Quarterback Rocco Becht scored three rushing touchdowns and Carson Hansen added two rushing scores as No. 14 Iowa State rolled to a 39-14 win over Arizona in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday night in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) had five rushing TDs for first time in more than a year despite only gaining 111 yards on the ground. Hansen finished with 63 yards and his two scores on 19 carries.
Becht scored on a trio of 1-yard runs, the first Iowa State quarterback with three rushing TDs in a game since Brock Purdy in 2021. Becht added 243 yards on 14-of-20 passing with an interception but failed to throw for a touchdown for the first time in 23 games, ending the longest active streak in FBS.
Chase Sowell had four catches for 146 yards for Iowa State, which is 5-0 for the second consecutive season.
Arizona (3-1, 0-1) got 253 passing yards and two touchdowns from Noah Fifita, who was also intercepted twice. Ismail Mahdi ran for 85 yards for the Wildcats, who were playing in Ames for the first time since 1968.
Up 22-7 at halftime, Iowa State got back up three scores when Becht scored on fourth-and-goal on the opening drive of the second half. Becht’s third 1-yard run made it 36-7 midway through the third quarter.
A 43-yard pass to Sowell set up Becht’s first TD run, with a two-point play putting Iowa State up 8-0 midway through the first quarter.
Hansen scored on a 1-yard run early in the second and added a 3-yard run late in the first half set up by a 42-yard interception return by Jontez Williams for a 22-0 lead.
Arizona got on the scoreboard just before halftime on a 9-yard pass from Fifita to Kris Hutson.
Arizona returns home to host Oklahoma State on Oct. 4, while Iowa State visits Cincinnati on that date.
–Field Level Media
