Texas finds little success versus Iowa State in fourth straight loss

AMES, Iowa — For the Longhorns, nothing worked.

Texas had 15 drives against the Iowa State Cyclones. Only one ended in a touchdown.

Eight ended after three plays and a punt, two ended with a Bijan Robinson fumble, and one ended when the final whistle echoed in Jack Trice Stadium to punctuate a 30-7 Iowa State victory.

“Ultimately, we didn’t coach well enough for this ball game, clearly,” Sarkisian said. “We didn’t play well enough to win. They were the better team. They won the game. They controlled the game.”

Nothing worked for Texas, no matter who played quarterback, running back, or any position. Casey Thompson started the game but struggled, ending his evening 2-of-6 for two yards. Hudson Card replaced him late in the first quarter and remained under center for the rest of the game.

“I felt like we needed a spark,” Sarkisian said postgame. “I thought Hud deserved the opportunity to go.”

Unfortunately, that spark did not come. Card was 14-of-23 for 101 yards with one touchdown at the end of a 14-play, 78-yard drive.

That would be Texas’ only drive with a double-digit number of plays. That would be Texas’ only drive that gained over 40 yards. That would be Texas’ only drive that lasted longer than 2:20.

Due to the poor results, Texas’ defense could only hold for so long. Even though ISU quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t have his best game, that presented no issue for the Cyclones. After all, they had Breece Hall, and when the ball was in his hands the Cyclones found success.

Trailing 7-3 at the beginning of the second half, Iowa State gained a first down via a pass interference penalty on its opening drive. That moved the Cyclones to the Texas 47-yard-line. From there, Iowa State took a page out of the successful game plan Baylor deployed against the Longhorns one week prior.

Utilizing the speed option play, Purdy pitched the ball left to Hall. The Longhorn defender was conflicted, and that conflict played out as Hall ran by him.

Hall then ran upfield and cut back toward his right with nothing but open field and the end zone in front of him. His 47-yard score gave Iowa State a 10-7 lead. From there, the Cyclones would only increase their margin. Hall would only find more yardage, ending his night with 136 yards and two scores on 19 carries.

After an exchange of punts following Hall’s long touchdown, Iowa State scored on four consecutive drives across the third and fourth quarters. First came a touchdown pass on a trick play when Xavier Hutchinson found Tarique Milton for 49 yards.

“We told them the exact play that was coming, and that worked for them,” Sarkisian said. “So that part’s unfortunate.”

Then came a two-yard score by Hall at the end of a four-play, 49-yard drive. The two drives after Hall’s score ended in Andrew Mevis field goals, making it 30-7.

That was all the Cyclones needed.

“They’re a heck of a team,” Card said. “We gave credit to them. They came out here and played well.”

The entire time, Texas tried to work its way back into the game. They tried utilizing Bijan Robinson, who passed the 1000-yard mark for the 2021 season. That didn’t work, and Robinson ended the night with 90 yards and no scores.

The Longhorns tried throwing downfield with Card, but the Texas offensive line struggled to defend anything the Cyclone defensive front threw its way. Even with a 5-on-3 numbers advantage, the Longhorns struggled to stop Iowa State’s trench defenders.

“At the end of the day, we just didn’t play well enough,” Card said.

Iowa State tallied five sacks on the night and 8.0 tackles for loss. Seven of Texas’ 15 drives gained five or fewer yards. Compared to the Longhorns, the Cyclones had just two three-and-outs. And the second one was when the result of the game was known by the 61,500 in attendance and all those in burnt orange on the field.

Texas now sits at 4-5 and is under .500 in conference play as well. Its two Big 12 wins came against teams who have decided to make changes at the head coach position. Its four consecutive losses have all come as a result of surrendering second-half leads.

“This has been a long month with some grueling losses, as we all know,” Sarkisian said. “And our guys continue to come back and fight back. I felt like in the second half tonight, it all kind of added up on us where as much as we’ve been fighting back and overcoming, I think it added up there late in the third into the fourth quarter.”

No matter what the Longhorns tried, be it a new quarterback or any other measure, it didn’t work against Iowa State, just as it hasn’t worked over the past month.

As a result, Texas is under .500.