AMES, Iowa — As No. 6 West Virginia’s offense turned anemic, Iowa State seemed to be the team possessing all the weapons.
Freshman Brock Purdy tossed three touchdowns, outplaying the Mountaineers’ Heisman hopeful Will Grier, and the Cyclones dominated throughout a 30-14 upset.
My in-game updates:
Final notes
— Will Grier was sacked seven times and threw an interception for West Virginia (5-1, 3-1), which lost for the first time in four trips to Jack Trice Stadium. The Mountaineers had been the last unbeaten team in the Big 12.
— Iowa State running back David Montgomery, who missed last week’s game at Oklahoma State, returned to rush for 189 yards on 29 carries.
— Grier finished 11-of-15 passing for 100 yards, a distant cry from his 363-per-game average. West Virginia gained only 148 total and finished 1-of-11 on third downs. The Mountaineers came in averaging 41 points per game but needed a special-teams score just to reach double digits.
— Brock Purdy went 18-of-25 passing for 254 yards, directing the Cyclones to a top-25 upset for the second time in eight days.
Fourth quarter
— IOWA STATE END OF GAME: Salting this win away, Montgomery tacked on six carries for 55 yards as the Cyclones milked the final 5-plus minutes.
— SAFETY: Yodny Cajuste charged with holding in the end zone (5:14) Cyclones lead 30-14
Another sack of Will Grier was followed by an inexcusable delay of game — not the sort of thing that should happen in a hurry-up situation. Then the pass protection broke down and Cajuste took down a defender in the end zone as Grier ran for his life.
— IOWA STATE PUNT: With time at a premium, the Cyclones consumed 3:26, picking up a first down on a pass interference call against Keith Washington.
— WVU TURNOVER: After the sixth sack of the game, Grier underthrew Jennings on third-and-14. D’Andre Payne made the interception at Iowa State’s 44. That leaves West Virginia 1-of-10 on third downs and without any offensive points on seven consecutive possessions.
— TOUCHDOWN: Deshaunte Jones 32-yard pass from Purdy (12:17) Cyclones lead 28-14
David Montgomery reeled off a 21-yard gain, going over 100 for the third straight year against WVU, and it set up a wild touchdown grab by Jones. The 5-foot-10 junior made a tumbling catch off a pass tipped by two defenders. On the two-point try, Purdy connected over the middle with Matthew Eaton. (Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 2:43)
Third quarter
— WVU PUNT: A holding flag on Colton McKivitz put WVU in a second-and-23 hole. Jennings got 21 back on a bubble screen, but Pettaway was stuffed on third-and-shiort.
— IOWA STATE PUNT: No points on this drive, but yet again the Cyclones consume clock. They chewed up nearly 6 minutes, thanks in part to picking up a second-and-18 on a Josh Norwood pass interference penalty. Ultimately, Iowa State suffered its own frenzy of flags — holding, false start, delay of game — before punting from the WVU 41.
— WVU PUNT: The Mountaineers’ passing attack is floundering. Kennedy McKoy’s 10-yard run was followed by runs of 0 and 1 before Grier threw deep and incomplete for Gary Jennings.
— IOWA STATE MISSED FIELD GOAL: Connor Assalley didn’t get enough of his 46-yard attempt, which fluttered short. Still, the Cyclones held the ball for 10 plays and nearly 4 minutes. Purdy converted a third-and-7 scramble and found Mathew Eaton for 23 yards to move into field-goal range.
Halftime notes
— WVU was outgained 250-112 in first half and went 1-of-7 on third downs. Amazing that it’s only a six-point deficit.
— QB comps: Grier was 8-of-10 for 77 yards with a TD, while Purdy went 10-of-14 for two scores and an interception.
— David Montgomery has 12 carries for 94 yards for the Cyclones.
Second quarter
— WVU PUNT: With 1:19 to make something happen, Grier pulled off a 15-yard scramble … and that was it. No one could get open omg the ensuing three snaps against seven-man coverage, and WVU punted it away with 28 seconds left.
— IOWA STATE PUNT: The Cyclones went three-and-out. David Long stopped David Montgomery on third-and-2, a reunion of sorts, considering the two faced off during the Ohio State playoffs in 2014.
— TOUCHDOWN: Derek Pitts 72-yard return of blocked FG (2:58) Cyclones lead 20-14
Iowas State was back in the red zone and threatening again when a replay overturned Josh Norwood’s third-down interception at the 3. Good thing for WVU that it did. When Iowa State’s Connor Assalley attempted the ensuing 39-yard kick, Kenny Bigelow knifed through to deflect it, and Pitts grabbed the ball on one bounce for a scoop-and-score. It was as if the stadium came unplugged.
— WVU PUNT: After a holding flag on the kick return, Grier was sacked for the fourth time, all the way back at his own 3. A third-and-11 completion saw Marcus Simms tackled a yard shy of the marker. Time for punt No. 5 of the opening half.
— TOUCHDOWN: Charlie Kolar 19-yard pass from Purdy (9:21) Cyclones lead 20-7
A holding infraction on offensive lineman Colin Newell negated Montgomery’s 9-yard touchdown run, but Iowa State recovered. On third-and-16, the tight end Kolar beat Askew-Henry for a catch and outran the defense to the pylon. Kene Nwangwu made two 12-yard runs own the series, one aided by a facemark on WVU cornerback Josh Norwood. (Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards in 4:04)
— WVU PUNT: Grier was sacked for the third time and Kinney punted for the fourth time. Kinney hit this one better for 47 yards though Tarique Milton’s 21-yard return didn’t do much for the net.
First quarter
— TOUCHDOWN: David Montgomery 1-yard run (0:13) Cyclones lead 13-7
After Billy Kinney’s 32-yard punt, Iowa State retained comfortable field position. Montgomery started with a 24-yard run, assisted by the edge blocking of Butler, and added an 11-yarder on which the junior slithered through several tacklers. When tight end Charlie Kolar ran free off the line for a 17-yard catch, the Cyclones had first-and-goal and WVU safety Kenny Robinson had an aching shoulder. WVU trailed for the first time all season, but a missed PAT provided a silver lining. (Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards in 2:04)
— WVU PUNT: Two 1-yard gains by Pettaway preceded a 3-yard screen pass to Gary Jennings.
— TOUCHDOWN: Hakeem Butler 4-yard pass from Brock Purdy (4:24) Game tied 7-7
Quite an answer from the Cyclones, who converted a fourth-and-inches when David Montgomery gashed through the right side for 37 yards. One play later, Purdy used play-action to set up a pass to the wide-open Butler. (He snuck out into space as though he was 5-foot-5 instead of 6-5.) The freshman QB Purdy showed his mobility on the open play of the series, pumping blitzing safety Derrek Pitts into a jump and then scrambling for 15 yards. (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards in 2:17)
— TOUCHDOWN: David Sills 18-yard pass from Will Grier (6:47) WVU leads 7-0
After faltering on two manageable third downs, WVU scored on a third-and-10 strike. Sills beat freshman cornerback Datrone Young in the back of the end zone. Dravon Askew-Henry’s interception set up the drive, and Kennedy McKoy’s 26-yard dash against a four-man box put the Mountaineers in the red zone. (Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards in 1:43)
— IOWA STATE TURNOVER: Brock Purdy gifted a first-down interception to Dravon Askew-Henry. WVU took over at the 44.
— WVU PUNT: Martell Pettaway got the Mountaineers cooking with a 16-yard run. But on third-and-4 near midfield, Grier was sacked for a loss of 16 by Greg Eisworth. It looked like a light box — perhaps worth a shot to run it there.
(An Iowa State fan just kicked a field goal to win Chick-fil-A for a year, but doesn’t Sunday closing really make it Chick-fil-A for 6/7ths of a year?)
— IOWA STATE PUNT: The Cyclones went three-and-out with Purdy firing a third-and-3 pass into traffic.
— WVU PUNT: Grier’s swing pass to McKoy gained 19, but trouble arose on third-and-2 from the Cyclones’ 44. That’s where the nation’s No. 117th-rated third-down defense sacked Grier, eliminating any chance of a fourth-down try.
Pregame notes
— Running back Alec Sinkfield is back in uniform and moving well for WVU. Could see his first action since being injured in Week 2 against Youngstown State.
— Mike linebacker Dylan Tonkery was not on the field during warmups, which presumably means a first career start for Shea Campbell sliding over from the Sam spot. Campbell better suited to playing Mike as opposed to chasing skill players on the edge.
— Iowa State is indeed donning all-black uniforms tonight, forgoing school colors to dress like the Mean Machine.
— Spent some time reminiscing with Martell Pettaway this week about his college debut at this very stadium on Thanksgiving weekend two years ago. He produced 181 yards on 30 carries, sacrificing a redshirt in the process. Martell recalled doubting that he’d actually play that game, sensing long odds that Justin Crawford. Rushel Shell and Kennedy McKoy ALL would be too injured to play. But, of course, they were too injured, and Pettaway delivered in a pinch.
— The Mountaineers have started 5-0 for the third time under Dana Holgorsen, but they’ve reached 6-0 only once … in 2016.
— My Five Questions column from Friday sets the scene.
— Our MetroNews staff predictions all of which have WVU winning. Some score picks are tighter than others.