����vlog

Iowa State ends the 2023 season at 7-6 after a disappointing showing from the defense and running game vs. Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. Watch the video above for a recap and highlights from the game.Liberty bowl score: Iowa State vs. Memphis updates, highlights and moreHere's how the game unfolded.Final: Memphis 36, Iowa State 26Despite a record-setting performance from Rocco Becht, Iowa State fell short.Rocco Becht sets Iowa State single-game passing recordThere's a new record for most passing yards by an Iowa State quarterback.Rocco Becht's 446 yards is an all-time record. Jayden Higgins' 214 receiving yards ties Todd Blythe for second-most by a Cyclone in one game.Iowa State gets ball back with under a minute leftThat Memphis drive didn't score any points, but after 17 plays and 73 yards, 9:13 of game time was chewed up.Iowa State needs 10 points in 42 seconds and is starting at its own 2-yard line. This is over, barring a miracle.Memphis drains clock with long driveIowa State scored a touchdown with 9:55 to go in the game.At this rate, the Cyclones might not get the ball back after that.Memphis converted a fourth-down inside the ISU 10-yard line with 2:24 to go, and ISU is forced to burn its timeouts to try and get one final shot with the ball. Memphis has eaten up more than 8:00 of game clock on this drive.Record watch: Rocco Becht, Jayden Higgins approach Iowa State all-time leadersLost in the chaos of this game has been the incredible individual performances by a pair of Iowa State's offensive skill players.Rocco Becht sits at 408 passing yards with part of the fourth quarter still to go. That's good for sixth all-time by a Cyclone, and less than 40 yards from the program record set by Austen Arnaud in 2008.Jayden Higgins' 191 receiving yards today is good for seventh in school history for a single game. He's less than 30 yards away from Tracy Henderson's record of 217, set back in 1984.Jaylin Noel and Rocco Becht connect for touchdown It's not over yet.A long drive was capped of by Jaylin Noel's 23-yard touchdown catch, but the 2-point conversion was unsuccessful. Memphis holds a 10-point lead with 9:55 to go.Iowa State scoring drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 1:57Memphis misses field goal; Iowa State stays aliveMemphis chewed up a lot of clock on that drive, but it ended with zero points after a 31-yard field goal attempt missed wide right.Iowa State takes over at its own 13-yard line, down 16 points with 11:52 to go.End of third quarter: Memphis 36, Iowa State 20The Tigers are driving — again — and have the ball at the Iowa State 20-yard line when the fourth quarter begins. ISU's defense will need to figure out a way to slow down the Tigers' passing game if it wants to get back in this game.Iowa State scores on crazy drive to cut into leadIowa State converted a third-and-26, and it wasn't even the longest play of the drive.After Carson Hansen's catch-and-run went for 35 yards on third-and-26, Becht found Jayden Higgins for a 40-yard gain and then Easton Dean for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 36-20. There's still 4:01 to go in the third, but Iowa State will need to get some stops.Iowa State scoring drive: 7 plays, 85 yards, 3:48Memphis strikes again with long touchdown catch-and-runOn third-and-8, Memphis' Sutton Smith turned a short catch into a long touchdown.Smith evaded three defenders and broke away down the left sideline for a 48-yard score. That makes it 36-13 with just under 8:00 to go in the third quarter. Iowa State needs a big break to get back into this.Memphis scoring drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:01Memphis takes over with great field position after short Iowa State punt Iowa State needs a big defensive stand to avoid making this ugly.After the offense went backward and was forced to punt, Memphis fielded a short kick and returned it to the 50-yard line. The Tigers take over at midfield with 9:00 to go in the third quarter, up by 16.Memphis extends lead with touchdown passAfter a 55-yard rush by running back Blake Watson put the Tigers inside the ISU 5-yard line, Seth Henigan fired a pass two plays later to Anthony Landphere for a score.It's 29-13 in favor of Memphis with 11:38 to go in the third.Henigan has diced up the ISU secondary for most of the game. He has 232 yards on 16-for-20 passing and three touchdowns.Memphis scoring drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:14Iowa State punts on opening drive of second halfThree plays, zero yards and less than one minute later, Iowa State has punted away to open the second half.Memphis takes over at its own 35 after a fair catch.Halftime: Memphis 22, Iowa State 13An entertaining, back-and-forth first half ends with a 9-point lead for Memphis.The Tigers outgained the Cyclones, 285-243. Iowa State will receive the second-half kickoff after the break.Watch: Memphis pulls out a fake kneeldown trick playYou don't see that play every game.With just 35 seconds on the clock before halftime, Memphis lined up for what appeared to be a kneeldown. Instead, Tigers running back Blake Watson took off down the left sideline for a gain of 21.And it made a big difference. Kicker Tanner Gillis drilled the 49-yard kick as time expired.Chase Contreraz hits 39-yard field goal before halftimeIt's not quite the touchdown ISU wanted, but the Cyclones did get on the board before halftime with a 39-yard kick from Chase Contreraz.Rocco Becht found tight end Benjamin Brahmer for a big conversion on third-and-15 to get Iowa State into field goal range. It's now 19-13, Memphis.Memphis gets the ball back with 35 seconds before halftime.Iowa State scoring drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 1:09Iowa State defense gets key fourth-down stopAfter a terrible first quarter, the Cyclone defense has fully arrived in the second.Iowa State will have solid starting field position for what is likely its last possession of the half after the defense got a big stop on fourth-and-2. The offense takes over at its own 37 with all three timeouts and 1:44 on the clock.The Cyclones will receive the second-half opening kickoff, so a score before half would put them in a position to potentially take the lead early in the third quarter.Iowa State trims lead with Chase Contreraz field goalA huge pass to Jayden Higgins for 53 yards got the Cyclones into the red zone, but the drive ultimately stalled deep in Memphis territory.Chase Contreraz drilled a chip shot from 22 yards out to make it 19-10 with 6:19 to go before halftime.That kick from Contreraz ties the Iowa State program record for most made field goals in a season, with 20.Iowa State scoring drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:03Cyclone defense forces three-and-outIowa State forced a punt after just three Memphis plays, and the Cyclones will take over at their own 29-yard line with a chance to make it a one-score game.Iowa State answers with Jayden Higgins touchdownIowa State is on the board.A methodical drive saw the Cyclones move down the field 75 yards and find the end zone on a 29-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Jayden Higgins. That makes it 19-7 in favor of Memphis with 11:25 to go before halftime.Iowa State scoring drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:05End of first quarter: Memphis 19, Iowa State 0That was a nightmare of a first quarter for Iowa State, which trails by three scores after just 15 minutes.The Cyclones were outgained 205 to 73 and had no answers for the Memphis passing attack, which has 172 yards on just 10 attempts.Former Cyclone Joseph Scates catches long touchdown to extend Memphis leadThings are going from bad to worse for Iowa State.Former Cyclone wide receiver Joseph Scates beat the secondary over the top and QB Seth Henigan hit him perfectly in stride for a score, Memphis' third of the first quarter. Memphis' 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, making it 19-0.Henigan has 172 passing yards and two touchdowns already. Remember, it's still the first quarter.Memphis scoring drive: 4 plays, 84 yards, 2:15Iowa State forced to puntIowa State did enough to get out of the shadow of its own end zone, but the drive ultimately stalled before midfield.Memphis takes over at its own 16-yard line after a punt by Tyler Perkins. The Tigers still hold a 13-0 lead late in the first quarter.Cyclones start second drive at own 4-yard lineAn untimely holding call on the kick return will push Iowa State inside its own 5-yard line to begin the second drive of the game.Seth Henigan adds to Memphis lead with rushing touchdownAfter a clutch fourth-down conversion, Memphis QB Seth Henigan ran it in from 11 yards out to pad the Tigers' lead. That makes it 13-0 after a successful extra point.Memphis scoring drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 5:00Cyclones' first drive comes up emptyThings didn't go much better for Iowa State's offense on its first drive.Rocco Becht was stuffed on fourth-and-1 near midfield for a turnover on downs, and Memphis will take over at the ISU 46-yard line with just under 11 minutes to go in the first quarter.Memphis strikes first on long touchdown passWell, that didn't take long.A depleted ISU secondary gave up a third-down touchdown bomb from Seth Henigan to DeMeer Blankumsee, who ran 70 yards for the score.Memphis' extra point attempt missed wide, making it 6-0 Memphis after just over a minute of game time.Memphis scoring drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:19Iowa State wins coin toss, defers to second halfMemphis begins the Liberty Bowl on offense at its own 25 after the Cyclones chose to receive in the second half. Here we go.Abu Sama in line for a big day vs. Memphis?Coming off an historic 276-yard rushing game vs. Kansas State in Iowa State's regular-season finale, true freshman Abu Sama cemented himself as the Cyclones' go-to back.How will he fare against a porous Memphis rush defense that has given up 4.7 yards per carry this year?Iowa State football fans flock to Memphis for Liberty BowlIs it any surprise that Iowa State fans are making the most of their trip to Memphis?Jeff Dubrof caught up with some fans Thursday who made the trip to the bowl game. Bowl pick 'em: Do college football experts think the Cyclones will win the Liberty Bowl?See what the experts have to say about Iowa State's chances here.How to watch Iowa State vs. Memphis in the 2023 Liberty BowlWhen: 2:30 p.m. CT, Friday, Dec. 29Where: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TennesseeTV: ESPNLivestream: Watch ESPN (with cable subscription)Online radio: Cyclone Radio NetworkT.J. Tampa opts out of Liberty BowlThe Cyclone defense will be without arguably its best player Friday.Cornerback T.J. Tampa opted out of the game, instead focusing on preparing for next year's NFL Draft. Tampa ranks 95th overall in CBS Sports' NFL Draft prospect rankings.Tampa was a third-team AP All-American this season.Iowa State vs. Memphis series historyWhile these programs have only ever met one time, there is still some relevant history connecting to Friday's matchup.Iowa State took down Memphis 21-20 back in 2017, in this same bowl game at this same stadium. That 2017 victory was Iowa State's first bowl game under then-second year head coach Matt Campbell.David Montgomery led Iowa State on the ground that day with 52 rushing yards, while Kyle Kempt (314 passing yards) hooked up with Allen Lazard and Hakeem Butler for a pair of touchdowns. Joel Lanning added a score on the ground to go along with four tackles at linebacker.Lazard, who finished with game-highs of 10 catches, 142 yards and a go-ahead touchdown, was named the game's MVP.Past Liberty Bowl winners, scores2022: Arkansas 55, Kansas 53 (3OT)2021: Texas Tech 34, Mississippi State 72020: West Virginia 24, Army 212019: Navy 20, Kansas State 172018: Oklahoma State 38, Missouri 332017: Iowa State 21, Memphis 202016: Georgia 31, TCU 232015: Arkansas 45, Kansas State 232014: Texas A&M 45, West Virginia 372013: Mississippi State 44, Rice 72012: Tulsa 31, Iowa State 17Iowa State football bowl game results, scoresIowa State has played in 17 bowl games since 1971 — not counting this year's Liberty Bowl — holding a 5-12 record. ISU's wins are highlighted in bold.2021 Cheez-It Bowl: Clemson 20, Iowa State 132020 Fiesta Bowl: Iowa State 34, Oregon 172019 Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame 33, Iowa State 92018 Alamo Bowl: Washington State 28, Iowa State 262017 Liberty Bowl: Iowa State 21, Memphis 202012 Liberty Bowl: Tulsa 31, Iowa State 172011 Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers 27, Iowa State 132009 Insight Bowl: Iowa State 14, Minnesota 132005 Houston Bowl: TCU 27, Iowa State 242004 Independence Bowl: Iowa State 17, Miami (OH) 132002 Humanitarian Bowl: Boise State 34, Iowa State 162001 Independence Bowl: Alabama 14, Iowa State 132000 Insight Bowl: Iowa State 37, Pittsburgh 291978 Hall of Fame Classic: Texas A&M 28, Iowa State 121977 Peach Bowl: North Carolina State 24, Iowa State 141972 Liberty Bowl: Georgia Tech 31, Iowa State 301971 Sun Bowl: LSU 33, Iowa State 15