AMES, Iowa (AP) — David Montgomery ran for a career-high three touchdowns and Iowa State throttled Kansas 45-0 on Saturday for its second straight win. Trever Ryen added a 68-yard punt return for a score for the Cyclones (4-2, 2-1 Big 12), who held the Jayhawks to a season-low 106 yards and shut out a Big 12 opponent for just the fourth time.
Montgomery turned an interception into a 4-yard TD run to open the scoring, and Ryen’s return gave Iowa State a 14-0 lead. A bad snap on a punt by Kansas (1-5, 0-3) led to Montgomery’s 1-yard TD plunge that pushed the Cyclones ahead 24-0, and Marchie Murdock’s 8-yard TD reception to end the third quarter made it 38-0.
Kansas, which entered play averaging 26.5 points in two Big 12 games, put forth one of the worst offensive performances in school history. The Jayhawks punted 13 times, were just 2 of 17 on third down and didn’t cross into Iowa State territory until midway through the fourth quarter. Taylor Martin had 53 yards rushing for Kansas, which was without leading rusher Khalil Herbert (hamstring).
The Cyclones are just two wins from bowl eligibility at the season’s midway point, a result nearly Iowa State fan would’ve taken in August. It’s not as though Iowa State played its best game of the season either. The Cyclones simply took advantage of an inept opponent, something that a lot of Iowa State teams in recent memory might not have been able to do.
UP NEXT: Iowa State plays at Texas Tech next Saturday.