AMES, Iowa (Via Cyclones.com) – Iowa State challenged seventh-ranked Texas throughout the game before the Longhorns pulled out a 26-16 victory in the Cyclones’ home finale at MidAmerican Field at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday night. The Senior Night loss dropped Iowa State (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) two games behind the Big 12-leading Longhorns with one to play. Texas (10-1, 7-1) secured no worse than a tie for the regular-season championship with the victory, just its second over the Cyclones in their last five meetings.

ISU’s Rocco Becht passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns to break two of Brock Purdy’s freshman school records, raising his season totals to 2,444 yards and 17 touchdowns. Purdy, now the starter for the San Francisco 49ers, threw for 2,250 yards and 16 TDs in 2018. Becht was sharp 24-of-32 with one interception. It just wasn’t enough to offset the Longhorns’ Quinn Ewers and CJ Baxter. Ewers passed for 281 yards and two touchdowns, while Baxter carried 20 times for 117 yards and helped Texas run out the clock over the final 3:20.

The Cyclones did sack Ewers four times, all in the first half. Joey Petersen had two of those sacks. Both offenses perked up in the second half after the opening half ended with Texas leading 6-3, a score that should have been no surprise given the team teams came in ranked 1-2 in the league in total defense.

Ewers found Jordan Whittington behind the defense for a 23-yard touchdown that stretched the Texas lead to 13-3. ISU came right back with a seven-play, 83-yard drive capped when Brecht rolled to his right, then threw back across the field to Eli Sanders for a 14-yard touchdown. Texas blocked the extra point kick and Austin Jordan ran it back the other way for 2 points, giving the Longhorns a 15-9 lead.

Terrin Thompson’s diving interception off Becht set up Ewers’ 31-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm, but the Cyclones struck back quickly when Becht connected with Easton Dean, who was wide open in the middle of the field and took it to the end zone for a 66-yard touchdown, matching Becht’s longest scoring pass of the season. That cut the lead to 23-16 and kept the Cyclones within striking distance. But Auburn kicked his third field goal of the night, a 42-yarder, to make it a 10-point game and then Texas finished it off after forcing an ISU punt.

A sellout crowd of 61,500 – the third full house of the year – saw 14 seniors honored before the game and then watched the Cyclones get on the board first when Chase Contreraz kicked a 45-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Texas answered early in the second quarter when Auburn connected from 39 yards. That came after a Ewers touchdown pass was nullified by a holding call.

The Cyclones thwarted a long Texas drive when Jeremiah Cooper jarred the ball from Xavier Worthy and Will McLaughlin recovered at the ISU 9.  Iowa State punted it back to the Longhorns and Worthy returned it 85 yards for a touchdown, only to have it called back for a block in the back. The Longhorns recovered quickly and put Auburn in position to kick a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half for the 6-3 lead. Jayden Higgins had a big night catching the ball for Iowa State, finishing with seven receptions in seven targets for 104 yards. Jaylin Noel caught five balls for 45 yards.

Iowa State concludes the regular season at Kansas State next Saturday (Nov. 25th). The kickoff time has yet to be announced.

MARSHALL, M.O. – The first-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team finish strong in day one of the Missouri Valley Open, sending 11 to the semifinals and seven still alive in the wrestle backs, in the Burns Athletic Complex.

At 101 pounds, fifth-ranked Sterling Dias and second-ranked Emilie Gonzalez go undefeated on the day, winning every match via fall or technical fall. Dias started off in round one with a pin against Oklahoma City’s Sofia Abramson in just 1:50. Dias notched a 11-0 tech. fall in round two, then secured her spot in the semifinals with another win over Abbeygael Cabaug of Vanguard, via pin in 1:09. Gonzalez earned two 10-0 tech. falls on the day, leading her to her quarterfinals match where she secured her last tech. fall over Midland’s Esther Walker, 10-0.

Second-ranked Ava Bayless made quick work at 109, outscoring her opponents 32-0. Bayless opened the day with a 10-0 tech. fall over Samantha Yap of Sacred Heart. She then moved into the quarterfinals with another 10-0 tech. fall, defeating Iowa Lakes CC Kylie Hessenius. Bayless advanced to the semifinals, defeating Jasmine Howard of Texas Wesleyan, via 12-2 TF.

At 116, fourth-ranked Brianna Gonzalez opened with a tech. fall over Campbellsville’s Icart Galumette, 12-2. Moving to round three, Gonzalez notched a 4:37 pin downing Camille Fournier of Texas Wesleyan. In the quarterfinals, Gonzalez fought to take her spot in the semifinals, defeating Baker’s Katherine Heath via decision, 6-0.

The Hawkeyes had a strong showing at 123, sending one of three to the semifinals. Ava Rose started strong with a 12-1 tech. fall downing Kaitlin Castro of Cumberlands, but fell in the second round to Simon Fraser’s Victoria Seal via 10-0 tech. fall. Rose continued to fight in the wrestle backs notching two tech. falls, but fell short in round four of consolations, ending her tournament run. Bella Ngo fought through to the third round of competition before falling to the backside, where she faced Caxton Smyth of Central Christian and came out on top via 10-0 tech. fall, helping her to stay alive in the consolation rounds.

Second-ranked Felicity Taylor secured her semifinals position, starting her tournament run with a win via an 8-2 decision over Grand View’s Catharine Campbell. Taylor continued into round three securing a victory over Jayden Bazemore of Gannon, via tech. fall, 10-0. In the quarterfinals, Taylor fought through the match to come out on top against Ella Jauregui with a decision, 3-0, to send her forward to the semifinals.

The Hawkeyes also had a strong showing at 130, with four Hawkeyes to start and two now heading to a third-place finish. Cali Leng and ninth-ranked Emily Frost both fought through the consolation rounds, but fell short ending their tournament run. Leng went 0-2 on the day, while Emily Frost secured two victories before falling to Skye Realin of Central Methodist via 16-4 tech. fall and teammate Lilly Luft via a 9-1 decision. Lilly Luft and Alex Baudhuin both secured a  win before dropping to the backside, where they went 3-0 moving to round four of consolations.

At 136, Anakya Besco, Esther Han, and Sierra Brown Ton had a strong showing for the Hawkeyes. Both Besco and Brown Ton earned two wins before falling on the backside, ending their tournament run. Han went undefeated in her first showing this year, topping every opponent via pin. Han started in round one downing Camryn Brown of Gannon, via fall in 1:58. In round two, Han continued with another pin in 4:27 over McKendree’s Estella Gutches. Han advanced to the quarterfinals defeating Gabriella Perez of Campbellsville, with a 2:23 pin. To end the day, Han notched her last pin in 1:31 over Texas Wesleyan’s Mattison Parker.

First-ranked Reese Larramendy and second-ranked Ella Schmit both advanced to the semifinals at 143 going 4-0 on the day. Larramendy’s deciding match was a hard-fought win, via a 9-2 decision over Bella Amaro of Southern Oregon. Schmit’s victory in round three over ninth-ranked Sacred Heart’s Khadijah Sanusi sent her to the quarterfinals, where she defeated Serenity De La Garza of Missouri Valley College with an 11-0 tech. fall.

At 170, first-ranked Kylie Welker and seventh-ranked Haley Ward went undefeated as well, both going 3-0. Ward downed two ranked opponents, starting in round three with a pin downing fourth-ranked Cara Broadus of Sacred Heart. In the quarterfinals, Ward defeated Sacred Heart’s second-ranked Love Daley via 10-0 tech. fall. Welker finished every match with a 10-0 tech. fall, outscoring her opponents 30-0.

Fifth-ranked Alivia White went 3-0 as well at 191, opening in round two downing Lexiana Garcia of Campbellsville with a 10-0 tech. fall. After an injury default in round three, White went into the quarterfinals, finishing the match quick with a fall in 1:33 over Baker’s Elisa Robinson.

Sam Calkins outscored her opponents 18-0 at 235, starting off round one with a victory via 8-0 decision over Melissa De La Torre of Morningside. Calkins finished the day notching a 10-0 tech. fall in the quarterfinals over Baker’s Madi Hargett.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN

“We came here to get our hands on anyone and everyone across the country, and the Missouri Valley Open always has great competition. We’ve got almost 500 student athletes competing from over 45 schools, so you just never know what you’re going to get. 10 out of 12 weight classes getting to the semifinals is awesome, and really we are here to learn and grow, get competition in to see where we’re at in the beginning of the season, and to see the areas we need to work on.”

UP NEXT 

The Hawkeyes will continue the competition tomorrow morning, starting at 9 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — University of Iowa volleyball fell to Minnesota, 3-0, Friday evening inside of the Maturi Pavilion.

Fifth year Caitlan Buettner led the way for the Hawkeyes, posting seven kills and hitting at a percentage of .280.Freshman Nataly Moravec followed closely behind, putting down six kills, fellow freshman Kaia Mateo registered eight digs on the night, and Bailey Ortega recorded 11 assists.

Set 1 (Minnesota, 25-19): Minnesota posted the first two points, and Iowa utilized a Gopher error to start the set. Buettner posted the first Hawkeye kill, and redshirt junior Amanda Darling went back to serve an ace to bring the set to a tie at three. The pace of play remained tight, as the pair tied at four and five. The Hawkeyes pushed ahead by two after a kill by Moravec. The Gophers went on an offensive run, but redshirt senior Delaney McSweeney and redshirt junior Anna Davis stood strong at the net for a block to get the ball back for the Hawkeyes. Iowa then went on an offensive run themselves. The set came to a tie again at points 12 through 15before the Hawkeyes were able to put a kill from freshman Gabby Deery and a block from Buettner and freshman Rosa Vesty in the books. The Gophers went on another offensive run towards the end of the set. Iowa capitalized off a Minnesota error and Davis added a kill but was not able to catch the Gophers. Minnesota took the first set.

Set 2 (Minnesota, 25-20): Iowa clinched the first point of the set thanks to an ace by Moravec. The two teams went back-and-forth towards the beginning, exchanging kills. The set came to a tie early at three. Vesty put the ball into Iowa’s hands, posting a kill. The Hawkeyes shortened the gap after capitalizing on a Gopher error and an ace by Vesty. Another Minnesota error brought the set to a tie at 11, and then again at 12 and 13. Davis and Vesty posted a block for Iowa to take the lead. Moravec put one down for a kill, giving the Hawkeyes a two-point advantage. Minnesota caught Iowa at 17 and put up three more points. Moravec and McSweeney put up a block, and Buettner registered a kill towards the end of the set, but Minnesota held its lead and ended up on top, taking the set.

Set 3 (Minnesota, 25-14): Minnesota started off strong and took the first two points. Iowa responded quickly, after Deery put down a kill and Moravec served an ace. The set came to a tie early at three. Minnesota pulled ahead with Hawkeye points sprinkled in, including a kill from Moravec. Iowa battled with help from a few Gopher errors. Deery registered another kill for Iowa later in the set, followed by a block by Buettner and Vesty and a Darling ace. The Hawkeyes put up a late fight towards the end, as Davis and Vesty paired up at the net for a block. Minnesota won the last few points, taking the set and match.

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes return to Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, to play No. 1 Nebraska on Sunday, Nov. 19 in front of a sold-out arena. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on B1G+ (subscription required).

CLEMSON, S.C. — University of Iowa women’s soccer fell to Georgia, 3-2, on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Riggs Field. Iowa finished the season 13-5-4 overall and matched the deepest postseason run in program history.

The Hawkeyes and Bulldogs mostly went blow for blow, heading into halftime scoreless with three shots apiece. A six-minute stretch in the second half that saw three scores would prove most decisive.

The first goal came in the 60th minute courtesy of Georgia’s leading scorer, Nicole Vernis. The goal interrupted 418 consecutive scoreless minutes for the Hawkeye defense, which had allowed just one goal to that point during its postseason run.

Iowa answered in short order, with goalkeeper Macy Enneking taking a free kick from midfield in the 64th minute. Enneking heaved a deep ball near the Bulldog net, connecting with freshman defender Millie Greer on a header to equalize. The senior and the first year each recorded their first collegiate points on the sequence.

Two minutes later, the Bulldogs retook the lead, this time on a perfectly placed ball from Summer Dennigan that arced up and over Enneking’s reach.

Georgia scored on a transition sequence in the 85th minute to make the margin 3-1. With the Hawkeyes still fighting, freshman Eva Pattison delivered the ball to senior Kelli McGroarty in the 89th minute to set up the 3-2 final in Clemson.

McGroarty’s goal makes seven this season for the newcomer from La Salle, matching seventh-year Josie Durr for a team-best. Iowa finished with a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal while trailing the Bulldogs, 11-10, in total shots. Enneking finished the match with three saves.

The Second Round exit matches Iowa’s deepest postseason run, which came during the 2020-21 season. Both years, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Tournament Title and picked up victories in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Iowa moves to a 10-3 postseason record since the 2021 season.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH DAVE DIIANNI

“Difficult game today for our Hawks. Left everything out on the field until the very end, but it just wasn’t enough to advance to the Sweet 16. Often throughout the season, there are moments that define who you are as a person. Despite the loss today, our team rose to the challenge each and every time that adversity struck. We grew as a team, and we grew as individuals together this year.

I want to thank our senior class for investing so much into this program and helping lift the standard even higher for those who return. We are better for this experience. The sadness will turn to commitment and passion to get better, and we will return to this level next year. I have no doubt about that.”