AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State insisted on playing 12 games, cycling through a pair of FCS opponents before settling on tiny Drake. That decision nearly resulted in the most embarrassing loss in school history. David Montgomery ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns and No. 24 Iowa State survived a near-upset by the non-scholarship Bulldogs on Saturday, winning 27-24.

Brock Purdy had 153 yards passing and a TD and ran for another score for the Cyclones (8-4), who fought through persistent rain and a muddy, torn-up field for their seventh win in eight games.
It hardly felt like a victory, though, against a team that agreed to play this makeup game only two weeks ago, and Iowa State coach Matt Campbell blamed the close call on execution instead of effort.
“I don’t know that we played with great detail on a surface like that, where every inch matters,” Campbell said.

It was so muddy that Iowa State’s band wasn’t allowed to perform at halftime. Still, the Cyclones looked uninspired at best — and it might have made them less desirable when bowls make their picks on Sunday. “If it does, so be it. All we can be is us,” Campbell said.