Iowa State thumps Baylor 24-10 to snap 11-game losing streak in Big 12 play

Iowa State beats Baylor 24-10 to snap Big 12 skid

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State started the season by snapping a 10-game losing streak. The Cyclones then erased a 17-game road losing skid, and on Saturday night they rolled to their first Big 12 win since 2007.

Austen Arnaud threw for 166 yards and scored two touchdowns as Iowa State snapped an 11-game losing streak in Big 12 play by thumping Baylor 24-10 on Saturday.

Marquis Hamilton added nine catches for 97 yards for the Cyclones (4-3, 1-2), who picked up their first conference victory since downing Colorado two years ago.

Iowa State, which was never seriously threatened by the Bears, is two wins shy of bowl eligibility with five games left to play.

The Cyclones jumped out to a 14-3 halftime lead on a 1-yard TD run by Arnaud and a 4-yard touchdown pass from Arnaud to Derrick Catlett. Iowa State then blocked a punt midway through the third quarter, setting up a 20-yard touchdown run by Jerome Tiller to make it 24-3.

Iowa State was 12 of 18 on third-down conversions and had 454 yards of total offense.

Blake Szymanski threw for 223 yards but tossed three interceptions for the Bears (3-3, 0-2), who lost their 21st straight game in which they trailed at halftime. Baylor scored on a touchdown pass from Jerod Monk to Justin Akers with 9 seconds left. The Bears have scored just 17 points in two Big 12 games.

The second half opened with a bit of levity, as a small brown rabbit ran directly through Iowa State’s kick coverage team before dashing through the end zone.

Until Akers’ meaningless late score, that bunny was all the Cyclones let into their end zone.

The Bears gambled on the opening series of the second half by going for it on 4th-and-1 on their own 32-yard line, but Iowa State stuffed Szymanski on a keeper. Grant Mahoney’s 45-yard field goal gave the Cyclones a 17-3 lead.

Arnaud was replaced by Tiller, his backup, on Iowa State’s next series. Running back Alexander Robinson, who has been nursing a sore groin, left shortly thereafter as well, but the Cyclones didn’t miss a beat.

Tiller ran 20 yards for his first career touchdown to put Iowa State ahead 24-3 with 7:59 left in the third quarter. Tiller was impressive in his first game with significant playing time, completing seven of eight passes for 48 yards and rushing for 74 yards on 10 carries.

Baylor’s faint hopes for a comeback were dashed when Szymanski threw his second interception of the day to Fred Garrin on the final play of the third quarter.

(This version CORRECTS Iowa State 24, Baylor 10. corrects 7th paragraph with QB Monk throwing TD pass for Baylor, not Szymanski)