lowa State started the season with a 21-3 win against FCS No. 22 North Dakota Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium. North Dakota owned a 15 minute edge in time of possession and ran 72 plays to the Cyclones' 48.
• lowa State scored on its opening possession of the season as redshirt sophomore QB Rocco Becht hit WR Jaylin Noel for a 54-yard pass on the season's first play and then connected with WR Jayden Higgins for a 21-yard touchdown pass on the second play... Higgins (5 rec., 75 yards, 1 TD) and Noel (8 rec., 135 yards, 1 TD) were both on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List and combined for 13 receptions on 13 targets today ... both players averaged better than 15 yards per reception.
• Becht finished 20-for-26 passing with 267 yards and two touchdowns ... he also snuck one in from two yards out ... in his last three games dating back to last season, Becht has completed 65.8 percent of his passes (50-76) for an average of 314 yards per game with 8 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
• RB Abu Sama carried just five times in the game but averaged 7.2 yards per carry to finish with 36 yards ... his day was highlighted by a hurdle on his first carry of the season, which went for 16 yards.
• DB Beau Freyler picked off his fifth career pass and finished with 8 tackles in the game.
• ISU's defensive line had six tackles for a loss, two sacks and six QBH in limiting UND to just three points ...J.R. Singleton and newcomer Kenard Snyder had the sacks for the Cyclones.
• lowa State's offensive line unit yielded no sacks and just one QBH in the game ... sixth-year player Jarrod Hufford started at center for the first time in his career and has now made starts at tackle, guard and center in his career.
• Head coach Matt Campbell won his 54th game as Cyclone head coach and needs just two more wins to match Dan McCarney for the most in school history.
Up Next: lowa State travels to No. 25 lowa for the lowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup at 2:30 p.m.
on CBS.
