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Good, Bad and Ugly From Iowa State Cyclones Victory Over Oklahoma State Cowboys

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones knew that they were going to get the best effort from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, despite how their season is going. They entered the game on an 18-game losing streak in Big 12 matchups and desperately wanted to snap that.

Iowa State made sure not to be on the receiving end of that losing streak being snapped, picking up a hard-fought 20-13 victory on the road in Stillwater.

While the Cyclones will be preparing for a bowl game, the Cowboys' season has come to an end. A new era will start in the near future, after it was announced that they are hiring Eric Morris away from the North Texas Mean Green.

It was far from Iowa State’s best game, but they did enough to finish the regular season on a high note, winning their third straight game.

The Good - Dominant Rushing Attack

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Earlier in the season, there were legitimate concerns about the ground game for the Cyclones. They were struggling to get things going with the rushing attack, but that has not been the case recently.

Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III are both playing at an incredibly high level. Hansen, who missed some time because of a concussion, has been dominating since his return. He led the backfield against the Cowboys with 109 yards on 24 carries.

The biggest play was produced by Sama, who ripped off a 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He finished with 87 yards on 12 rushes.

Overall, Iowa State finished with 231 yards on 48 carries, wearing down their opponent all afternoon en route to a victory.

The Bad - Special Teams Miscue

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There have been some woes in an underrated facet of the game for the Cyclones this year. The injury to kicker Kyle Konrardy certainly hurt them during the four-game losing streak, and on Saturday, they had another untimely miscue.

After forcing a punt in the third quarter, the ball hit an Iowa State player and was recovered by one of the Oklahoma State players. It was costly for the Cyclones, who surrendered a field goal as a result of the fumble.

A chance to build on their 10-point lead disappeared, allowing the Cowboys to hang around longer than head coach Matt Campbell would have liked. It didn’t end up costing them the game, but a mistake like that against a better team in a bowl game could be the difference between a win and a loss.

The Ugly - Passing Offense

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Quarterback Rocco Becht has been battling through some injuries in recent weeks. It was one of the reasons the team struggled to consistently move the ball throughout their four-game losing streak.

However, he did look to turn a corner against the Kansas Jayhawks last week. He picked apart their defense, producing at a level that hadn’t been seen in a few weeks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to build upon that performance.

Becht was not good against Oklahoma State. He completed only eight of 17 passes for 94 yards with one touchdown. It is the fourth time this season that he has converted 50 percent or fewer of his passes, and the second time he didn’t complete at least 10 passes.

On the bright side, it was the second outing in a row that he didn’t turn the ball over, which is encouraging. But, Iowa State will need its star to play at a higher level against much tougher competition that awaits in a bowl game.