AMES, IA - Iowa State’s walk-off win over Oklahoma State had the kind of chaos that fits a Halloween night in the Big 12. Kyle Konrardy’s kick split the uprights, the Cyclones stormed the field, and the Cowboys were left staring at a 51-49 loss at Jack Trice Stadium.
For Oklahoma State, the game was a brutal mix of explosive offense and self-inflicted damage. The Cowboys piled up big nights from Caleb Hawkins and Justin Bowick, but three special teams mistakes in the first half helped tilt the game the other way.
OSU’s special teams unit, usually a strength, had a night to forget. Sam Keltner missed from 45 yards in the first quarter after LaDainian Fields’ interception gave the Cowboys excellent field position. Keltner had been 18 for 18 on field goals before that miss.
Then came the surprise onside kick. After Iowa State tied it 14-14 in the second quarter, the Cyclones executed it perfectly, with the kicker recovering the ball himself. Three plays later, Jaylen Raynor hit Jamal Polite on a 43-yard touchdown.
The problems kept coming when Bobby Deal Jr. muffed a punt he had no business trying to field. Iowa State recovered and turned that mistake into a field goal before halftime. By the end of the first half, those special teams blunders had cost the Cowboys at least 13 points.
The game itself turned into a full-blown Big 12 shootout. There were 1,114 yards of offense, 51 first downs and 100 points. Iowa State finished with a 581-533 edge in total yards, and 12 touchdown drives went at least 70 yards.
Jaylen Raynor, benched a week earlier, threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Aiden Flora carried the load on the ground for the Cyclones, rushing 29 times for 221 yards. Iowa State averaged 8.1 yards per play to Oklahoma State’s 7.2.
Still, the Cowboys had their own stars shining bright. Hawkins delivered one of the best all-around performances of the night, with 194 rushing yards on 25 carries and six catches for 81 yards. He scored three touchdowns, including a 59-yard receiving score in the first quarter and a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which stood as OSU’s longest touchdown run of the season.
Bowick was just as dangerous. The Illinois transfer caught seven passes for 124 yards and scored twice, including a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter when he went all Randy Moss for the grab. He also helped spring Hawkins’ long touchdown with downfield blocking that stood out.
The matchup even delivered on the visual side. Oklahoma State wore all orange.
Iowa State went all black. It was a Halloween look that fit the setting perfectly.
And before the game, a group covering the Cowboys kept a road-game tradition alive at Fong’s Pizza in Des Moines. The stop came at the restaurant’s new location, after its move in April 2025 from a smaller space.
The table split two crab rangoon pizzas, an orange chicken pizza and a “Fongolian” beef pizza. Fong’s serves regular pizza and regular Chinese food too, but its calling card is Chinese food on pizza.
It may not be the best pizza anywhere, but it is hard to argue with the originality.
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Oklahoma State Scored 49 And Still Left Fans With One Big Fear
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The release also maps out the conference grind in a way that should immediately jump out to anyone tracking the Big 12 race. There is a neutral-site meeting with Oklahoma in Oklahoma City on Dec. 12, and the season closes with the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, from March 9-13, leaving plenty of pressure points for a team that will have to manage a demanding stretch before the postseason even begins. [Read more 🡒]