DUBLIN — Rocco Becht passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score, helping No. 22 Iowa State beat No. 17 Kansas State 24-21 in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday.
Becht was 14 for 28 for 183 yards. He found Dominic Overby for a 23-yard TD in the first quarter and passed to Brett Eskildsen for a 24-yard score in the third quarter.
With 2:26 to go, Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell had his team go for it on fourth-and-3 at the Kansas State 16-yard line. Becht found Carson Hansen for 15 yards and iced the game.
“He called a great play, he gave me two plays and let me decide and I knew we were going to have a chance to get it,” Becht said “We’ve worked on it in practice and it’s been working for us and we’re confident with it and I have trust in my guys.”
The Cyclones (1-0, 1-0) opened a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter after a turnover on downs by Kansas State at its own 30-yard line. Becht finished the short drive with a 7-yard touchdown run with 6:38 left.
Avery Johnson passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas State (0-1, 0-1). He also had a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
“I mean that’s the thing, regardless of the outcome we have 11 games to play,” Kansas State Coach Chris Klieman said. “We have our back against the wall, but now we’ve got to reset and regroup and get ready to play.”
Johnson threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jerand Bradley with 6:23 remaining, but the Wildcats never got the ball back.
Both teams struggled to deal with wet conditions in the first half. Kansas State had two turnovers and a turnover on downs while Iowa State committed two turnovers in the first 30 minutes.
“We just made some great adjustments,” Campbell said. “We saw some things different in the first game and the opportunity to make some adjustments and to have the ability to do that, to have the staff that’s been together for so long that we have the confidence to make those adjustments.”
The Cyclones grabbed a 14-7 lead when Becht found Eskildsen in the corner of the end zone with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
Johnson responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Brown, tying it at 14 with 14:09 remaining in the game.
Carson Hansen led Iowa State with 71 yards rushing on 16 carries. Joe Jackson had 51 yards on 12 carries for Kansas State.
“I thought that the (offensive line) did a really great job in the second half,” Campbell said. “Our tight ends and o-line did a great job of execution and man Carson is a really great player so we’re really proud of him.”
UNLV 38, IDAHO STATE 31
LAS VEGAS — Jai’Den Thomas scored three touchdowns, the UNLV defense had four interceptions and the Rebels held off Idaho State in the debut of Dan Mullen as their coach.
After winning 11 games in 2024, UNLV is starting over with only two returning starters and a new coach. Mullen, 103-61 in 13 seasons at Mississippi State and Florida, picked up the 12th season-opening win of his career.
Thomas gained 147 yards on 10 carries and Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea threw for 195 yards to go with 93 yards rushing.
The Rebels trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter and struggled to put the game away even after their defense intercepted Idaho State’s Jordan Cooke on back-to-back drives in the fourth.
After Colandrea’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Daejon Reynolds tied it at 31, UNLV cashed in one interception with Michigan transfer quarterback Alex Orji’s 11-yard scramble for a score on a fourth-and-one play. Now leading 38-31, the Rebels intercepted Cooke again, but Ramon Villela missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Idaho State drove to the UNLV 32 but Cooke was called for intentional grounding while he was being sacked for a loss of 11 yards. On fourth-and-22, Quandarius Keyes broke up a pass to seal the win for the Rebels.
Cooke finished 30-for-50 passing for 380 yards with one touchdown but he threw three of Idaho State’s four interceptions.
Kansas State Cody Stufflebean, left, challenges Iowa State Carson Hansen during an NCAA college football game between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
ADDS PLAY WAS OVERTURNED BY REVIEW – Iowa State Carson Hansen breaks a tackle on his way to the endzone that was ruled a touchdown and later overturned by review during an NCAA college football game between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Iowa State players celebrate after winning an NCAA college football game between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Iowa State players celebrate after winning an NCAA college football game between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)