Becht, Hansen lead Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 | News, Sports, Jobs

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, 3, hits West Virginia defensive lineman Asani during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 in Morgantown, West Virginia. – Redwood, 92, fired (AP Photo/William Wartling)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht believes the Cyclones have yet to reach the peak of their best start in 86 years.

Carson Hansen scored three points, Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State defeated West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night.

The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938.

“I feel like we haven’t played our best game yet on special teams, defense and offense overall.” Becht said. The goal is “Every week we find ways to get better and our mindset is 0-0 and just trying to win the next game.”

Iowa State is tied for first place in the league with BYU and underdog Texas Tech.

West Virginia quarterback Garrett Green, 6, watches before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Morgantown, West Virginia. (AP Photo/ William Wortling)

The Cyclones scored two touchdowns in the second half after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Green to break through a close game.

Becht found Eli Green for passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays, setting the Cyclones up at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State a 3-point lead, and Hansen scored on the next play to take a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

On West Virginia’s next drive, Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season, and Iowa State took over with the Mountaineers at 34 points. The ensuing drive saw Hansen run 20 yards, culminating in a 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead. 4:42 left.

Hansen, a sophomore, also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter and finished with 96 rushing yards, one shy of the career high he set last week against Baylor. He ran for 67 total yards during his injury-plagued freshman season.

“It’s been great to watch him play his game consistently over the last few weeks.” Becht said.

West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was held to 148 rushing yards against the league’s top defense after gaining 389 yards on the ground against Oklahoma State a week ago. . The Mountaineers were hurt by several high snaps running parallel to the line of scrimmage that threw off their timing and lost yardage.

“In the second half, we just couldn’t win.” West Virginia coach Neil Brown said. “I had a hard time getting into a rhythm.”

Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards, including a 60-yard scoring toss to Jaylin Noel in blow coverage in the second quarter.

Becht’s father, Anthony, is a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and was honored on the field after the first quarter. He played 11 seasons in the NFL, playing as a tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996 to 1999.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better night for his family.” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.

Rocco Becht said he wished he could have been with his father. “But something bigger happened to win this game.”

For West Virginia, Jahiem White had an 8-yard scoring run and a 10-yard TD catch. Green went 18 of 32 for 206 yards.

Take-out

Iowa State: The Cyclones answered the challenge on both sides of the ball, winning seven straight road games. Becht played smart and efficient, and the defense, which ranks No. 6 in the nation in scoring, was solid again.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have made too many mistakes in key moments and have lost eight straight against ranked opponents.

Impact of public opinion polls

It may be difficult for Iowa State to move up in the standings when the Associated Press poll is released Sunday. The Cyclones are tied for 11th place with Notre Dame, which defeated Stanford 49-7.

to the next

Iowa State: Hosts UCF on Saturday night.

West Virginia: Will play No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night.