Jacob Park passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yarder to Marchie Murdock, as Iowa State pulled away in the second half for a 41-14 victory over Akron on Saturday.
Park completed 24 of 33 throws and a scored on a 14-yard run for the Cyclones (2-1), who equaled a school record by topping 40 points for the third straight game to start the season.
"And we should have had more in all of them," junior quarterback Park said. "We've left points on the table by shooting ourselves in the foot a lot."
Iowa State also set a school mark by gaining 400 yards for the sixth game in a row as sophomore David Montgomery rushed for 127 yards and a score, and senior Allen Lazard caught his third TD pass of the year.
The Cyclones jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but only took a 20-14 advantage into the break after Zips senior Thomas Woodson tossed a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. He finished 25 of 40 for 240 yards.
Iowa State linebacker Joel Lanning, who started 14 games at quarterback over the last three seasons, recorded his first career interception and sack.
"Coach (Matt) Campbell told us not to look at the scoreboard because we played bad in the first half," Lanning said. "We came out strong after he challenged us."
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Junior wide receiver Kwadarrius Smith had 76 yards and a touchdown on three catches for Akron (1-2).
THE TAKEAWAY
IOWA STATE: The Cyclones outgained Akron 170-45 in the first quarter, but lost their offensive mojo after taking a 14-point lead. Once the third period began, they got back on track by riding Park and Montgomery, who combined for their next nine touches covering 87 yards. The strategy was sound and kept the Zips guessing.
AKRON: Woodson displayed strong resolve despite being sacked five times in the first half and overthrowing his receivers on five deep passes. The third-year starter remained in the pocket until it completely broke down, which took guts as Iowa State rushed hard and held the Zips to negative rushing yardage until late in the third.
UP NEXT
IOWA STATE: The Cyclones open the Big 12 portion of their schedule by hosting Texas on Sept. 28. The Longhorns were a 27-6 winner in their last meeting on Oct. 15, 2016.
AKRON: The Zips play their final nonconference game Saturday at Troy. Akron lost its first road contest of the year 52-0 at Penn State on Sept. 2.
