Rocco Becht threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead No. 22 Iowa State to a 24-21 victory over No. 17 Kansas State on Saturday in sloppy conditions in Dublin, Ireland to kick off the 2025 college football season.
Becht completed 14 of 28 passes for 183 yards in an Aer Lingus College Football Classic riddled with slips, fumbles and dropped passes.
The Cyclones (1-0, 1-0 Big 12) and Wildcats (0-1, 0-1) struggled until the fourth quarter with periodic rain that made the grass slippery and the chalked yard lines disappear.
Kansas State’s Avery Johnson hit 21 of 30 passes for 273 yards and two scores while running for a third.
Joe Jackson rushed for 51 yards for the Wildcats, who lost starting running back Dylan Edwards three minutes into the game with an injured ankle.
After squandering a golden opportunity five minutes into the game by fumbling at Kansas State’s 1-yard line, Iowa State produced the season’s first score. Dominic Overby beat his man and snagged Becht’s play-action pass in the end zone for a 23-yard score and a 7-0 lead with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
Kansas State pulled even at 7-7 on the first play of the second quarter. On third down, Johnson faked a handoff to the right and zipped through an enormous hole to the left for a 10-yard score.
After combining for four lost fumbles, 14 points and 255 total yards in the first half, the Cyclones and Wildcats did not have a turnover and totaled 31 points and 441 total yards in the second.
Iowa State recorded a 14-7 lead with 1:07 left in the third quarter when Becht converted a third-and-7 by connecting with Brett Eskildsen in the end zone for a 24-yard score.
Kansas State responded with Johnson’s 37-yard strike to Jayce Brown, who got five yards behind the defense to pull the Wildcats into a 14-14 knot with 14:09 to play.
Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy booted a 34-yard field goal with 10:04 left to give the Cyclones a 17-14 edge. After Kansas State got stuffed on fourth down at its own 30, Becht capped a quick drive with a 7-yard touchdown keeper to push the lead to 24-14 with 6:38 to go.
On the first play after the kickoff, Johnson hit Jerand Bradley down the left sideline for a 65-yard score to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 6:23 left — but Kansas State never got the ball back.
Becht converted a fourth-and-3 at Kansas State’s 16 on a screen pass with just more than two minutes to play, then took three knees at the goal line to preserve the win.
–Field Level Media
