Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score on Nov 04, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 4, 2017

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- No. 15 Iowa State nearly dug out of a 20-point hole but West Virginia's defense made several late stops in a 20-16 win on Saturday.

Though the Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) were two-point favorites entering the game, it had an upset feel given the Cyclones' terrific October.

Iowa State (6-3, 4-2) received 115 rushing yards from David Montgomery and scored the final 16 points, but couldn't finish the comeback while twice settling for field goals inside the West Virginia 10-yard line.

Will Grier completed 20 of 25 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers. Justin Crawford ran for 102 yards on 25 carries, and Ka'Raun White caught four passes for 167 yards.

Grier's only mistake resulted in D'Andre Payne's interception in the end zone on a deep ball that gave Iowa State a chance with 4:57 left. That opportunity ended when Mountaineers safety Kenny Robinson broke up a fourth-and-7 pass from Kyle Kempt.

Kempt finished 27 of 40 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception, falling to 4-1 as the Cyclones' starter.

Allen Lazard's 1-yard touchdown grab capped an 86-yard Iowa State drive to open the third quarter.

After stopping West Virginia's fourth-and-1 try, the Cyclones marched to the 1, where Matt Campbell played it safe with Garrett Owens' 18-yard field goal and cut the deficit to 20-13. That decision came back to haunt the Cyclones in the fourth quarter.

White caught a 55-yard touchdown and set up another with a 63-yard catch for West Virginia. When Evan Staley's 36-yard field goal stretched the cushion to 20-0 in the second quarter, Iowa State had allowed the same number of points it did in the previous three games combined.

That turned out to be all the Cyclones yielded, as West Virginia didn't scratch over the final 36 minutes.

Iowa State got on the board late in the half on Owens' 42-yard kick, a drive extended by dual personal fouls on the West Virginia defense after a third-down stop.

NOTES: Despite the loss, Iowa State remains in contention for a berth in the Big 12 championship game and its first league title since 1912. ... RB Justin Crawford matched his season high of 19 carries in the first half as West Virginia committed to the running game. ... Cyclones WR Allen Lazard caught a pass for the 44th consecutive game, extending the nation's longest active streak.