Iowa State left Kinnick Stadium on Saturday with a narrow 16-13 loss to Iowa, and the finish came down to one kick. Caden Buhr drilled a 42-yard field goal with less than 30 seconds left to put the Hawkeyes ahead and send the Cyclones home at 1-1.
Jaylen Raynor finished 10-of-19 for 117 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State. Aiden Flora was the biggest bright spot on the ground, carrying 19 times for 89 yards and coming up just shy of 100.
His 34-yard run early in the third quarter was the longest rush of the season for the Cyclones. On the other side, Hank Brown didn’t throw a touchdown for Iowa, but he completed 70% of his passes and averaged 6.3 yards per attempt.
The box score also carried a few notable marks beyond the final margin. Iowa managed 93 rushing yards in the win, while Iowa State has now held its first two opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time since 2002. That year, as it happens, also included SEMO and Iowa.
The first quarter was quiet on both sides, the first scoreless opening period in Cy-Hawk since 2013. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, only the fifth halftime tie in the series since 1977, and Iowa State is now 2-3 in those games. The Cyclones also extended their streak of 100-yard rushing games to 19 straight, the longest active run in the Big 12 and the sixth-longest in the FBS.
Saturday night was also unusually clean from a turnover standpoint. Neither team had one, marking the first Cy-Hawk game since the series renewed in 1977 without a takeaway.
There were several individual notes worth filing away, too. Flora’s 89 yards and 19 carries were both career highs.
Ty Claiborne caught his first career pass on a 15-yard reception in the third quarter, and Jamal Polite Jr. did the same with a 20-yard grab. Sullivan Schlimgen matched his career-high with nine tackles for the second week in a row.
Punter Jonah DuPont also turned in a personal-best 58-yard punt, and Kyle Konrardy has now made seven career field goals against Iowa, the most of any player against the Hawkeyes going back to 1996.
Elsewhere in the Big 12 and around the league, Week 2 brought a heavy dose of ranked-opponent swings and lopsided scores. Missouri beat Kansas 38-21, with Isaiah Marshall going 13-of-30 with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Oklahoma State delivered the upset of the weekend by beating Oregon 39-31 one week after losing to Tulsa, doing it behind 237 rushing yards and about a 14-minute edge in time of possession. Texas A&M rolled Arizona State 48-20 after outscoring the Sun Devils 31-10 in the second half, including 24-0 in the fourth quarter and two pick-sixes.
BYU opened Big 12 play with a 28-17 win over Arizona, getting two second-half touchdown catches from Kyler Kasper off Bear Bachmeier passes. Utah handled Arkansas 43-10 behind two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score from Wayshawn Parker, plus 261 passing yards from Devon Dampier and a defense that held Arkansas to 2.2 yards per carry.
Pitt beat UCF 12-7, with the Knights not scoring until a Charles Waden 19-yard reception from Alonza Barnett III with 2:51 left and Mason Heintschel going 18-of-29 for 212 yards in the win.
The rest of the Big 12 card included Texas Tech’s 35-24 road win at Oregon State, Houston’s 77-6 rout of Southern, Kansas State’s 34-7 win over Washington State, West Virginia’s 52-7 blowout of UT Martin, Colorado’s 52-21 victory over Weber State to move to 2-0, Cincinnati’s 62-10 win over Western Carolina, TCU’s first win of the season in a 63-7 rout of Grambling, and Baylor’s 44-3 win over Prairie View A&M.
Iowa State’s schedule doesn’t slow down much from here. The week ahead includes women’s golf at the Badger Invitational in Madison on Monday and Tuesday, men’s golf at the Bearcat Invitational in Cincinnati on Monday and Tuesday, women’s soccer against Colorado at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday in Ames, cross country’s second home meet of the season on Friday, the swim team’s Cardinal and Gold showing on Friday, volleyball’s trip to Las Vegas to face UCLA in the Lucky Aces Volleyball Invitational on Friday, women’s golf at the Schooler Fall Classic in Norman on Saturday, and football’s home game against Bowling Green at 11:00 a.m. Saturday on ESPNU.
In Other News...
Iowa State Found One Big Reason For Hope After Iowa Loss
The disappointment of losing to Iowa in a tight 16-13 game is going to linger for Iowa State, but the Cyclones did leave the field with something they can build on. Their defense held up well against a rivalry opponent that rarely gives much away, and the effort from linebackers Sullivan Schlimgen and Carson Willich stood out in a game where every stop mattered.
For a team looking for reasons to feel better after a frustrating result, the way Iowa State competed on that side of the ball mattered. The offense did not do enough to turn those stops into a win, but the defensive showing suggested the Cyclones still have a backbone in place as they move beyond the loss and into the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Tamin Lipsey Could Change Iowa States Biggest 2026-27 Question
Tamin Lipsey has become part of a lawsuit that could shape one of Iowa States biggest questions for the 2026-27 season, as he and other student-athletes challenge the NCAAs decision to leave Class of 2022 athletes out of a proposed fifth year of eligibility. The case centers on the Five-for-Five model, with the plaintiffs arguing for a path that would restore eligibility for that group and keep them available for another season of competition.
For Iowa State, the situation carries obvious stakes because Lipseys status could influence the shape of the roster beyond the current cycle. The case is still moving through court, and both sides have been ordered to submit legal findings by Sept. 17, 2026, leaving the issue unresolved for now and plenty of interest in how it might affect the Cyclones plans down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Raised Expectations For Jimmy Rogers In A Big Way
The first two weeks have already changed the tone around Jimmy Rogers in Ames. Iowa State opened the season by handling Southeast Missouri State, then followed it with a narrow loss to Iowa that still did little to dent the sense that this roster, rebuilt almost from scratch, may be ahead of schedule. For a program that was picked by some to finish last in the Big 12, simply looking competitive this early carries real weight.
Now comes the harder part, because the schedule will start sorting out what this start really means. The Cyclones still have plenty of tests ahead, with conference play likely to decide whether this encouraging beginning turns into a bowl push or just a promising first chapter under a new staff. Rogers has already given Iowa State a reason to believe the ceiling may be higher than expected, but the next stretch will tell whether that belief holds up. [Read more 🡒]