On Saturday afternoon, Iowa State didn’t just survive another Cy-Hawk rock fight; it planted a flag. The Cyclones edged Iowa 16-13 at Jack Trice Stadium to move to 3-0 and claim back-to-back wins over their rival for the first time since 2011-12. The latest chapter turned on a familiar script: Kyle Konrardy drilling a late 54-yard field goal — same distance, same dagger — and a defense that found another gear in the fourth quarter.
“When you got that guy, man, you just believe in him,” head coach Matt Campbell said of Konrardy. “If you do, let’s go for it, man, I trust you.”
Trust ran through every high-leverage moment. Tamatoa McDonough burst through for sacks on Iowa’s final possession, the capstone to a pass rush Campbell said has been “coming every week.”
And on the go-ahead drive, tight end Gabe Burkle authored the night’s bit of fortune, corralling a tipped pass to keep the series alive. Campbell framed it as the game finally balancing out: “It was like we were playing two teams… so it was nice that the ball bounced our way in a positive way in a great moment.”
Iowa State takes down rival Iowa on Saturday
The game was won at the margins — run fits, patience, and poise. Iowa found yards on the ground early; Iowa State stiffened late. “When we needed to be [good] most, I thought we did a really good job,” Campbell said of the run defense.
He praised his team’s temperament in a rivalry that can tilt emotions and execution: “I thought there was great poise. I don’t think our kids ever flinched… when adversity hits, not flinch, just keep playing.” Burkle’s emergence continues a longer arc Campbell loves to highlight. The tight end fought through a high-school ACL tear and a learning-on-the-fly 2024; now he’s a steadying presence.
“He is… addicted to being his best,” Campbell said, adding that down last season’s stretch “Gabe Burkle was the difference.” That development mirrors Iowa State’s broader trajectory: a program built on continuity and hard lessons that’s now seizing moments against peer powers.
And it’s not just a moment. The Cyclones have won two straight and three of four against Iowa, while stacking last year’s program-record 11 wins with a top-20 start and two marquee victories in 2025. Inside the state, the vibes — and the returns — favor Ames. Quarterback stability has a lot to do with it; four years of Brock Purdy have given way to Rocco Becht’s calm stewardship, the line between weekly hope and weekly dread in this sport.
As Becht put it, “We finally have been able to get around that noise… and really just know that we’re the better team.” Campbell, ever the counterweight to euphoria, cautioned that fatigue showed in the second half and a tricky road trip awaits. “I probably feel a little concerned,” he admitted, noting the need to “fill their tank up” before heading to Jonesboro.
But even that pragmatism nods to a larger truth. The Cyclones are winning the long game — habits, development, resolve — while delivering the short-term results their fan base has invested in for a decade. On Saturday, it was a 54-yard echo, a fourth-quarter surge, and the sense that this isn’t just a season opener trophy; it’s a season opener to something bigger.
