(This article was updated to add new information)
Iowa State football can add a tick to the conference win column.
The Cyclones shut out Houston, 20-0, in their Big 12 opener and improved to 4-0 on the season on Saturday.
Rocco Becht threw for 153 yards and one touchdown. He completed 61% of his passes, with zero interceptions. Jayden Higgins was the leading receiver, totaling 79 yards and one score.
Abu Sama rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylon Jackson was close behind with 96 yards.
Kooper Ebel led the defense with nine tackles, including seven solo takedowns, as Iowa State shut out Houston. The Cyclones’ defense totaled 45 tackles and one sack while adding two interceptions, a broken-up pass and a forced fumble.
It took nearly eight minutes before either team put points on the board.
After driving down to Houston’s 5-yard line, the Cyclones’ drive stalled and Matt Campbell opted to kick. Kyle Konrardy sent a 23-yard attempt through the uprights. Iowa State took a 3-0 lead, and then the momentum stalled.
It wasn’t until late in the third quarter – with 2:16 left on the clock – that the Cyclones picked up their first touchdown.
Jackson took a 50-yard run to put Iowa State in the red zone. He added another four yards on the next play, then Becht threw an incompletion. The QB found Higgins on the next play, connecting on a 12-yard pass into the end zone.
That marked the sixth straight game with a Higgins touchdown.
With a 10-point lead, the offense slowed down again. Konrardy added another field goal in the fourth quarter, and Abu Sama scored his first touchdown of the season off a 77-yard run, set up by a turnover by the defense.
Late in the fourth quarter, Houston drove to Iowa State’s 24-yard line, the furthest the Cougars went at that point in the game. Donovan Smith attempted a pass to Stacy Sneed, but instead, it was Jontez Williams waiting in the end zone. He intercepted it, resulting in a touchback for Iowa State.
Jeremiah Cooper also got in on the pick party later in the game, intercepting Zeon Chriss, and the Cyclones continued running the ball – and running out the clock until it read all zeros.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
