AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Spencer Sanders threw for 249 yards and two TDs and Oklahoma State upset 23rd-ranked Iowa State 34-27 on Saturday, snapping the Cyclones’ three-game winning streak. Chuba Hubbard had 116 yards rushing for the Cowboys (5-3, 2-3 Big 12), who used four big plays to snap their two-game skid.

Malcolm Rodriguez gave Oklahoma State a 34-27 lead with 6:47 to go on an interception he returned 26 yards for a touchdown. Iowa State then stuffed Hubbard on a 4th-and-1 near midfield with just under 3 minutes left. But quarterback Brock Purdy threw another ill-advised pass that was picked off shortly thereafter — then another interception in the final seconds sealed the Cyclones’ fate.

Oklahoma State jumped ahead 21-13 at halftime behind a 71-yard catch and run touchdown from Tylan Wallace, a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Braydon Johnson and a 65-yard scoring run from Hubbard. Iowa State’s defense stiffened in the second half, and touchdown runs of 9 and 4 yards by freshman Breece Hall pulled the Cyclones even at 27-all with 9:06 left.

But Purdy, whose brilliant play has been a major reason why Iowa State has been so strong since he took over last season, threw a pair of crushing interceptions to fall to 9-3 against Big 12 opponents. He finished 39 of 62 passing for 382 yards.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa State: The longest play the Cyclones had allowed entering the day was 46 yards, so the breakdowns were quite uncharacteristic of one of the Big 12’s best defenses. The league remains wide open, especially after Oklahoma lost to Kansas State, but Iowa State squandered a golden opportunity. It’s not all on Purdy though, as Iowa State ran the ball just 25 times in 88 plays.
Oklahoma State: After turning it over eight times in the past two weeks, Sanders took much better care of the ball — though his third-quarter interception set up Hall’s first touchdown run, which cut the Pokes’ lead to 21-20. Still, Oklahoma State is just one win away from bowl eligibility with at least three winnable games to go.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
This loss should knock Iowa State out of the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Iowa State has next week off. The Cyclones play at Oklahoma on Nov. 9.
Oklahoma State hosts TCU on Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Will McElvain threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Northern Iowa scored 29-unanswered points on its way to a 29-6 win over Missouri State on Saturday. McElvain had 238 yards passing for the Panthers (5-3, 3-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Isaiah Weston had 157 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Matthew Cook kicked three field goals.

Cook booted a pair of field goals in the second quarter, from 49 and 22 yards, to give Northern Iowa a 6-0 lead. Later, Austin Evans recovered a Missouri State (1-6, 1-3) fumble six yards shy of the Bears end zone, leading to McElvain’s touchdown run two plays later. McElvain followed that with a 46-yard scoring throw to Weston for a 19-0 lead at halftime.

Cook’s 38-yard field goal and McElvain’s 70-yard touchdown pass to Weston late in the third quarter stretched it to 29-0 before the Bears finally scored on a 17-yard touchdown throw from Peyton Huslig to Antwan Woods. Huslig had 153 yards passing for Missouri State.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drew Lauer rushed 28 times for a career-high 242 yards and Drake stayed undefeated in the Pioneer League with a 36-17 win over Morehead State on Saturday. The Bulldogs (4-3, 4-0) face the San Diego Toreros, who are also 4-0 in the Pioneer League, next Saturday.

Lauer gave Drake the lead for good on a 13-yard TD run that made it 9-7 early in the second quarter. Lauer’s second touchdown run extended the lead to 29-17 with 4:22 left in the game. Cross Robinson added nine carries for 44 yards and scored on a 13-yard run that capped the scoring with 2:54 left in the game.

The Eagles (4-4, 2-2) took a 7-0 lead on DeAndre Clayton’s 5-yard run in the first quarter. Mark Pappas’ 16-yard TD pass to Landon Hurst cut the deficit to 22-17 for Morehead State early in the fourth quarter.
Hurst had 11 catches for 123 yards and a score.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley had 179 yards passing with a touchdown and the defense allowed just 202 yards of total offense, lifting the 20th-ranked Hawkeyes to a 20-0 shutout of Northwestern on Saturday. Mekhi Sargent had a rushing touchdown and Tyler Goodson added 58 yards rushing on 11 carries as Iowa (6-2, 3-2 in the Big Ten) won its second straight.

Quarterback Aidan Smith completed 18 of 32 passes for 138 yards with an interception for Northwestern (1-6, 0-5), which dropped its fifth straight. Iowa entered the game fifth in the nation in scoring defense (11.6 points) and 10th in total defense (275 yards per game). Northwestern’s deepest advance into Iowa territory was the 28-yard line late in the third quarter.

With his TD pass, Stanley has 62 in his career and moved into second place on Iowa’s all-time list. He entered tied with Drew Tate at 61. Chuck Long heads the list with 74. Iowa took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a 50-yard TD pass from Stanley to wide receiver Tyrone Tracy. He caught the ball at about the 30 over the middle, broke a tackle with a spin move and raced down the sideline into the end zone.

Keith Duncan hit a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-0 halftime lead. The Hawkeyes stretched the lead to 17-0 on a 1-yard run by Sargent with 5:23 left in the third. Duncan added a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth to close out the scoring.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have a two-game win streak heading into a bye. With games against Wisconsin and Minnesota following the week off, they have a chance to take control of the Big Ten West.
Northwestern: Whether it’s Smith or Hunter Johnson under center, the offense continues to sputter. The Wildcats managed just 70 yards of total offense in the first half. At 1-6, they’d have to win out to become bowl eligible. A more realistic goal for the remainder of the season would be either Smith or Johnson showing some consistency heading into the offseason.
UP NEXT
Iowa: At No. 13 Wisconsin on Nov. 9.
Northwestern: At Indiana next Saturday.