GLENDALE, Ariz. – Iowa State had a season of highs in the dark days of a pandemic. The Cyclones capped it with a dominating performance in one of college football’s brightest spotlights.
Breece Hall ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns, Brock Purdy accounted for two scores and the Cyclones grinded out a 34-17 victory over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.
“Life has been really hard for our society, really since March,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “Through dark and trying times, this team has been a beacon of hope for a lot. This team has grown and gotten better when things maybe say the other way.”
Big 12 runner-up Iowa State (9-3), which was 10th in the final College Football Playoff rankings, used its ball-control approach to dominate the time of possession and keep Oregon’s offense off the field for long stretches to win their first New Year’s Six bowl.
Hall, an AP All-American, had 34 carries and his ninth 100-yard game this season. Purdy, who went to high school in nearby Gilbert, threw for 156 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-29 passing, adding a touchdown on the ground.
Iowa State had a time of possession advantage of more than 25 minutes to cap the best season in school history.
“We’re a tough team,” Purdy said. “We’ve faced so much the past couple of years. We have a lot of great leaders and experienced guys who have been there and understand this is what we’ve got to do to take it to the next level. I feel like that’s what we’ve done this year.”
Pac-12 winner Oregon (4-3), 25th in the final playoff rankings, alternated between Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown at quarterback, but the Ducks couldn’t sustain anything on offense and were plagued by numerous mistakes as they lost two fumbles, an interception and a pooch kick. They also turned it over when a punt hit a blocker’s helmet, and they had a touchdown wiped out by a penalty.
“Obviously, we didn’t play up to our standards,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “It’s a game of execution, and in critical situations, we didn’t coach well enough or play well enough.”
Iowa State took a methodical offensive approach, scoring its first two touchdowns on drives of 14 and 15 plays. Hall scored for the 12th straight game on a 1-yard run, and Charlie Kolar caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Purdy.
The Cyclones were stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the second quarter, but they went right back to marching on Oregon’s defense. Purdy scored on a 1-yard run, and Hall made it 28-14 with a 1-yard run after Iowa State recovered a pooch kick.
The Cyclones bogged down in the second half, settling for two field goals by Connor Assalley, but they maintained their ball-control advantage and shut down Oregon’s offense.
“We didn’t go into the game saying we’re going to each up as much clock as we can, but that’s really how the game turned out for us,” Purdy said.
The Ducks won their second straight Pac-12 title after Washington had to pull out of the league championship game, with Oregon topping previously unbeaten Southern California to earn its second straight trip to a major bowl.
Oregon had some early offensive success against the Cyclones, scoring on touchdown runs of 6 and 16 yards by Brown. The Ducks moved the ball late in the first half, but a 27-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Mycah Pittman was wiped out by a holding penalty. Henry Katleman’s 47-yard field goal pulled them within 28-17.
Shough returned for several plays in the second half, but neither he nor Brown could get much going. Oregon had 88 yards of offense in the second half, and Shough’s pass was intercepted by Mike Rose late in the fourth quarter.
“They played exactly the way we expected to, and we just didn’t execute,” said Shough, who threw for 79 yards on 7-of-9 passing. “That’s what it comes down to.”
Oregon has one of the youngest teams in the country this season and should get nearly everyone back next year.
Hall is a sophomore and will be back, and Purdy said he will come back for his senior season. Iowa State will have to replace several key players on defense, but Rose is just a junior.