Cyclones clip Redhawks, 38-10

SEMO’s second drive began on their own 25-yard line with a self-inflicted five-yard delay of game penalty. Though Khyair Spain and Braylen Ragland scratched out consecutive one-yard rushes, a deep third-down incompletion brought out Teagan Cobb. His 44-yard punt was muffed by Aiden Flora and recovered by Cooper Falconite at the Iowa State 31-yard line, gifting the Redhawks an immediate second chance in Cyclone territory.

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Capitalizing on the short field, the Redhawks’ third drive nonetheless sputtered. An incomplete shot to Demetrius Pearce was followed by a short five-yard completion to Jobe Bryant. On third down, Jack Janikowski burst through the line to sack Ragland for an eight-yard loss, forcing a 52-yard field goal attempt by Justin Keller that sailed wide right.

Iowa State’s third possession showed early promise when Omari Hayes rushed left for an eight-yard gain and a first down. However, the drive stalled as Jaylen Raynor threw three incomplete passes on the next four plays, forcing Ethan Gurney to execute a 39-yard punt to pin SEMO at their own 10-yard line.

The Redhawks’ fourth drive yielded short-lived momentum when Ragland completed a seven-yard pass to Khylen Harris-Norman. Two plays later, a fierce sack by Sullivan Schlimgen dropped Ragland for an eight-yard loss on third down. Cobb’s 45-yard punt was fielded by Flora, who redeemed his earlier mistake with a stellar 36-yard return back to the SEMO 24-yard line.

On the ensuing two-play Cyclone drive, Flora was stopped for no gain, but Raynor responded on the next play by dropping a perfect 24-yard touchdown strike into the hands of tight end Vince Benetti, putting Iowa State up 14-0.

The Redhawks’ fifth possession turned into a grueling 11-play, 75-yard march that consumed nearly seven minutes and bridged the first and second quarters. Ragland engineered the drive with a 12-yard strike to Anthony Westervelt, a six-yard scramble, and a massive 40-yard completion to John Anthony on third-and-11. Chancellor Wilson punctuated the drive with a seven-yard scoring plunge, trimming the lead to 14-7.

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Iowa State’s fifth drive was a brief three-and-out. Raynor found Tyler Fortenberry for a six-yard gain, but a short keeper and an incomplete pass to Benetti brought out Jonah DuPont, whose 39-yard punt ended at the SEMO 41-yard line.

SEMO’s sixth drive threatened to tie the game after Spain rushed for nine yards on two plays. But on fourth-and-one at the midfield stripe, Terrell broke through to sack Ragland for a 10-yard loss, forcing a crucial turnover on downs.

Starting at the Redhawks’ 40-yard line, the sixth Cyclone possession struck with clinical efficiency. Raynor set up the scoring opportunity with a 20-yard pass to Hayes, and four plays later, Flora gashed the defense for an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7.

Hoping to answer, SEMO’s seventh drive was cut short after just two plays. A brief two-yard Spain run was followed by a deep Ragland pass that was intercepted by Beni Ngoyi at the ISU 45-yard line.

Iowa State’s seventh possession quickly turned the turnover into points. After a SEMO holding penalty awarded the Cyclones a first down, Raynor delivered a 34-yard beauty to Hayes. On the very next play, Raynor fired a quick 10-yard strike to Easton Miller for a touchdown, extending the lead to 28-7.

The Redhawks’ eighth possession was a messy seven-play drive that yielded only 11 yards. Despite an early first-down run by Spain, Terrell blew up the drive by sacking Ragland for a 22-yard loss and forcing a fumble that Spain managed to recover. Cobb’s eventual 51-yard punt pinned Iowa State deep at their own 13-yard line.

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With only 32 seconds remaining in the half, Iowa State’s eighth drive was a simple, conservative handoff to Cameron Pettaway for two yards as the Cyclones happily took a 28-7 lead into the locker room.

SEMO received the second-half kickoff to start their ninth possession. A roughing the passer penalty on the defense gave them a fresh set of downs, but a subsequent eight-yard sack by Jace Gilbert halted the drive, resulting in a 45-yard Cobb punt.

Iowa State’s ninth possession appeared to open with an electrifying 85-yard touchdown run by Pettaway, but the score was nullified by a holding penalty. Stalled by the penalty, Raynor was sacked for a two-yard loss by LJ Minner Jr., forcing a 41-yard DuPont punt.

The Redhawks’ tenth drive began at the Cyclone 42-yard line. Ragland connected with Harris-Norman for 16 yards to enter the red zone. However, the drive came to a sudden halt on the next play when Bryant caught a short pass but was stripped of the football by Drew Surges, with Beau Goodwin recovering the fumble for Iowa State.

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The tenth Iowa State possession turned into a methodical nine-play, 30-yard drive that featured tough running from Pettaway and Raynor. Though the offense stalled inside the red zone, Kyle Konrardy finished the march by splitting the uprights with a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-7.

SEMO’s eleventh drive spanned the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. The march was ignited by a spectacular 44-yard run by Spain. However, the drive stalled inside the red zone after Harris-Norman was dropped for a four-yard loss on a reception. Keller salvaged the drive with a 40-yard field goal to trim the score to 31-10.

The Cyclones answered with an authoritative eleventh drive. Raynor hit Overby for a huge 40-yard gain to cross midfield and then scrambled for 14 yards to convert a crucial third down. Raynor capped off the seven-play, 75-yard possession by powering in for a seven-yard touchdown run—his second of the afternoon—to extend the lead to 38-10.

The Redhawks’ twelfth possession was a marathon ten-play march dominated by Chancellor Wilson’s rushing attempts. After gaining 25 yards and grinding deep into Iowa State territory, Wilson fumbled a keeper on third down, which was recovered by Kaleb Bilal-Jones at the SEMO 50-yard line.