38-35 late in the third quarter.
The Cyclone defense stood up the rest of the way by only allowing three points in the final 22 minutes of the game. Jontez Williams and Ta’Shawn James each had eight tackles and the Cyclones forced three turnovers while committing zero.
The victory gave Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell a school-record three bowl wins and it was the 13th win over a ranked team in the last eight years.
