Iowa State Holds Off Iowa, 9-6

An ugly second half overshadows how well the Cyclones played in the first half, but they’ll take the victory.

September 8, 2012; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Aaron Horne (3) catches a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-US PRESSWIRE

Jake Knott tips the ball to himself in the air and falls down with the ball, allowing Iowa State to run the clock out. It happened on a drive that looked very promising for Iowa, featuring quarterback James Vandenberg throwing his passes well and the Hawkeyes finally completing some catches.

Ultimately, this game was a series of missed opportunities. Iowa State could have been up a lot more at halftime, but only reached the endzone on the first possession of the game. Similar to how they defeated Nebraska in 2009, the Cyclones played the role of the Huskers and kept turning the ball over and making mistakes in the red zone.

Once again, they find themselves on the positive end of an ugly game.

Iowa State did exactly what they wanted to do in the first half, keeping the game up-tempo and quarterback Steele Jantz largely looked terrific. That was thanks to an offensive line that continued to push the Hawkeyes and give Jantz all day to throw.

That came to a sudden halt in the second half. Fortunately for Iowa State, the Hawkeyes had a monumental amount of drops.

A complete ineptitude of offense in the second half for both clubs, but the Cyclones will take it. They hoist the Cy-Hawk trophy for another year, and move to 2-0 on the year.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Clones Confidential. Keep up with the latest sports fails and disdain toward the Big Ten by following him on Twitter.

Read his other work on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo, and Lacrosse the Web.