AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State desperately needed a spark after barely beating Northern Iowa and losing a heartbreaker to rival Iowa. Sophomore Brock Purdy gave the Cyclones the jolt they were looking for with one of the best individual performances in school history.

Purdy threw for a career-high 435 yards and tied a school record with six touchdowns and Iowa State throttled Louisiana-Monroe 72-20 on Saturday, its best scoring output in 113 years. “Our offense clicked, the receivers were great, offensive line did amazing,” Purdy said. “It just happened. It’s not something I go into the game thinking (about) records. As long as we’re winning, I’m totally fine.”

Purdy tossed three touchdown passes and ran for 75 yards and three TDs for the Cyclones (2-1), becoming the first player in school history to surpass 500 yards of total offense. Purdy wasn’t the only once piling it on against a ULM team that took Florida State to overtime in its opener.

Iowa State finished with a school-best 714 yards and scored its most points since beating Cornell 81-0 in 1906 — the same year the forward pass became legal. Purdy and the Cyclones broke free in the second half, pushing a 14-point halftime lead to 48-20 with three touchdowns in the third quarter.

Purdy ran it in from 13 yards out, found Deshaunte Jones for an 84-yard TD connection and hit Sean Shaw from 12 yards out to make it a 28-point game with 19 seconds left in the third. Purdy racked up 510 total yards despite sitting out the fourth quarter. Tarique Milton had 142 yards receiving for the Cyclones, and Jones had 100 on just two grabs.

Caleb Evans threw for 176 yards and two TDs and ran for 93 yards for ULM (1-2). The Warhawks allowed 45 points in the second half, the same total it gave up in four quarters and overtime against the Seminoles.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa State: Entering play, Iowa State’s 15 points a game in regulation would’ve ranked 125th out of 130 FBS schools. The Cyclones snapped out of their funk with authority, as Purdy found both opened and seemingly covered receivers with ease. Iowa State’s defense didn’t have a great day, but for once the offense picked it up.

Iowa State opens Big 12 play at Baylor on Sept. 28.