A late TD from No. 18 Iowa State proved to be the game-winner over No. 13 Miami in a thrilling Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday.
This one-yard TD run from Iowa State QB Rocco Becht capped off a 15-play, 84-yard drive and gave the Cyclones the 42-41 lead with 56 seconds remaining.
Becht was fantastic for Iowa State, completing 22 of his 36 pass attempts for 270 yards and three TDs.
At one point in the first half, the teams combined to score a TD on eight consecutive drives.
The two teams combined for 939 yards. Although Iowa State won the game, Miami outgained the Cyclones, 524-415, and had 308 yards on the ground.
Miami QB Cam Ward passed for 190 yards and three TDs in the first half, setting the record for the most TD passes in Division I history with 156. His second and third TD passes gave him 158 in his career.
This four-yard TD throw to Jacolby George gave Ward the passing TDs record and tied the game at 14 with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
After the sensational first-half performance, Ward, projected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, chose to sit out the entire second half. While some may question his decision to sit out after playing in the first half, he did at least showcase what he could do one final time and put his team in a position to win the game.
That decision did not help the Hurricanes in the second half. Nonetheless, Ward capped off a remarkable season with a record in the process.
While backup QB Emory Williams was only 5-for-14 for 26 yards with one interception, RB Damien Martinez kept the Hurricanes in the game with 14 carries for 179 yards and a TD.
Iowa State may have fallen short in the Big 12 title game in a blowout loss to then-No. 15 Arizona State, 45-19. However, the Cyclones had never produced a 10-win season in program history. With the victory over Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Iowa State finished the 2024 season with an 11-3 record.
Aside from Ward sitting out the second half, you could not ask for much more from the Pop-Tarts Bowl. It had 11 combined TDs, nearly 1,000 total yards, a late game-winner, and, of course, the edible mascot.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl simply had it all.
