No. 14 Iowa State struggles but slides past Arkansas State

Rocco Becht was 14-of-25 passing for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception to lead No. 14 Iowa State to a 24-16 win over Arkansas State on Saturday at Jonesboro, Ark.

Carson Hansen rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries and Xavier Townsend caught three passes for 92 yards to lead Iowa State (4-0), which rushed for 187 yards and had 452 total yards.

Jaylen Raynor went 19-of-33 passing for 222 yards and one interception and also rushed for 83 yards and a score on 16 carries to lead Arkansas State (1-2), which ran for 160 yards and had 382 total yards.

Trailing 17-10 at halftime, Arkansas State cut its deficit to 17-16 on a pair of field goals by Clune Van Andel, one from 36 yards out with 9:08 left in the third quarter and another from 40 yards out with 11:53 remaining in the game.

Iowa State got some separation, driving 75 yards in seven plays and taking a 24-16 lead with 8:34 left on a 4-yard touchdown run by Abu Sama.

Arkansas State later in the fourth drove deep into Iowa State territory, but turned it over on downs at the Iowa State 23-yard line with 3:47 remaining.

Iowa State got the ball back, collected three first downs and eventually ran out the clock.

Iowa State took a 9-0 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by Becht, but Arkansas State responded with 10 straight points.

Following a 45-yard field goal by Van Andel with 13:11 remaining in the second quarter, Arkansas State grabbed a 10-9 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Raynor, which capped off a 17-play, 70-yard drive that took 8:13 off of the clock.

Iowa State took some momentum into the locker room at halftime, taking a 17-10 lead with 14 seconds to go in the second quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Dominic Overby and a subsequent 2-point conversion run by Hansen.

--Field Level Media