w/ Chris Parks

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Game broadcast from Friday, September 16th with Jim Field and Chris Parks.

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EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The margin of victory is getting bigger for Iowa State.

After beating Northern Iowa by a point and rival Iowa by three in three overtimes, the Cyclones had a relatively easy four-point victory at Connecticut on Friday.

Darius Reynolds had 128 yards receiving and two second-half touchdowns to lead Iowa State to a 24-20 win and a 3-0 start for the first time since 2005.

“I don’t think anyone picked us to win three,” coach Paul Rhoads said. “Confidence continues to build as we find ways to win football games.”

The Cyclones overcame a 10-0 UConn lead and a slow start from quarterback Steele Jantz, who threw interceptions on three of his first four passes.

Jantz, who threw four touchdown passes last week against rival Iowa, completed 18 of 29 for 200 yards on Friday. His 20-yard touchdown pass to Reynolds with just over 9 minutes to play provided the winning margin.

Reynolds had given the Cyclones their first lead at 14-10 on a trick play when receiver Josh Lenz took a pitch from running back James White, rolled left and found the senior wide open behind the defense for a 40-yard score with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

“We just kept saying, ‘We got this,'” Lenz said. “We just kept our heads up.”

Scott McCummings, one of UConn’s three quarterbacks, ran for a touchdown and threw for another for the Huskies (1-2) and receiver Isiah Moore caught eight passes for 143 yards, but also had a key fumble to stop a third-quarter drive.

UConn drove the ball into Iowa State territory twice in the final two minutes, but quarterback Johnny McEntee’s desperation heave on the game’s final play fell incomplete.

“It hurts way more than a blowout because you know you have a chance to win and then you let it slip away,” Isiah Moore said.

Kashif Moore had given UConn a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter when he outleaped cornerback Jeremy Reeves on play-action pass from McCummings then sprinted down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown.

It was McCummings’ only completion on three attempts.

But Jantz led the Cyclones on a 65-yard drive for the winning score.

Lentz made a diving 19-yard catch at the UConn 20, before Reynolds caught the ball over the middle, then hurdled UConn defensive backs Jerome Junior and Blidi Wreh-Wilson on his way to the end zone.

Iowa State now has a week off before hosting the Texas Longhorns in Ames.

w/ Jim Field

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     Iowa State (2-0) at UConn (1-1); Friday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
     Line: UConn by 4 1/2
     Series Record: UConn leads 1-0
     Last Meeting: UConn won 37-20 in 2002
     WHAT’S AT STAKE
     Iowa State is coming a huge triple-overtime win over rival Iowa,
but that won’t mean much if they can’t beat a Connecticut team in
rebuilding mode. The Huskies need to get things moving forward
again after falling to Vanderbilt 24-21 last week.
     KEY MATCHUP
     UConn’s defense vs. Iowa State QB Steele Jantz. Jantz gave the
Hawkeyes fits last week, throwing for 279 yards and four TDs and
doing nearly as much damage with his feet. But the Huskies have a
veteran defense, with nine starters back, and are allowing just 12
points a game.
     PLAYERS TO WATCH
     Iowa State: RB Shontrelle Johnson. Johnson had 108 yards last
week after a shaky opener and could be the consistent ground threat
Iowa State’s been looking for.
     UConn: QBs Scott McCummings, Johnny McEntee and Mike Nebrich.
The Huskies might play all three of them. Can they find one that
can beat a Big 12 opponent?
     FACTS & FIGURES
     UConn’s win over Iowa State nine years ago was its first over a
bowl-bound opponent in the FCS…The Cyclones will wear white pants
and white jerseys for the first time in five years…Huskies coach
Paul Pasqualoni leads all coaches with 62 wins in Big East
play…Jantz was the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week for his
efforts in beating the Hawkeyes.

     Pitt (2-0) at Iowa (1-1); Saturday, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
     Line: Iowa by 3
     Series Record: Pitt leads 3-1
     Last Meeting: Pitt won 21-20 in 2008
     WHAT’S AT STAKE
     Pitt’s 2-0 record isn’t as pretty as it looks. The Panthers
struggled with FCS Maine last week, but a road win over a quality
Big Ten opponent would give them a head of steam with Notre Dame
visiting next week. The Hawkeyes need to bounce back from a tough
loss at Iowa State and prove they can win at Kinnick Stadium
against one of the annual favorites in the Big East.
     KEY MATCHUP
     Iowa’s defensive line vs. Pitt RB Ray Graham: Graham leads the
nation in rushing yards, and the Hawkeyes had all kinds of trouble
with Iowa State’s running game a week ago. If Iowa can’t shore up a
rebuilt front four, it could be a big day for Graham.
     PLAYERS TO WATCH
     Iowa: WR Marvin McNutt. The Cyclones did a good job of keeping
the explosive McNutt under wraps. But McNutt is dangerous in the
open field and could give Iowa the big plays it’ll need in what
should be a close game.
     Pitt: QB Tino Sunseri. He’s had his issues adjusting to coach
Todd Graham’s new spread offense, and the Hawkeyes will be the best
defense he’s seen yet.
     FACTS & FIGURES
     Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is a western Pennsylvania native and was
a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1980, when it finished 11-1…This
will mark the first trip to Iowa is 60 years for the Panthers, who
lost 34-17 in Iowa City in 1951…Pitt is 81-113-9 against Big Ten
opponents, while the Hawkeyes are 5-4 against the Big
East…Saturday’s game is one of five featuring Big Ten teams
against non-conference BCS opponents.

Class 3-A, District 1
Creston @ Atlantic
Glenwood @ Lewis Central
Winterset @ Red Oak
Carroll @ Harlan

Class 3-A, District 2
Denison @ Storm Lake

Class 2-A, District 2
SCAL-RCL @ Kuemper Catholic
East Sac County @ Missouri Valley

Class 2-A, District 8
Clarinda @ Pella Christian
PCM @ Shenandoah

Class 1-A, District 1
IKM-Manning @ Lawton-Bronson

Class 1-A, District 7
West Central Valley @ Wayne
Mount Ayr @ Nodaway Valley
Panorama @ Des Moines Christian

Class 1-A, District 8
Audubon @ Clarinda Academy
Griswold @ Underwood
Treynor @ Logan-Magnolia
St. Albert @ Tri-Center

Class A, District 7
Riverside @ Guthrie Center (ND)

Class A, District 8
Martensdale-St. Marys @ Bedford (ND)
Earlham @ A-H-S-T (ND)
SE Warren @ Corning (ND)
Van Meter @ Exira/EHK (ND)

8-Man, District 6
Adair-Casey @ CAM
Mormon Trail @ Murray
Ankeny Christian @ East Union
Lenox @ Lamoni

8-Man District 7
Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Woodbine
Boyer Valley @ Ar-We-Va
Charter Oak-Ute @ East Greene

8-Man, Disrtict 8
Sidney @ East Mills
Stanton @ Nishnabotna
Villisca @ South Page
Essex @ Fremont-Mills

Western Iowa:

• (3-0) Tri-Center, Neola 25-25-25, Audubon 17-10-16
• (3-0) Underwood 25-25-25, A-H-S-T, Avoca 14-15-16
• (3-0) Treynor beat Griswold (game scores not available)

Rolling Hills:

• (3-1) Adair-Casey 17-25-25-25, East Greene 25-19-21-20
• (3-1) Exira-EHK 25-25-12-25, Ankeny Christian Academy 21-15-25-11
• (3-0) Glidden-Ralston 25-25-25, CAM, Anita 19-21-19
• (3-0) Iowa Christian Academy 25-25-25, Walnut 18-20-23

Others:

• (3-0) Earlham 25-25-25, Lenox 9-6-10
• (3-0) Essex 25-30-26, East Mills 14-28-24
• (3-0) Fremont-Mills 25-25-25, Clarinda Academy 7-14-12
• (3-0) Maple Valley-Anthon Oto 25-25-25, Logan-Magnolia 19-20-15
• (3-0) Siouxland Community Christian 25-25-25, West Harrison 21-22-16
• (3-0) Stanton 25-25-25, Villisca 20-18-19