Iowa State football had its chances, but fails to put BYU away in loss

AMES — Iowa State football had its opportunities to make a statement with undefeated, No. 10-ranked BYU coming to town for a homecoming clash.

Instead, the Cyclones are left with the unwanted consolation prizes of would-haves, could-haves and should-haves, a familiar feeling from consecutive losses against Colorado and Cincinnati before their bye week.

Iowa State suffered its third consecutive loss, falling to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones held the lead for more than one half against the Cougars, but costly mistakes, combined with the inability to close the door on BYU, gave the Cougars enough room to snatch the lead in the fourth quarter and hang on to fend off the Cyclones' upset bid.