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Texas Tech vs. Iowa State final score: Red Raiders defeat Cyclones 34-31

By Brian Spaen

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Iowa State was able to overcome yet another slow start, but the football team continues to search for their first Big 12 victory after falling to Texas Tech on Saturday night.

Texas Tech had exactly 600 yards of offense, and running back DeAndre Washington eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season with 186 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Freshman quarterback Patrick Mahomes got the start again for the Red Raiders, and he had over 300 yards again in the air. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 328 yards with four touchdowns and one pick.

The extremely terrible defenses held up on both sides though. Iowa State nearly mimicked the Texas Tech offense — comparing the numbers, Texas Tech had 328 passing yards and 272 rushing yards. Iowa State had 304 passing yards and 265 rushing yards for a total of 569 yards.

Nov 22, 2014; Ames, IA, USA;Iowa State Cyclones running back Aaron Wimberly (2) breaks a tackle against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Wimberly had over 100 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. DeVondrick Nealy was behind him with 87 yards on seven carries. The Iowa State running attack went far beyond their mere 111.7 rushing yards per game. Sam B. Richardson completed 24 of 38 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns with zero picks.

As close as the game was, the notable difference was placekicker Cole Netten. The used-to-be reliable field goal maker has now missed three of his last four attempts. He made a chip shot but missed two from 41 and 42 yards. The first one potentially looked like a bad hold and it went wide right. The second one never hooked from the left and stayed straight, just missing outside of the left goal post.

Using two timeouts early in the second half also proved costly. On a fourth down Iowa State needed to pick up at around the 2:30 mark, he slid about three yards too short from the first down line. It was a real questionable decision by the quarterback, but having a full allotment of timeouts may have given the defense more incentive to make a stop to put the offense out on the field.

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However, the way the defense gave up the ensuing third down that would have brought the offense back on the field with just under a minute ago, maybe those timeouts wouldn’t have helped. Mahomes ran untouched to the first down line with five yards to go.

It’s a marked improvement on offense after watching this team look like garbage in between bye weeks against Oklahoma and Kansas. However, it’s the same result — a loss. Iowa State moves to 0-6 in Big 12 play and 2-8 overall on the season. Next week, the Cyclones will host their final game of the season at Jack Trice Stadium against West Virginia.

  • Richardson threw to eight different receivers. Tad Ecby led the way with two catches for 100 yards. Tight end E.J. Bibbs and running back Tyler Brown had both touchdowns. Conversely, Mahomes threw it to 10 different receivers
  • Allen Lazard had just two catches for 34 yards. D’Vario Montgomery had three catches for 44 yards. Bibbs had five catches for 43 yards.
  • Another one from “These Big 12 refs…” — Bibbs was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty after getting a touchdown for his salute, something he does after he catches every touchdown and never got flagged. Later in the game, Texas Tech wide receiver Kenny Williams got a touchdown on a 44-yard catch and did a roundhouse kick in the end zone. No flag.
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