After suffering through a rough defensive performance a week ago in a 17-point home loss to Oklahoma State, West Virginia hoped to show that effort was an outlier.
Instead, the Mountaineers put forth perhaps an even worse defensive showing Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium, surrendering 577 total yards and two touchdowns over the final 6:08 in a 45-42 loss to the Cyclones.
“Just poor,” WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Two games in a row, it’s atrocious defense. They ran hard and they have some good players. Thought we were fixing some of the issues and it certainly didn’t look like it. We have to do a better job. Twenty-nine first downs, 577 yards, two game-winning drives when all we needed was a stop. It’s hard to watch.”
The outcome hung in the balance throughout the fourth quarter, but an Aiden Flora 2-yard touchdown run with 1:57 remaining put the Cyclones (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) in front by three.
WVU (3-2, 0-2) had a chance to pull even or regain the lead in the final minute, and that opportunity was extended after what was originally ruled an interception from David Coffey was overruled to an incompletion on review.
Two plays later, Michael Hawkins Jr. completed a pass to wideout DJ Epps, who maneuvered up the sideline for extra yardage before fumbling, and Iowa State’s Seth Johnson recovered the loose football with 40 seconds left.
“DJ was just trying to make a play,” Rodriguez said. “At that point, you have to be careful spinning around and stuff like that. Just trying to make a play. Felt good with the ball past midfield and only needed a field goal, but it didn’t happen and give them credit.”
Needing one first down to seal the result, Flora rushed for 11 yards on the second play of the ensuing sequence, and the Cyclones wrapped up their sixth victory in the last seven meetings with the Mountaineers.
“Overall, it comes down to we didn’t execute the way we needed to,” WVU linebacker Cam Torbor said.
WVU faced a 28-14 third-quarter deficit after Flora’s 24-yard rushing touchdown 2:45 into the second half, and when the Cyclones’ Malaki Ta’ase forced and recovered a fumble off a sack of Hawkins on the ensuing series, Iowa State was in position to take complete control.
Instead, the Mountaineers came up with one of their few positive defensive moments when Linebacker Isaiah Patterson intercepted Jalen Raynor.
WVU then pulled to within one possession after Cam Cook rushed for 37 yards on fourth-and-1 and Hawkins scored on a 7-yard keeper to make it 28-21.
Cook’s 9-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left in the third tied the matchup at 28, before ISU opened the fourth-quarter scoring with Kyle Konrardy’s 35-yard field goal to regain the advantage.
It was short-lived, however, as the Mountaineers offered an immediate response and gained their first lead of the second half on Cook’s 8-yard TD run that made it 35-31 with 7:34 remaining.
“We definitely want to go into a game trying to break a team down and be tougher,” Cook said. “Play fast, get downhill and break a team down so as the game goes on, the runs start to hit a little bit better. I feel like we did a good job of that.”
Despite having momentum and 21 of the game’s last 24 points, WVU allowed the Cyclones to go back in front in an instant as Flora raced untouched for a 63-yard touchdown run with 6:08 left.
The Mountaineers again offered an ideal response to a deficit, and Hawkins found an uncovered Epps for a 47-yard touchdown pass that left the visitors with a 42-38 lead and 5:12 remaining.
In need of a stop to preserve its advantage, WVU failed to come up with one as the Cyclones entered the red zone in four plays, benefited from a pass interference penalty that moved the ball to the 2-yard line and scored two plays later from there Flora’s third rushing TD of the second half with 1:57 remaining.
Oddly enough, the shootout began with an exchange of punts, and Iowa State’s second series also ended with a punt.
Starting their second series from the Cyclones’ 31, the Mountaineers gained a 7-0 lead on Hawkins’ 33-yard touchdown pass to wideout Cyrus Trough.
ISU got even at 7 on the following possession when Raynor threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Omari Hayes on second-and-goal.
A trick play touchdown enabled the Cyclones to take their first lead as Flora received a lateral behind the line of scrimmage and threw a 46-yard pass to Cody Jackson that left the home team on top, 14-7, with 11:04 left in the first half.
“It’s stuff I hadn’t seen in years,” Rodriguez said of the defensive miscues. “I’m challenging everybody. I’m challenging the staff. I’m sure if I’m a Mountaineer fan it’s hard to watch, because it’s hard for me to watch. Give them credit, but we’re going to play some really, really good offenses and we have to shore it up. That’s for sure.”
Hawkins’ 8-yard rushing score 6:15 before the intermission tied the matchup at 14, but the Mountaineers went three-and-out on their following possession and that gave the ball back to Iowa State with 2:23 remaining in the second quarter.
A costly pass interference negated a third down stop for WVU late in the half, and on the next play, Flora took a pitch and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Vince Benetti to leave ISU with a 21-14 halftime lead.
WVU has surrendered 1,186 yards and 86 points over its last two games.
Flora rushed 22 times for 212 yards and three scores, while completing both passing attempts for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Jackson had six receptions for 160 yards and Raynor was 19-for-27 with 264 yards.
Iowa State’s 45 points are the most it’s ever scored in regulation against WVU.
Hawkins was 11-for-23 with 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He rushed 20 times for 149 yards as well.
Cook carried 20 times for 142 yards and Epps had four catches for 114 yards.
“Cam runs hard. He broke some tackles today, but there were a couple drives, too, on offense where we could’ve certainly done better and not had to rally to come back as much as we did at the end,” Rodriguez said. “We have to play better football in all aspects, but we certainly have some key problems to a level I haven’t seen in a while. We have to fix that in a hurry.”
The Mountaineers were penalized 10 times for 86 yards, including six times for 55 yards over the first 17 minutes.
“We were too undisciplined, not coached well enough to give us a chance,” Rodriguez said. “Penalties were atrocious. Some of them were warranted and some of them were kind of close. Pass interference penalties in long-yardage situations. We had a couple illegal procedures. It was the first time with some opposing noise, but you have to be better than that. You have to stop somebody to win the game. We had a couple opportunities to do that and didn’t get it done.”