West Virginia vs. Iowa State final score: Cyclones melt down against Mountaineers 37-24
By Brian Spaen
Like all the snow melting in Ames with temperatures near 50 degrees, Iowa State let West Virginia go on a 30-3 run after having a 21-7 lead to lose their fifth straight game and move to 0-8 in Big 12 play.
Sam B. Richardson, Aaron Wimberly, and the rest of the offense started off strong and the Cyclones were all smiles after a quarter and a half, but things rapidly changed once West Virginia tied it all up in three minutes after the Cyclones went up 21-7. Wimberly ended his day with�over 100 all-purpose yards, running for 77 yards and adding 36 in the air for two total touchdowns.
Five different receivers recorded over 30 yards. D’Vario Montgomery led the way with 71 yards on five catches. Tad Ecby was the other guy that recorded a touchdown for Iowa State. Richardson completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In contrast, backup quarterback Skyler Howard completed 21 of 40 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns with no picks.
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Two big time Iowa State players didn’t appear in the game. Tight end E.J. Bibbs suited up but never took off his cap. He was listed as probable for the game. T.J. Mutcherson, who’s been one of the spotlights on a terrible defense, sat out because he didn’t “live up to the culture.” Apparently he was too good for the defense (obviously, he violated team rules but it feels that way).
Iowa State is unable to win a Big 12 game at home and won just once against Toledo. It was a disappointing effort in front of the worst crowd in quite a few years, but the combination of Thanksgiving weekend and two years of disappointment will do that. Iowa State football wraps things up next week in TCU, where Iowa State will try to cover the impending 34-point spread.