Aiden Flora gave Iowa State exactly the kind of spark that can flip a road game. Kyle Konrardy delivered a booming leg that briefly had the Cyclones dreaming big. For a stretch at Baylor on Saturday, it all looked like the setup for a serious upset.
Then the game started slipping away in pieces.
Konrardy drilled a 57-yard field goal, then later missed from 41 yards. Flora, after another huge afternoon on the ground, muffed a punt. Baylor took advantage of the mistakes, erased two 10-point first-half deficits and rolled past Iowa State, 42-31, at McLane Stadium in Waco.
“Hats off to them,” ISU head coach Jimmy Rogers told reporters after his team fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play. “We were in this and then we weren’t. And it stems from penalties (and) lack of execution.”
Flora’s afternoon still stood out. The Big 12’s leading rusher carried 26 times for 182 yards and scored on a 40-yard touchdown run, but the muffed punt became one of several costly swings that Iowa State couldn’t absorb.
“Momentum’s a big thing and I made a mistake, and I take full ownership of that,” Flora said. “I do think that was the point where the game changed and that’s on me. I’ll get better.”
It was the second lost muffed punt of Flora’s season, though Rogers made it clear he isn’t eager to move away from him in the return game. Flora led the nation in punt returns last season, and Rogers pointed to the upside he brings every time he touches the ball.
“You guys see the runs, right?” Rogers said of Flora, who has now rushed for 1,119 yards this season while averaging more than seven yards per carry.
“Well, if he’s gonna be explosive in the game, why not give him another opportunity to win the game? We’re not fully loaded right now.
He’s gonna touch the ball as much as possible.”
The turnover didn’t explain everything, though. Iowa State’s defense opened the day with four straight Baylor punts, only to watch the Bears score 28 unanswered points later.
Penalties made the climb even steeper. The Cyclones were flagged seven times for 70 yards, while Baylor - the Big 12’s second-most penalized team entering the game - did not have an enforced penalty until 8:49 remained, when the result was already all but settled.
“Our guys were competing,” Rogers said, noting that Iowa State outgained Baylor 472 yards to 423. “We’ve just gotta clean up these things.”
Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway was a major part of the turnaround, rushing for a season-high 119 yards and a touchdown.
For Iowa State, Jaylen Raynor kept the offense moving. He threw for 256 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns - two through the air and one on the ground - while avoiding turnovers for the second straight week.
“I felt like we had good energy (and) started fast, obviously, as an offense,” said Raynor, who connected with tight end Vince Benetti for a touchdown. “We had things rolling. We just need to stay consistent.”
The Cyclones now turn to Saturday’s 11 a.m. home game against Cincinnati (5-4, 2-4). Three regular-season games remain, and Iowa State still has a path to a bowl game in Rogers’ first year, with no heavy underdogs left on the schedule.
Even so, the margin for error is gone.
“I’ll die fighting for these guys,” Flora said. “And the coaching staff, as well.”
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