AMES, Iowa — Rocco Becht threw for a score and ran for a score to lead Iowa State to a 34-17 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night.
The Cyclones (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) used a second-half push to help overcome the tenacious Bearcats (5-5, 3-4).
Stevo Klotz caught Becht's only touchdown pass, a 26-yarder that gave Iowa State the lead for good at 17-10 with 10:04 left in the third quarter. Klotz, a senior tight end, has two touchdowns in as many games against Cincinnati.
“He was incredible today for us,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said about Klotz.
Becht's rushing touchdown came from a high snap, in which he took it 15 yards to the house to give Iowa State a 27-17 lead with about 4 minutes to play. He finished the game as the leading rusher, as Becht ran for 48 yards on seven attempts.
“Whenever the ball is in my hands, I can make a play with it,” Becht said.
Carson Hansen ran in a 2-yard score for the Cyclones' first touchdown of the game, his team-high ninth touchdown this season, and Abu Sama III capped the scoring with a 27-yard TD run with 1:09 to play.
“To watch our guys (battle) and stick in there and do those things really well was awesome to see,” Campbell said.
Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby had 66 yards on 11-of-19 passing but led the Bearcats with 141 yards rushing on 14 carries with a 41-yard score. Evan Pryor opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.
“I think, obviously, we did some good things tonight, but we also did some bad things,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield. “You can't make mistakes in the last six minutes against good football teams, so we've got to do better.”
The Takeaway
Cincinnati: The Bearcats committed a season-high 13 penalties on Saturday, with 11 of those coming against the offense.
Iowa State: The Cyclones found a way to score on three of their five second-half possessions, which helped end their two-game skid and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
It's a Fake!:
With 5:19 left in the third quarter, the Cyclones prepared to punt the ball back to the Bearcats but ran a fake with Klotz, who ran it 22 yards to get Iowa State in range for an eventual field goal.
Up Next
Cincinnati: visits No. 16 Kansas State next Saturday.
Iowa State: visits Utah next Saturday.
