ISU notes: Cyclones follow trend, outscored by 24 in second half

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Four times this season Iowa State had chances to win close games late and finally get over the hump. It watched each one of them slip away.

After blowing a 21-point lead to Kansas State, the trend of being outscored 93-23 against Iowa, Toledo, Oklahoma State and the Wildcats after halftime has become dangerously normal.

The inability to close out tight games flipped the script on what could have been a turnaround season for the Cyclones.

'You can't expect a defense to make a stop every single down or every single series that they're out there,” said quarterback Joel Lanning. 'Really we only needed to put one drive together and put points on the board and we probably could have put them away. We didn't do that and the defense went out there and battled, got us the ball back and we just made mistakes offensively.”

Saturday's 38-35 loss to Kansas State gave Iowa State its eighth-straight loss to the Wildcats (4-6, 1-6) and gave coach Paul Rhoads an 0-7 mark in the series. Six of the last seven matchups have been decided by eight points or less, but the Cyclones' (3-8, 2-6) costly turnovers inside two minutes and the inability to keep their defense off the field hurt second-half productivity.

Kansas State lulled Iowa State to sleep in the third quarter and controlled time of possession 10:03 in the period. Both KSU drives that originated in the third quarter - one lasted two minutes into the fourth quarter - resulted in touchdowns.

'We just came out flat those first couple drives to open the second half and Coach was preaching all halftime that we need to come out second half and even though we were up 21 we still need to come out aggressive and play to win, not play to lose,” said linebacker Luke Knott. 'As a defense it kind of took us a couple drives to get our feet going and ready to play to win.”

Iowa State reached the opposing 31-yard line on its lone third-quarter drive, but Lanning was stopped a yard short on a fourth-and-one keeper. Two punts and three fumbles was all the ISU offense produced in the fourth quarter, allowing the Wildcats to score 10 points for the win in the last minute.

'It's just full concentration on every play,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said of the late fumbles. 'Lot of times I refer to it as urgency. You've to go be urgent all the time and mentally and physically executing the job. (Lanning) was a little careless with the ball and he was scrambling and got caught a little too careless.”

Warren hobbled in loss, Ryen knocked out

Running back Mike Warren came up limping after his second fumble late in the fourth quarter Saturday.

Warren rushed for 195 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, but was shaken up after he fumbled inside the last minute-and-a-half. He walked with assistance from the field to the ISU locker room after the game, but ISU coach Paul Rhoads said he had no update on Warren's condition.

Running back Trever Ryen was injured early in the second quarter on a punt return and did not return to the game. Ryen returned to the ISU sideline in street clothes in the second half, although his condition hasn't been announced.

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