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Disaster averted: No. 7 Iowa State narrowly escapes upset against FCS opponent
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Even in week one, some ranked teams found themselves on the wrong side of an upset. For the #7 Iowa State Cyclones, they were close to being one of those teams. On Saturday, the Cyclones the Northern Iowa Panthers, a team they have beaten consistently.
The Cyclones found themselves in a 7-0 hole near the end of the first quarter. The Panthers outgained the Cyclones in the first quarter in total yards accounted for 82-to-61.
By the middle of the second quarter, the Cyclones believed to have found a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball by taking the lead 10-7. In the last 2 minutes and 35 seconds of the second quarter, the Cyclones and the Panthers exchanged field goals as Iowa State went into halftime with a 13-10 lead.
The defense for the Cyclones held the Panthers’ offense from reaching the end zone for the remainder of the game. Offensively, the Cyclones had the same problems of trying to create an efficient offensive drive to put the Panthers away. The Cyclones didn’t score again until 6:18 left in the fourth quarter from a 21-yard field goal from kicker Conner Assalley.
The offense of the Cyclones accumulated 335 total yards and 17 first downs. Iowa State, however, was 5-for-14 on third-down conversions. The defense for the Cyclones had to carry the inefficient offense by forcing two turnovers from Northern Iowa, both in the second quarter.
Next Saturday, the #7 Iowa State Cyclones (1-0) will host their rivals in the #18 Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0). The Hawkeyes had one of the most decisive victories in the Big Ten Conference this Saturday. Iowa defeated the #17 Indiana Hoosiers with a 34-6 score.
The Hawkeyes currently lead the series over Iowa State 45-to-22. They also currently have a five-game win streak over the Cyclones.