No. 9 Iowa State won its first regular season conference championship in 108 years Saturday with a dominant performance, routing visiting West Virginia 42-6 and earning a spot in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 19.
The Cyclones (8-2, 8-1 Big 12) have won eight of nine since a season-opening loss to No. 25 Louisiana, and looked the part of a top-10 team as they dismantled the Mountaineers' excellent defense behind a near-perfect performance by quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy completed 14 straight passes at one point and finished 20 of 23 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Iowa State gained 483 total yards for the day against a team that entered the game ranked fourth in total defense and first in pass defense.
Defensively, the Cyclones kept West Virginia (5-4, 4-4) off the board until a 32-yard field goal by Tyler Sumpter with 12 minutes left in the game. The Mountaineers managed just 263 yards against an aggressive defense that also recorded three sacks.
Iowa State scored the only points it would need with 5:51 left in the first quarter when Breece Hall capped an 80-yard drive by bouncing 23 yards off right tackle for a touchdown. That was the first of three scoring drives of 10 or more plays in the half.
Purdy made it 14-0 43 seconds into the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run. His 2-yard scoring strike to Landen Akers with 2:49 remaining in the half polished off a 76-yard march that lasted over five minutes and ushered the Cyclones into halftime with a 21-0 advantage.
Iowa State didn't let West Virginia up for air in the third quarter. Purdy found Charlie Kolar for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:10 remaining, and Kene Nwangwu turned it into a rout with a 47-yard scoring jaunt up the middle with seven seconds left.
The game's remainder was a celebration for the 15,000 fans allowed into Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones could have won the old Big 8 Conference crown in 1976, but lost their last game to Oklahoma State.
--Field Level Media
