Iowa State’s second half comeback rally fell short as the Cyclones fell to no. 15 ranked Utah, 31-17 in Ames.
Despite a 21 point halftime deficit, Iowa State rallied with two touchdowns and three straight stops on defense to pull within seven, but the Utes pushed back to score once in the 4th quarter to go to 1-0 in the Big 12.
While passing yards were nearly identical, Utah outgained ISU on the ground, 205-111 which snapped the Cyclones’ four-game streak of holding opponents to less than 100 rushing yards. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier was 18-of-27 with two touchdowns while running back Wayshawn Parker carried the ball 18 times for 174 of Utah’s 205 rushing yards.
Iowa State quarterback Jaylen Raynor finished 21-of-40 for 205 yards with a touchdown pass to Dominic Overby. Raynor also had a rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Sullivan Schlimgen led the ISU defense with 12 tackles while Duhron Goodman added nine and Brody Miller was credited with eight.
Utah established the run game early, returning the opening kickoff 36 yards to their own 46-yard line. A direct snap to Parker resulted in a 54-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.
