KU’s rally is not enough to beat Iowa State as Big 12 road losing streak continues
A second-half flurry by Kansas wasn’t enough for the Jayhawks to end their Big 12 road losing streak.
Brock Purdy threw for 372 yards and four TDs and Iowa State rallied to beat KU 41-31 on Saturday and clinch its third straight winning season.
“They made one more play than we did, certainly at the end,” Kansas coach Les Miles said.
La’Michael Pettway had 96 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Cyclones (7-4, 5-3 Big 12), who were on the ropes against the league’s last-place team as a 24-point favorite.
Kansas (3-8, 1-7) scored two touchdowns in just 77 seconds late in the third quarter, the second coming after Purdy threw an interception, to jump ahead 24-21.
Purdy responded with a 24-yard TD pass to Hall and a five-yard touchdown run with 5:10 left to put Iowa State back on top 34-31.
The Jayhawks went for it on fourth-and-5 with 4:18 left. It didn’t work, as Carter Stanley threw a ball over the middle and behind the sticks that Anthony Johnson swatted away.
After stopping Kansas, the Cyclones could have either kicked the chip-shot field goal and made it a six-point game — with Kansas out of timeouts — or go for it all.
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell went for the kill, and Purdy scrambled away from danger until Sean Shaw could get open for the score that sealed Iowa State’s fifth straight win over Kansas.
“I would rather have had the ball in our hands than in their hands. So the opportunity to go for it on fourth down when your quarterback is hot and the opportunity to keep that possession, keep the ball in our hands was just what I wanted to do,” Miles said of his decision to go for it.
Stanley threw for 328 yards and three TDs for Kansas, and Pooka Williams ran for 154 yards. The Jayhawks have lost 44 straight conference road games. Their last Big 12 road win was against the Cyclones in 2008.
“Sick, frustrated,” Williams said of the vibe in the KU locker room. “But I feel like we have a chance ... against every team we play.”
Kansas hosts Baylor next Saturday, which is Senior Day for the Jayhawks. Iowa State plays at Kansas State.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 3:12 PM.