Instant Iowa State: Cyclones hold off West Virginia for first Big 12 win

Yeah, what a huge win, Emery.

And, you know, like to just think about everything this team has been through from, you know, last season.

All of us fans, right? Everything we've all been through in this period of time is absolutely wild.

Jimmy Pollard's last game as athletic director at Iowa State, which is in and of itself its own vibe in all this.

Wild.

And we said this after week one, Jimmy Rogers can coach.

We

also know that, I mean,

I think it was one of the best called games I've ever seen from a coordinator perspective on both sides of the ball.

And it wasn't perfect, right? Like we didn't tackle all the time.

We didn't do all those things.

But, you know, prior to the game starting, we were on a chat together.

And, you know, my prediction was Iowa State limits everything.

West Virginia to two or fewer long balls down the field in play action.

And we got a shot.

If they hit two or more, we're out.

And right off the bat, man, they hit one in the first quarter to go up.

And you're thinking to yourself, dude, if this comes down to battle quarterbacks, throwing play action over the top of everything, we're in real trouble.

Was it frustrating to see, you know, West Virginia run all those yards and have a quarterback have 160 yards and a bunch of first downs and all that? Yes.

But Iowa State, at the end of the day, did the things that it took to win this game and and you know even surviving at a horrendous play to turn the ball over when you could go up three scores uh i just my hat's off to this to the squad how do you feel about it

So I think the story of the game comes down to two plays.

And because both offenses, I think, were pretty good throughout the game.

West Virginia went on a bit of a cold spell there, which was punctuated by the forced fumble on the sack, the recovery by Iowa State.

And a real chance, I thought, for the kill shot there in the middle of the third quarter, a chance to really just you're up three scores there.

they're in a road environment like i'm not sure they're made of what it takes to come back from three touchdowns down on the road the way that game was going to throw the interception there from rainer we'll get into the the jalen rayner experience here in a little bit but i i i mean it's just a crushing blow because if that ball is you know a foot higher it's probably a touchdown And not only is it an incomplete pass, which I've also gotten really used to seeing on open receivers in a lot of cases, but it was intercepted by a linebacker who was sitting there the entire time.