Quick scoring drives were Iowa State’s specialty as it took on North Dakota in its season opener at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on Saturday afternoon. The Cyclones won 21-3 thanks to an explosive opening drive and a steady performance in the face of a tenacious Fighting Hawks attack.
Rocco Becht threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. Jaylin Noel had eight receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown. Abu Sama led the team in rushing with five carries for 36 yards.
“I thought all in all, even though there were some things that were against us today, we had some kids step up and play really good football,” head coach Matt Campbell said.
To say the Cyclones got off to a quick start is an understatement. After receiving the opening kickoff, ISU opened its season with a two-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that lasted a mere 38 seconds. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Becht completed a 54-yard bomb to wide receiver Noel into double coverage. On the next play Becht threw a dart to the back left of the end zone to Jayden Higgins. The Cyclones were up 7-0 before a minute of play had elapsed.
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“The reality of it is that we were just trying to find the best matchups in the football game,” Campbell said. “Credit Rocco. Those were two great throws, and you have two great players to be able to make plays on those balls. Those guys really had a great fall camp together; there’s great chemistry.”
After a couple of defensive stops by both teams, North Dakota produced its game-defining drive. The Fighting Hawks pounded the rock down the field for a 23-play, 88-yard drive that resulted in a field goal by C.J. Elrichs. The drive lasted 12:24 and the 23 plays were the most in a Bowl Subdivision game since at least 2014, according to SportRadar.
With three minutes remaining in the half, the Cyclones responded with another quick drive that swayed momentum their way. Becht connected with Noel for 21 yards to get to the Fighting Hawks’ 14-yard line. A touchdown toss to Noel gave the Cyclones a 14-3 edge going into the locker room.
North Dakota opened the second half by driving the ball down the field with some explosive plays, but any chance they had of scoring was halted by an interception by safety Beau Freyler, who brought the ball to the Cyclone 39-yard line.
After a few failed drives from both teams, the Cyclones once again put the pieces together. After big plays from receivers Higgins and Beni Ngoyi, Becht punched the ball in on a sneak from the two-yard line to extend the lead to 21-3.
All afternoon, the Cyclones were vexed by the determined North Dakota offense. North Dakota’s Simon Romfo, making his first career start after being a backup to the now-Michigan State quarterback Tommy Schuster, was 17 of 30 for 121 yards.
But after making their way to the Cyclones’ red zone on another promising driveer, Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams smacked down a pass on a crucial third down. That forced North Dakota to attempt a field goal that missed wide right.
Throughout the game, the energy in Jack Trice Stadium was palpable.
“The energy was great,” Noel said. “The first game is always going to get your adrenaline going. The fans are always going to show up, pack out the first game and continue to do that all season.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-31 13:59:00
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