The game did not start out the way Neal Brown or the Mountaineers envisioned. A three and out by the offense led to a huge run by Breece Hall as the Iowa State Cyclones took a 7-0 lead early and it looked like another blow out loss. This is where things got interesting as the offense, in what looks to be a complete reversal, looked functional. Quarterback Jarret Doege looked sharp on out breaking routes and moved down the field and Leddie Brown would find paydirt to tie the game at 7.
The defense, rejuvenated by an offense capable of picking it up when it made mistakes, started getting after the Cyclones and forced a three-and-out.