Freshman Spencer Sanders threw for 249 yards and two TDs and Oklahoma State upset 23rd-ranked Iowa State 34-27 on Saturday, snapping the Cyclones' three-game winning streak.
Chuba Hubbard had 116 yards rushing for the Cowboys (5-3, 2-3 Big 12), who used four big plays to snap their two-game skid.
Malcolm Rodriguez gave Oklahoma State a 34-27 lead with 6:47 to go on an interception he returned 26 yards for a touchdown.
Iowa State then stuffed Hubbard on a 4th-and-1 near midfield with just under 3 minutes left. But quarterback Brock Purdy threw another ill-advised pass that was picked off shortly thereafter -- then another interception in the final seconds sealed the Cyclones' fate.
Oklahoma State jumped ahead 21-13 at halftime behind a 71-yard catch and run touchdown from Tylan Wallace, a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Braydon Johnson and a 65-yard scoring run from Hubbard.
Iowa State's defense stiffened in the second half, and touchdown runs of 9 and 4 yards by freshman Breece Hall pulled the Cyclones even at 27-all with 9:06 left.
But Purdy, whose brilliant play has been a major reason why Iowa State has been so strong since he took over last season, threw a pair of crushing interceptions to fall to 9-3 against Big 12 opponents. He finished 39 of 62 passing for 382 yards.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa State: The longest play the Cyclones had allowed entering the day was 46 yards, so the breakdowns were quite uncharacteristic of one of the Big 12's best defenses. The league remains wide open, especially after Oklahoma lost to Kansas State, but Iowa State squandered a golden opportunity. It's not all on Purdy though, as Iowa State ran the ball just 25 times in 88 plays.
Oklahoma State: After turning it over eight times in the past two weeks, Sanders took much better care of the ball -- though his third-quarter interception set up Hall's first touchdown run, which cut the Pokes' lead to 21-20. Still, Oklahoma State is just one win away from bowl eligibility with at least three winnable games to go.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
This loss should knock Iowa State out of the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Iowa State has next week off. The Cyclones play at Oklahoma on Nov. 9.
Oklahoma State hosts TCU on Saturday.
