Becht throws for 1 touchdown, Sama runs for another, and Iowa State turns back Oklahoma State 20-13

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Rocco Becht passed for a touchdown, Abu Sama ran for a score and Iowa State defeated Oklahoma State 20-13 on Saturday in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Kyle Konrardy kicked field goals of 45 and 34 yards for Iowa State (8-4 overall, 5-4 Big 12), which rushed for 231 yards. The Cyclones’ defense limited Oklahoma State’s offense to 219 yards and forced two turnovers.

“For this group to never waver, never flinch and, actually, just keep getting better through it is incredible,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “What a great testament to their belief and their ability to stay the course.

“They’ve given themselves the chance to do what very few teams at Iowa State have done,” Campbell said, referring to the Cyclones’ shot at nine wins, which has happened four times previously including last season’s 11-3 mark.

Zane Flores threw a touchdown pass and Logan Ward kicked two field goals for Oklahoma State (1-11, 0-9), which has lost 18 of 19 games and 19 straight against conference opponents.

“To be able to continuously show up here every week and fight when a lot of kids nowadays probably would have just laid down, it’s pretty special to watch that even though we didn’t get the outcome,” Oklahoma State interim coach Doug Meacham said. “It would have been nice to finish it up like that, but life’s not a fairy tale. Life’s reality, and the reality is we didn’t do enough to win, but we definitely fought and I appreciate those guys and I always will.”

Becht threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Chase Sowell following a fumble recovery to give the Cyclones a 10-0 lead.

After punting three times and losing a fumble on their first four possessions, Oklahoma State drove 80 yards for their only score of the first half, a 1-yard run by Trent Howland to make it 10-7 at halftime.

Iowa State extended the lead to 17-7 on a 40-yard burst by Sama, who finished with 87 yards on 12 carries.

The news wasn’t all bad for Oklahoma State. On Tuesday, the team announced the selection of North Texas’ Eric Morris as its new head football coach. Morris has North Texas contending for a conference championship and College Football Playoff berth. The Mean Green are No. 21 in the AP Top 25.

Morris will step in for Mike Gundy, who was fired in September during his 21st season. Meacham was 0-9 as the interim coach.

The takeaway

Iowa State: The Cyclones reached eight wins for the fifth time under coach Matt Campbell and the 13th time in program history.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys kept it close down the stretch, losing their last three games by a total of 21 points, but couldn’t score enough points to get their first win under Meacham.

Seniors honored

Oklahoma State recognized 20 seniors before the game, including starting safety Parker Robertson, a walk-on who likely played his last football game. Robertson led the Cowboys with seven solo tackles and had one of the team’s four quarterback hits.

A day to remember

Iowa State’s win had special significance for Campbell, who turned 46 on Saturday. It also marked the 10-year anniversary of Campbell being hired by Iowa State, where he is the winningest coach in program history with a mark of 72-55.

Up next

Iowa State will play in a bowl game.

Oklahoma State’s season has ended.

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