No. 18 Iowa State wins 11 games for 1st time, tops No. 15 Miami in Pop-Tarts Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining, and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami, 42-41, in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday.

Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year.

The Cyclones didn’t stop at 10 wins, either. They rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns.

Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, and Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season.

Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for scores for Miami, which was seeking its first 11-win season since 2003. Elijah Arroyo, Jojo Trader and Jacolby George had TD catches for the Hurricanes.

A 15-play, 84-yard drive by Iowa State was what delivered the winning score.

The first half was wild. Miami fumbled the ball away on the game’s first snap. And the next eight drives all ended with touchdowns, neither team able to stop the other.

The teams combined for 625 yards — 358 for Miami, 267 for Iowa State — and 59 points by halftime, which Miami ended holding a 31-28 lead. The only punt was by Iowa State’s Tyler Perkins midway through the second quarter; he was cheered when he entered the field during a ping-pong game of a first half, the teams trading touchdowns like nothing.

Ward was 12 of 19 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, before Emory Williams took over to start the second half. Fletcher’s 1-yard run midway through the third quarter put Miami up 38-28, but the Hurricanes managed only three points on their final three drives.