QUOTING KIRK FERENTZ

“Really thrilled to get the win. Really proud of our players, and coaching staff. We knew coming in here would be really tough, can’t remember a time when that hasn’t been the case. It proved to be that way. Little like two years ago, evolved into a defensive battle. Came into a tough environment, though everybody really stayed focus and played through the various things that took place out there.

We had some things that didn’t go perfect but our guys fought and played through that. We were trying to encourage our guys all week long to focus on improvement, we certainly played cleaner today than last week. We had four false starts, today we didn’t have a penalty. There weren’t very many penalties in the game. Ball security was good, that is always a big thing in a game like this. Bottom line is we have to earn the win if we are going to get it. Our opponent played extremely hard, that comes as no surprise. Really thrilled about it.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

• On the first possession of the game, Iowa State drove 57 yards on 15 plays to set up a 36-yard field goal attempt. Logan Lee was able to get a hand on the ball to deflect the kick and give Iowa possession at its own 20-yard line.

• Jaziun Patterson broke free on third and one, rushing up the middle for 59 yards to set up first and 10 at the Cyclone 12-yard line. The Iowa State defense made a stand, but Drew Stevens converted on a 28-yard field goal to give Iowa a 3-0 lead after a drive covering 70 yards in seven plays.
• Jaziun Patterson struck again before the first quarter was over, rushing four yards up the gut to find the endzone and cap an eight play, 80-yard drive with 3:19 left in the quarter.

• With Iowa State on their own 24-yard line, the Iowa defense struck and extended the lead to 17-0 after a pick six by Sebastian Castro who walked untouched into the end zone with 4:29 remaining in the half.

• Iowa State drilled a 42-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the first half to get the Cyclones on the board.

• A 34-yard Drew Stevens field goal put Iowa up 20-3 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes drove 69 yards to set up the score.
• The Cyclones tacked on a 46-yard field goal with 13:48 left to play, making the score 20-6.
• Iowa State’s Rocco Brecht hit Jayden Higgins for a 16-yard touchdown reception with 2:58 remaining in the ball game to make the score 20-13. The drive spanned nearly ten minutes (9:52) and 80 yards over 14 plays.
• The Cyclones came up with a big stop on third and one to get the ball back at the 31-yard line with 1:48 remaining, following a 35-yard Tory Taylor punt.
• On third and one with 1:25 remaining, Ames native Joe Evans batted an Iowa State pass away to force fourth and one from the ISU 41-yard line. The Hawkeyes stuffed Iowa State running back Cartevious Norten in the backfield to cinch up the Iowa victory.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• RB Jaziun Patterson had a career-best 86 rushing yards on 10 attempts, including a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. It was the first touchdown run of his career.
  • Patterson had a career-long 59-yard run on third-and-1 on Iowa’s opening possession. The 59-yard rush is the second-longest rush dating back to the 2022 season.
• TE Luke Lachey had three receptions for a team-high 58 yards and TE Erick All had three catches for 32 yards. In two games, the tight end duo has 16 receptions for 178 yards and one touchdown.
• CASH Sebastian Castro had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown to give Iowa a 17-0 lead. It was Castro’s first career interception and his second career defensive touchdown (fumble return at Rutgers).
• DL Logan Lee blocked Iowa State’s Chase Contreraz’s field goal on the opening possession of the game. It is the first blocked kick of Lee’s career.  Iowa has blocked a kick/punt in each of the last three seasons.
• DB Cooper DeJean had 10 tackles, including six solo stops.
• K Drew Stevens went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts. It is the sixth time in Stevens’ career he has made two or more field goals. The North Carolina native is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts this season.
  • Stevens is 19-of-21 in field goal attempts for his Hawkeye career.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Iowa extended its pick 6 streak to 16 consecutive seasons (and 21 of the last 23 years) with Sebastian Castro’s 30-yard pick 6 in the second quarter. The streak is the second longest nationally.
• Iowa’s defense has allowed one touchdown or less in 11 of its last 15 games, dating back to the start of the 2022 season. The Hawkeyes allowed one touchdown (and two field goals) in its season-opening 24-14 triumph over Utah State on Sept. 2 in Kinnick Stadium. Since the start of the 2015 season, Iowa is now 65-2 when leading by eight points at any point in a game.
• The Hawkeyes scored on their opening possession in back-to-back games (TD vs. Utah State, FG vs. Iowa State).
  • Iowa had an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive on its second possession – it’s longest scoring drive of the season.
• Iowa didn’t commit a penalty in the game (and there was only one penalty in the game). It is the second time in the last five games that the Hawkeyes didn’t commit a penalty (at Minnesota, 2022).
• Iowa won the toss and deferred; the Cyclones will receive. The Hawkeyes have played 303 games under head coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa has opened the game on offense 221 times (141-80). The Hawkeyes have opened the game on defense 82 times (47-35).

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes return to action Sept. 16, hosting Western Michigan in their nonconference finale inside Kinnick Stadium.  The game will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. and be televised on BTN

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE