AMES, Iowa — Moments after No. 12 Iowa State finished a 42-6 rout of West Virginia on Saturday, Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said he walked into a subdued locker room.
“Obviously, this team is very proud of what they were able to do,” Campbell said, “but there’s also a sense of understanding there’s more football to be played.”
The Cyclones (8-2, 8-1, No. 9 in the CFP) will make their first appearance in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 19 after finishing the regular season alone in first place.
Brock Purdy completed 20 of 23 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns and was the catalyst for an offense that finished with 483 total yards against the Big 12’s top defense.
“I think I’m just playing my game, as far as not overthinking things,” Purdy said. “Just understanding what the defense does and what our play is, and getting the ball accurately to my guys.”
The Cyclones were assured a spot in the conference title game when TCU finished its win over Oklahoma State about the same time as Iowa State kicked off against the Mountaineers (5-4, 4-4).
The Cyclones scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. West Virginia didn’t score until Tyler Sumpter made a 32-yard field goal with 12 minutes left.
Big 12 rushing leader Breece Hall outplayed No. 2 rusher Leddie Brown. Hall scored twice, ran for 97 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 56. Brown had just 48 yards on 14 carries and caught four balls for 18.
Two weeks after shutting out Kansas State, the Cyclones turned in another stellar defensive performance. They held the
Mountaineers to 263 yards, marking the third straight year they’ve kept West Virginia under 300.
Reaching the championship game marks another milestone for Campbell, in his fifth season with the Cyclones. He took over a program that has not won a conference title in football since it was co-champion of the old Missouri Valley Conference in 1912.
Iowa State’s opponent in the Big 12 title game will be No. 13 Oklahoma if the Sooners beat Baylor on Saturday night or West Virginia next week. Texas would be Iowa State’s opponent if it wins at Kansas next week and Oklahoma loses twice. Iowa State beat both Oklahoma and Texas this year.
The Cyclones’ eight conference wins are the most in program history, and their 31-18 record the last four seasons is the best four-year stretch in the modern era that started in 1928.
“It’s special, that’s for sure, because of where Iowa State has been,” Purdy said. “We don’t want to just get there. We want to win it.”
West Virginia never recovered after falling behind early.
“We’ve been in every contest until the end of the game,” Mountaineers coach Neal Brown said. “That was definitely not the case. I don’t know if we were in this game past the first quarter, and they soundly beat us.”
