AMES, Iowa. — The defending Big 12 champion and current #12 ranked Iowa State Cyclones barely held on to beat the #14 Kansas Jayhawks 51-47 this week. Kansas was down 38-14 to start the fourth quarter but came roaring back, scoring 33 points and taking a 47-44 lead with with 1:02 left to play. Iowa State came out and looked dead in the water, losing yards on first and second down. Gaining 7 yards on third, the Cyclones were watching the season and the Big 12 championship slip away on fourth down before QB Purdy hit his WR Butler in stride for a 72-yard TD with 0:31 left in regulation. Iowa State Head Coach Dick Nutter IV was exhausted but elated after the game.

“The offense was firing on all cylinders. I think that was the most points we’ve scored in a game all season? Purdy was throwing the ball well, I wish we would have gotten the run game going, but we just couldn’t. My biggest takeaway from the game was just how explosive this offense can be.”

He was proud of his team’s defensive effort but acknowledged that fatigue played a big factor in the fourth quarter near-collapse. Nutter IV made it a point to praise his defense for stepping up in the final seconds.

“It wasn’t very apparent it was going to be a shootout until the last quarter, and I think they were just getting tired. When it came down to it, they played their best on that final drive in order to prevent a walk-off touchdown.”

The Iowa State coach was also very impressed with the Jayhawks while talking about what his team was able to do right in order to secure the victory.

“Everyone was shocked that KU came back, and all credit to them, but that Purdy to Butler connection in the final minute to take the lead for good reignited that fire under the defense that we saw during the first three quarters. They played a great three quarters and final minute of the fourth quarter. We’re going to look at doing more substitutions to keep guys fresh coming up to avoid that happening again. I have full faith in our defense going forward.”

Dick Nutter IV grinned and shrugged his shoulders when asked who the favorites were to win the Big 12 this year.

“I think the stats say it’s us, and I hope it’s us. I wouldn’t be surprised to see KU in Dallas, or Oklahoma State. It’s a tight race. Let’s just say it’s us, two conference championships in a row would be nice.”

Kansas Coach Butch Belichick was also exhausted when he reached the podium. He nodded his head when asked what his team did right today to put them in the lead with a minute left.

“We fought really hard. Never gave up, even when we were down 38 – 14. We faced a lot of adversity and we fought back. We had a great 4th quarter, and our team is confident that if we get to play them again we will win.”

He blamed himself for Kansas’ inability to hold onto the lead in the final moments. The kicking game has been a question all year long for the Jayhawks and Coach Belichick feels like he made the wrong call in this one. He responded rather bluntly when asked what his team could’ve done differently to get the W.

“Honestly, stuck to our game plan. We’ve only kicked a few actual kicks the whole year. We always go for the onside kick because of the advantages it gives, including the fact that we can’t get scored on. The final kickoff of the game, I decided to kick it deep, as I lost confidence in our defense. As you know, they returned that kickoff to re-take the lead, which killed a lot of our momentum. Had we stuck to our game plan and kicked that onside kick, we’d be having a different conversation now.”

The Jayhawks leader was confident and doesn’t plan to change anything moving forward in Big 12 play.

“We don’t really plan to adjust much at all. We believe our strategy has worked. We have two close losses to the top two teams in the big 12. Both games, we very easily could have won. Sometimes the game goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. It didn’t against ISU, though we’re fully confident in our ability to get to the Big 12 championship game, and then the playoffs after that.”

Unconfirmed reports were circulating after the game that an Iowa State player dropped the Lindros Bowl trophy and broke it in half during the celebration. Coach Belichick was unimpressed by this fact as he shook his head.

“That’s really bad news. ISU can’t even take care of a trophy? The trophy represents the amazing rivalry that is Kansas vs Iowa State, and this game showed for it. I’m disgusted, and we’ll make sure to get that trophy back and repair it come championship week.”

Kansas drops to 4-2 but should still find themselves in the top 25 after a performance like that. They will face TCU on the road and should bounce back nicely. Iowa State moves to 5-1 on the year and remains a favorite to win the Big 12.