Hawkeyes rally past rival Cyclones

NO. 19 IOWA 18, IOWA ST. 17

AMES, IOWA» In a rivalry as tight and as heated as Iowa and Iowa State, it’s usually the little things that make the difference.

The No. 19 Hawkeyes yet again made three or four more plays than the Cyclones, and their winning streak over Iowa State now sits at five because of it.

Nate Stanley threw for 201 yards and ran for a score, and Iowa made a big fourth-down stop late in the game that allowed the Hawkeyes to beat Iowa State 18-17 on Saturday night.

Keith Duncan kicked four field goals for the Hawkeyes (3-0), who improved to 4-0 against Iowa State coach Matt Campbell in a game twice delayed nearly 3 hours because of lightning.

“It’s hard to script and prepare for (the weather),” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Games like this come down to mental toughness, physical toughness. Nobody got discouraged. We kept swinging the bat, kept playing.”

Six hours after the game started, the Hawkeyes kept their composure in two crucial sequences.

Trailing 18-17 in the closing minutes, Iowa State drove to the Iowa 34 before a false start, a slip by quarterback Brock Purdy and an incompletion brought up fourth-and-13. The Cyclones went for it and, after offsetting penalties led to a do-over, Purdy overthrew Deshaunte Jones near the end zone with 2:00 left to turn the ball over on downs.

ISU got another chance when it forced a quick punt. But the ball hit Datrone Young in the back and Iowa’s Devonte Young recovered it, sealing the closest win in the 67-game series.