Iowa will wait to see where it will be headed for a bowl game. The Hawkeyes are 8-4 after surviving an atrocious offensive effort in a 13-10 win over Nebraska. Drew Stevens connected on a 53-yard field goal as time expired and Iowa only managed five first downs in the game.
That’s Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes won despite having only 164 yards of total offense.
The Hawkeyes finished conference play with a record of 6-3 and finished toed for fifth in the new 18-team Big Ten.
Iowa State is up a spot to 16th in the latest AP Top 25 as they prepare for Saturday’s Big-12 Championship Game in Dallas against 12th ranked Arizona State. The Cyclones beat Kansas State 29-21 to close the regular season. It is ISU’s first 10-win season in program history.
That’s ISU coach Matt Campbell. Iowa State’s ticket was punched after BYU beat Houston. The Cyclones were part of a four-way tie for first and will make their first appearance in the title game since a 27-21 loss to Oklahoma in 2020.
Campbell says senior leadership has been a big part of their success.
The Cyclones are 10-2 and have a shot at a spot in the college football playoffs.
Arizona State is also 10-2 and the Sun Devils were picked to finish 16th in the Big 12 preseason poll.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County will hold their regular weekly meeting beginning at 8:30-a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, in their Boardroom at the courthouse in Red Oak. The only action item on their agenda, is to approve or disapprove of Homestead and Military Credit Applications.
Other business includes regular Board committee and Secondary Roads Department, reports.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council is set to meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 4, 2024), in their Chambers at City Hall. Action items on their agenda include:
The Council will hold a Public Hearing, Wednesday, on a proposed amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for the Southeast Urban Renewal District (URD), followed by action on a resolution to approve the amendment as presented. During their meeting on Aug. 3rd, the Council held a public hearing an passed a resolution adopting the original Prairie Hills Subdivision Project to the Southeast URD.
City Administrator John Lund notes “Amending the Urban Renewal Area to include the new Urban Renewal Project, is a prerequisite to formal debt being incurred and eligible for TIF (Tax Increment Financing) capture under a development agreement, as proposed in a resolution setting the public hearing and date for, approval of a development agreement with Vision Atlantic, which includes an annual appropriation for TIF payments. The council will act on that resolution during their meeting Wednesday.
The final order of business for the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, is to act on an Order approving the Annual Urban Renewal Report, as required under the Code of Iowa.
(Atlantic, Iowa – KJAN) – Weather data for the month of November, 2024, in Atlantic, shows we were warmer and wetter than normal. The average High for the month was 51-degrees, thanks to six days that were in the 60’s. The normal (average high is 46). The average Low for November was 29, which was just two-degrees warmer than normal. Rainfall for the month amounted to 3.91 inches, which was a little more than two-inches above the norm (1.85″). There was a dusting of snow the last couple of days of the month. The data was compiled at KJAN, the official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic.
Looking ahead, we find the High temperature for the month of December in Atlantic, is 33 degrees, while the average Low is 14. Precipitation typically amounts to 1.1 inches.
Check back with us during the first week of January, 2025, to see how our actual weather data compared to the historical averages.
(Radio Iowa) – Four different business groups are calling on state utility regulators to adopt a series of reforms to address both the cost and the supply of power for Iowa consumers. Bob Rafferty represents Iowa Business for Clean Energy, one the groups that participated in a recent study that asked a basic question: “How do we evolve the way we regulate this electric grid so we can have the most reliable, lowest cost and cleanest electric grid 10 and 20 years from now?” Rafferty says the study has four major recommendations that would allow the state-regulated utilities to make infrastructure improvements, while ensuring rate increases in the electric bills businesses and individuals pay are reasonable.
“The business community is united, big and small, on this issue,” Rafferty says. “We need reform.” The Iowa Utilities Commission recently issued an order that increased Alliant Energy’s rates for Iowa businesses by 15 percent. Residential rates went up six percent. Rafferty says that should be an eye opener because Alliant’s Iowa customers now pay electric rates that are higher than the average residential and commercial rates in 37 other states.
“For those communities to have the ability to compete economically, we need to find a way to start addressing that disparity so they can have a strong economic future,” Rafferty says. “Electric prices are only going to become more and more important as the economy becomes more and more dependent on electricity as opposed to gas.”
The business groups are asking that the Iowa Utilities Commission use what’s called “Integrated Resource Planning” when evaluating future electric rate increases. Rafferty says it’s a method that analyzes both the expected demand and supply of electricity in the future, with the goal of considering all options for arriving at the most affordable rates.
(Harlan, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s 511ia.org website this (Sunday) morning, reports the right lane of Iowa Highway 44 eastbound between US 59 and County Road M47 (Harlan), is blocked because of emergency repairs. Additional details are currently not available.
WAVERLY, Iowa— The No. 10/11 Wartburg football team (10-1 overall) defeated No. 7/9 UW-Platteville (9-2) 19-14 Saturday afternoon. This was Wartburg’s 18th victory in the NCAA Playoffs.
Notes:
The Knights will face No. 21 Bethel next Saturday, Dec. 7 at noon. Game location to be announced.
AMES, Iowa – No. 15 Iowa State (6-2, 0-0 Big 12) took down Middle Tennessee (6-2, 0-0 C-USA), 75-59 in the Cyclones’ second game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida. The Cyclones made eight three-pointers as a team in the victory.
Audi Crooks led the way for the Cyclones with 21 points on nearly 70 percent shooting from the field. Addy Brown was the only other Cyclone to score in double digits with 12 points but also added eight rebounds. Emily Ryan totaled seven assists in the game.
Up Next
Iowa State hosts USC Upstate on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
AMES, Iowa (Via Cyclones.Com) – Give Cyclone football a 10 for the 2024 season. Rocco Becht accounted for three touchdowns and the defense came up with one key stop after another to lift Iowa State past Kansas State 29-21 on a chilly Saturday night at MidAmerica Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium, securing the program’s first 10-victory season.
The 17th-ranked Cyclones (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) did all they could to secure a berth in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game against Arizona State next Saturday. A BYU victory over Houston a few hours after the Cyclone clocks hit zero sealed the second trip to the title game in program history for the Cyclones.
Becht threw touchdown passes of 15 yards to Jayden Higgins and 9 yards to Jaylin Noel and scored on a 5-yard run to propel Iowa State tto a 24-14 halftime lead.
Kansas State (8-4, 5-4) cut the lead to 24-21 on Avery Johnson’s 7-yard TD pass to Garrett Oakley late in the third quarter. But the Cyclones blanked the Wildcats the rest of the way and secured the record-breaking victory with a safety and Kyle Konrardy’s 20-yard field goal.
On the safety, linebacker Jacob Ellis forced Johnson into an intentional grounding call in the end zone, putting ISU up 26-21. It was the first safety by an Iowa State defense since the 2018 season.
After fielding the free kick, the Cyclones went on a 7-minute drive that included nine straight running plays. The drive stalled at the Kansas State 2-yard line with an incomplete pass and Konrardy, who had kicked a 41-yard field goal in the first half, delivered the final points with 6:16 left.
The defense then stopped the Wildcats on fourth down at the KSU 35 and the offense took it to the 19. Konrardy missed from 37 yards with 1:11 remaining, but the defense came through again and forced four straight incompletions, the last with 34 seconds left.
Another big play came early in the second half when the defense forced the Wildcats to try for a field goal after they drove to a first down at the ISU 5. But Darien Porter, playing his last home game, broke through to block the kick, the fifth kick block of his career. Some complementary football produced Iowa State’s first half lead.
Myles Purchase recovered Johnson’s errant pitchout on the first play of the game at the K-State 27 and Becht hit Higgins on a slant six plays later for a 7-0 lead. It was Higgins’ ninth TD reception this year, one short of Allen Lazard’s school record.
With the score tied a 7, Noel’s 26-yard punt return set the Cyclones up for Konrardy’s first field goal. Two plays later, Joey Petersen hopped on another K-State fumble, giving the Cyclones the ball at the KSU 30.
A little more than 2 minutes later, Becht scrambled right and found Noel in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 lead. Becht extended his school record to 16 straight games with a touchdown pass and now has 43 in his career, moving into fourth place on the school’s all-time chart. His 20 TD passes this year ties him with Todd Bandhauer for the No. 3 spot in a season.
With six catches for 37 yards, Noel joined Higgins with more than 1,000 receiving yards this season, the first pair to accomplish that in ISU history. Higgins finished with three catches for 53 yards.
A key for the Cyclones late was their ability to run the ball. They finished with 187 yards on the ground after rushing for only 62 in the first half. Sama ran 15 times for 81 yards, his best game since running for 101 at Houston on Sept. 28. Carson Hansen added 58 yards in 13 carries and Becht tacked on 35 yards in eight attempts. Becht also threw for 137 yards and was not intercepted.
The defense held Kansas State to 144 yards rushing – 66 below its season average. DJ Giddens, who came in averaging 115.6 yards a game, managed 72 in 14 carries.
The game featured a pair of teams ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25, with the Cyclones at No. 18 and K-State at No. 24.
What’s next?
No. 17 Iowa State will face No. 14 Arizona State Saturday, Dec. 7 in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ABC.
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