Matt Campbell becomes Iowa State's winningest head coach with historic 20-0 win in Houston – CycloneFanatic.com

September 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) celebrates with wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) after a touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Iowa State entered its Big 12 season opener Saturday night in Houston, posting its first 4-0 start since 2000.

Las Vegas oddsmakers crowned the No. 18 Cyclones' double-digit away favorites – and their head coach, Matt Campbellremained one win away from the program's all-time win record.

But the struggling Cougars (1-4, 0-2) created their feel-good scenario early before ISU (4-0, 1-0) took control in the second half and posted a convincing 20-0 win at TDECU. Stadium recorded.

Campbell now has 57 wins as ISU coach – one more Dan McCarney – and his wife and children were flown to Houston to surprise him after the historic triumph.

“Coach Mac has been such a great mentor to us, so I’m really grateful to even be on the same spectrum as him,” Campbell said on the website Cyclone Radio Network. “We wouldn’t be here without him and his support, and without the former players, what they meant to our current players, it was really special.”

The Cyclones earned their fifth consecutive conference road win last season, a feat never achieved before in program history. They also defeated a conference opponent on the road for the first time since 1971, despite only holding a meager 3-0 lead at halftime.

“We were a little slow at the beginning, but we were committed to coming out and doing better in the third quarter,” Safety said Malik Verdon said.

Keyword ISU star receiver Jayden Higginswho broke the school record by catching a touchdown pass in his sixth straight game. Higgins' 12-yard diving grab on a deftly thrown ball from the quarterback Rocco Becht gave the Cyclones a 10-0 lead with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter. He finished the game with a game-high eight receptions for 79 yards.

“At the end of the day, Rocco just threw a great pass,” Higgins said. “It's great to be in the history books, (and) hopefully we can continue to do great things and I hope I can continue to score touchdowns this year.”

Becht completed 17 of 28 passes for a season-low 153 yards. Backlog Abu Sama – thanks to a game-winning 77-yard dash into the end zone in the fourth quarter – he surpassed the 100-yard mark for the first time this season. guy back Jaylon Jackson did almost the same thing, but ended up with 96 yards on 14 carries — including a 50-yard run that helped set up a score.

“We complement each other really well,” Jackson said of ISU’s backfield. “We just keep trying to get better every game.”

The Cyclones surpassed 235 rushing yards for the second straight game and outgained Houston by 393 yards to 241. The defense allowed the Cougars to convert just one of their 10 third-down opportunities and forced three turnovers. Verdon forced a linebacker fumble Jacob Ellis recovered to set up a field goal. Cornerback Jontez Williams intercepted a pass in the end zone on Houston's most promising drive of the game and safety Jeremiah Cooper Late in the game, he made his seventh career interception to help the offense run out of time. ISU now has 10 takeaways this season, a number surpassed only by two FBS games on Saturday.

“We just wanted to come out and play our game; Play harder for longer,” Williams said. “That was the main goal, just going out there and attacking these guys.”

It took a while to achieve this goal, but the Cyclones now head into next Saturday's 6:30 p.m. home game against Baylor (2-3, 0-2) with a chance to compete for the first time all season 5-0 in a season to start the modern era. And guess who will be there? McCarney, who was already scheduled to speak to the ISU men's and women's basketball teams next weekend.

“I've felt nothing but respect and love returning to the games, and I know that starts with Matt Campbell,” McCarney told me a week and a half ago. “He’s about as sincere as the day is long. He is authentic. He is a gift to all of us who love Iowa State.”