ORLANDO – The Miami Hurricanes and Iowa State Cyclones engaged in a shootout in the Pop Tarts Bowl on Saturday (Dec. 28). That game ended with Miami losing a 42-41 decision to Iowa State in the final seconds. Needing a late stand at the goal line to maintain their 41-35 lead, the Cane defense was able to secure the win.

But after four tries, the Cyclones (final record 11-3; most wins in school history) crossed the end zone on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht with 56 seconds left, tying the game at 12 41:41 out. An extra point from freshman kicker Kyle Konrardy (6 of 6 in PATs) would give Iowa State a one-point lead.

However, the game wasn’t decided until the final buzzer, when Miami quarterback Emory Williams attempted a Hail Mary, which Iowa State sophomore defensive back Drew Surges blocked at his team’s own 10-yard line.

The Canes (final record: 10-3) lost their sixth straight bowl game, dating back to 2017. It’s the second time this has happened in program history, with their first bowl losing streak spanning six games from 2008 to 2015. And since 2006-2016, they’ve won just one bowl game, a 31-14 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers scored in the Russell Athletic Bowl at Camping World Stadium.

The Canes were in a great position to win this game as they held a lead for most of the second half. However, their defense failed to get the stops needed to hold on as they failed to force the Cyclones into turnovers. Additionally, Miami’s offense committed three turnovers in this bowl game, which contributed significantly to the result.

On the very first play of the game, the ball was launched too high for junior running back Damien Martinez to catch. As a result, Miami lost a fumble at its own 22-yard line, giving Iowa State a great chance to open the scoring. Becht (22 of 36, 270 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions) engineered a seven-play, 22-yard drive to find tight end Gabe Burkle for a 9-yard touchdown pass in tight double coverage. This would give Iowa State a 7-0 lead at 11:23. Miami struck right back with an electrifying 75-yard touchdown run from junior running back Martinez. The offensive linemen and receivers were all in unison as they blocked Martinez from exploding for a wide-open shot, and it remained untouched all the way to the end zone.

The game was tied 7-7 with 11:10 left in the first quarter. Iowa State took the lead right back to 14-7 on its next drive when sophomore running back Carson Hansen (16 carries, 82 yards, two touchdowns; 13-yard touchdown catch) took the heart of Miami’s defense for a 30-yard score. Breakthrough yardage run en route to the end zone at 8:34.

But Miami wasn’t on the ground for long, as record-setting and departing senior quarterback Cam Ward or wide receiver Jacolby George scored a 4-yard touchdown loft with 4:12 left. With the touchdown pass, Ward became the FBS all-time leader in touchdown passes with 156, breaking the record previously set by Case Keenum (Houston).

With the game tied 14-14, Iowa State came back to take back the lead. Becht found senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel (eight receptions, 117 yards, one touchdown) in the slot for a 49-yard pass in a double move at 2:35. The referees initially ruled Noel’s play a touchdown, but overturned it when he was tackled to the ground at the Miami 1-yard line. Moments later, Iowa State took the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hanson down the middle of the field with seven Cyclones on top at 2:23.

At the end of the first quarter, Iowa State led Miami 21-14. With 13:33 remaining in the second quarter, Ward advanced downfield and found freshman wide receiver Joshisa Trader (three receptions, 61 yards, one touchdown) for a 40-yard scoring pass.

The game would be tied 21-21. Becht kept rolling while putting together a seven-play, 75-yard drive that lasted nearly three minutes after halftime. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Hanson gave Iowa State a 28-21 lead over Miami with 10:43 left. On the Canes’ next offensive series, Martinez beat several Cyclones defenders en route to a 31-yard run to the opponent’s 33-yard line. And then, on the next play, Ward found junior tight end Elijah Arroyo (four receptions, 64 yards) for a 33-yard scoring pass, tying the score to 28-28 with 9:25 left. Miami would take a 31-28 halftime lead over Iowa State thanks to a 30-yard field goal made by senior kicker Andres Borregales with 16 seconds left.

Miami gained a total of 358 yards in the first two quarters. Ward completed 12 of 19 passes for 190 yards, while Martinez led the Canes with seven carries for 132 yards (18.9 yards per carry). However, Miami committed two turnovers in the first half, which helped Iowa State gain some of its 267 yards and score some of its 28 points.

Becht completed 14 of 22 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the highest-scoring first half since the 2019 Peach Bowl. The Canes relied heavily on their strong ground game early in the third quarter. They got crucial runs from sophomore running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who ran for a 20-yard run that put his team in a first-and-goal situation. Then Fletcher ran the ball from the Cyclone’s 9-yard line on three consecutive plays, including a 1-yard touchdown run that extended the Cane’s lead to 38-28 with 8:09 left.

That scoring drive, which gave the Canes their first double-digit lead, lasted 10 plays and 71 yards. It lasted about six minutes as all but one of the players were on the ground. But the Cyclones wouldn’t go away, as Becht led his team down the field on the next offensive series. They led a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took more than four minutes and increased the Canes’ lead to 38-35 thanks to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Noel with 2:20 left reduced.

From then on, it was decided that Ward would not play for the remainder of the Pop-Tarts Bowl. This marked the end of Ward’s historic season with the Canes, as he passed for a season-high 4,313 yards and 39 touchdown passes in 13 games. And with that, Canes backup quarterback Williams would officially take over for the remainder of the game. He led an offensive possession highlighted by the Canes’ first fake punt of the season late in the third quarter, a 28-yard gain by Elija Lofton.

The 14-play, 72-yard drive lasted nearly eight minutes as Borregales hit a 21-yard field goal to extend the lead to 41-35 with 9:40 left. Both teams then exchanged punts.

But with 6:32 left in the game, Iowa State was looking for the win as it needed to score on its own 16-yard drive. They used a mix of runs and passes to get down the field, including a 29-yard shot from Becht to Noel as they reached the Miami 17-yard line with 2:52 left.

A few plays later, Becht found an open Noel for another 13 yards to the Miami 4-yard line with 2:03 left. Now, in a goal-to-go situation, Miami would be looking to hold on second-and-goal with 1:52 left, giving Iowa State a new set of four to work with.

From that point on, the result was no longer in Miami’s favor.

BOWL GAME NOTES

The Canes got a remarkable outing from Martinez, who finished with 14 carries for a program bowl record 179 yards and a touchdown. Their running game was powerful as they combined for five runners for 308 yards and two touchdowns. The Canes’ offense gained 524 yards and had 24 first downs.