Iowa State doomed by costly penalties, ill-timed mistakes in 31-24 home loss to Baylor

AMES — Iowa State coughed up two turnovers. Baylor lost zero. The Cyclones were whistled for a spate of ill-timed penalties in the first and third quarters. The Bears committed just three the entire game.

So Saturday’s Big 12 football opener for both teams provided ISU with its latest example of how devastating a lack of attention of detail can be, as No. 17 Baylor trotted off the field with a 31-24 triumph before an ornery early, but subdued late crowd of 58,069 at Jack Trice Stadium.

“The word’s momentum,” Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell said after his team (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) lost a conference home game for the first time since 2019. “From my end, we know this is a game of momentum and you always felt like we were fighting from behind.”

It felt that way because it’s true — and it lasted all game.

• ISU safety Beau Freyler was ejected for targeting with 13:06 left in the first quarter and an unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Colby Reeder compounded the Cyclones’ problems while fueling the Bears’ game-opening touchdown drive.

Campbell erupted on the sideline after the targeting call as well as a handful of others — including two no-calls — while cascades of boos descended from the stands.

“It’s unfortunate because I really felt we came out and played really well and we were physical,” Campbell said. “From my end, and again that’s being the coach and we’ll navigate this through the journey, but I don’t think those are right. And again, you work through it and you got through it, but I think it’s frustrating, but equally there’s some things we did that were frustrating today, too. We need to be better.”

• After ISU tied the score, 7-7, on Hunter Dekkers’ 2-yard touchdown pass to tailback Jirehl Brock, Baylor drove for a field goal, the Cyclones’ offense went three-and-out, and the Bears pushed their lead to 17-7 on quarterback Blake Shapen’s 1-yard touchdown pass to linebacker/fullback and former Iowa Hawkeye Dillon Doyle.

“I think (the game) showed we have a lot to fix,” Reeder said. “So we’ve just got to double down and go at it harder. It’s not going to get any easier. It’s just going to continue to get harder, so the way we respond is really going to define the rest of our season.”

• ISU scored the game’s final 10 points via Brock’s recovery of his own fumble in the end zone and Jace Gilbert’s 28-yard field goal with 55 seconds left, but the ensuing onside kick bounced Baylor’s way and the Bears (3-1, 1-0) ticked off the final seconds in victory formation to leave Ames with a win for the first time since 2016.

We’re really going to find out what kind of team we have,” said Brock, who rushed for 73 yards on 14 carries. “If you let this game define you, we’re not going to be any good. But if you let it move us in the right direction, we’ll be OK.”

Dekkers completed 23 of 36 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Xavier Hutchinson caught eight passes for 84 yards and Colorado transfer Dimitri Stanley recorded his first career touchdown catch in an ISU uniform.

But on a day when the Cyclones needed to play with poise and precision, ill-timed mistakes and mental lapses proved impossible to overcome, as usual.

“Here at Iowa State we’ve learned that you have to make the ball bounce your way,” Campbell said.

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