Home College Football No. 20 Iowa State Dominates Arkansas State 52-7 Behind Becht and Carson...

No. 20 Iowa State Dominates Arkansas State 52-7 Behind Becht and Carson Hansen

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Ames Iowa—–Quarterback Rocco Becht threw for two touchdowns and added another on the ground, while Carson Hansen rushed for two scores, leading No. 20 Iowa State to a commanding 52-7 victory over Arkansas State on Saturday.

With the win, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell earned his 56th career victory with the program, tying him with Dan McCarney for the most in Cyclones history.

“Teamwork is still incredibly important in today’s world,” Campbell said. “This isn’t about any individual. To have had the opportunity to be here with so many wonderful people for this long, I’m just grateful. We have a great coaching staff, talented players, and strong support from the administration. That’s what makes it special to be here.”

Becht opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and followed it up with touchdown passes of 10 yards to Tyler Moore and 16 yards to Jayden Higgins. The Cyclones (3-0) built a 31-0 lead by halftime.

Carson Hansen, who had limited opportunities during his freshman season, capitalized on his chances in this game. He rushed for 58 yards on nine carries and recovered a fumble after an interception by Iowa State backup quarterback Connor Moberly late in the third quarter. Hansen scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run, then added a second with a 3-yard run later in the third.

“It’s the kind of moment you always dream about,” Hansen said. “All the credit goes to the offensive line—they were fantastic this week.”

Photo Credit: Bernie Kofron

Iowa State’s rushing attack, which had been sluggish in its first two games, exploded for 237 yards. The Cyclones amassed 490 yards of total offense, their highest output since 2021. In contrast, they had only managed 175 rushing yards on 50 carries combined in their previous wins against North Dakota and Iowa.

On the defensive side, Iowa State held Arkansas State (2-2) scoreless until the fourth quarter and limited them to just 182 total yards. Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor struggled for the second straight week against a ranked opponent, completing just 5 of 16 passes for 68 yards and throwing two interceptions. This followed a tough outing against Michigan last week, where he threw for 140 yards and was also picked off.

Arkansas State’s lone score came on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Timmy McClain to Hunter Summers late in the game.

“(Raynor) needs to work on his consistency,” said Arkansas State head coach Butch Jones. “He’s still a great teammate, but we were looking for a spark out there.”

Iowa State’s defense and balanced offensive attack proved too much for the Red Wolves, securing a decisive win for the Cyclones.

UP NEXT:

Arkansas State: plays South Alabama next Saturday at home.

Iowa State: visits Houston next Saturday.