Ames, Iowa — Rocco Becht scored the decisive touchdown on a 1-yard sneak with just 30 seconds remaining, and Jontez Williams sealed the game with an interception of Jacurri Brown’s final pass, leading No. 9 Iowa State to a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over UCF on Saturday night.
“I was just doing my job,” said Williams, who has now recorded an interception in four consecutive games. “The ball has been finding me, and I just made the play.”
With this win, the Cyclones (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) matched the 1938 ISU team for the best start in program history, marking their first stretch of four consecutive conference wins.
UCF (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) suffered its fourth straight loss despite holding a two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter and accumulating a season-high 354 rushing yards, including 196 from RJ Harvey and 154 from Brown.
“They’ve got great players and two phenomenal athletes,” said Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. “This was the most athletically talented team we’ve faced this year.”
Becht struggled with his passing, completing just 43% of his throws (20 of 46) and tossing two interceptions—one of which was returned for a touchdown. However, he also rushed a career-high 20 times for 97 yards.
Harvey’s 1-yard touchdown run gave UCF a 35-27 lead with 11 minutes left after Braeden Marshall intercepted Becht and returned it 70 yards, nearly scoring himself.
Iowa State responded with a 30-yard field goal from Kyle Konrardy to cut the deficit to five. After forcing two UCF punts, Becht took the field with 1:48 remaining. He connected with Jaylin Noel on two crucial passes and scrambled for a first down. A pass interference penalty then set the Cyclones up at the UCF 4-yard line, where Becht ran for 3 yards before powering through for the winning touchdown.
Up Next:
UCF: plays No. 13 BYU next Saturday at home.
Iowa State: hosts Texas Tech on Nov. 2 following an open date.
