Rocco Becht dazzles as No. 22 Iowa State trounces South Dakota

Field Level Media|published: Sat 30th August, 20:36 2025

NCAA Football: South Dakota at Iowa State

Aug 30, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) sits in the pockets to throw a pass against the South Dakota Coyotes at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Rocco Becht completed 19 of 20 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 22 Iowa State cruised to a 55-7 win over South Dakota on Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa.

Becht set a school record by completing 95 percent of his passes and established another school mark with a TD pass in 20 consecutive games. Benjamin Brahmer caught seven passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State (2-0), which won its home opener one week after starting the season in Ireland. Gabe Burkle had four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Abu Sama III, Xavier Townsend, Alex Manske and Dylan Lee added one rushing touchdown apiece for the Cyclones, who outgained FCS South Dakota 529-209 in total offense.

Aidan Bouman completed 15 of 29 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for South Dakota (0-1). Bouman was making his return to Ames, where he was a reserve signal-caller for the Cyclones before transferring in 2022 to the Coyotes to become a starter.

The score was even at 7-7 before the Cyclones closed the game with 48 unanswered points.

Iowa State started the scoring on its opening drive. Becht connected with Brahmer to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive that took only 1:50 off the clock.

South Dakota responded with a touchdown drive to quiet the Cyclones crowd. Bouman hit Larenzo Fenner for a 6-yard score with 5:44 remaining in the first quarter.

Iowa State took control for the rest of the game. Sama broke the tie when he sprinted down the left sideline for a 15-yard score to make it 14-7 with 1:12 to go in the first quarter.

Brahmer caught his second touchdown, this time on a 3-yard pass from Becht, to put the Cyclones on top 21-7 with 9:27 left in the first half. Kyle Konrardy added two field goals, including a 63-yarder that set a school record, to make it 27-7 at the half.

The Cyclones piled on two more touchdowns in the third quarter to grab a 41-7 lead. Burkle scored first on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Becht, and Townsend followed with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Another pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter gave Iowa a 55-7 advantage. Manske scored on a 4-yard run with 10:57 to go, and Lee punched in an 8-yard run with 4:22 left.

--Field Level Media