Iowa State will try to hit the halfway mark of the 2025 regular season with an unblemished record.The Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12 play) need a win at Cincinnati to keep pace atop the Big 12 standings.Rocco Becht shaken up after taking big hit; Alex Manske replaces himRocco Becht was the victim of a pretty bad facemask penalty, and when he turned around after avoiding the sack, he was lit up by the next defender.Cincinnati was whistled for both facemask and targeting for the play. Becht is leaving the field.Cincinnati’s Simeon Coleman has been ejected for the targeting hit. Alex Manske is in at QB for the Cyclones.Cincinnati answers right backIowa State simply can’t stop the run right now.The Bearcats are up to 159 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, barely more than a quarter into the game.This time, it was capped off by an 18-yard rush by Evan Pryor.It’s 24-7, Cincinnati, with 13:40 to go before half.Cincinnati scoring drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:06Rocco Becht runs it in to get Iowa State on the boardGreat response by the Cyclones.Three plays, all of which gained 14+ yards, and Iowa State is in the end zone on a Rocco Becht keeper.It’s 17-7 after the PAT. 14:55 remains in the first half.Iowa State scoring drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:28End of first quarter: Cincinnati 17, Iowa State 0Not a lot of good news in that first quarter for the Cyclones, but Rocco Becht did find Brett Eskildsen for a 41-yard gain on the penultimate play of the quarter. The ensuing play was another chunk play — a 20-yard run to the left side by Abu Sama.Iowa State will open the second quarter at the Cincinnati 14-yard line.Cincinnati extends lead with touchdown passIowa State is in trouble.The Bearcats are now up 17-0 after a 70-yard scoring drive capped off by a 12-yard pass from Brendan Sorsby to Joe Royer.Sorsby is just 4-for-11, but he and the Bearcats running backs have combined for 130 rushing yards on 11 attempts.Cincinnati scoring drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:38Cyclones drive, but come up empty on fourth downA promising drive comes up empty.The Cyclones elected to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Cincinnati 30, and Rocco Becht couldn’t connect with Gabe Burkle. Reminder: Iowa State is without proven kicker Kyle Konrardy, so the Cyclone offense may be facing more fourth-down attempts.Abu Sama had a pair of good runs on that series, including an impressive hurdle over a defender during a 17-yard gain.Cincinnati settles for field goal after big playA 36-yard gain on third-and-10 kept the Cincinnati drive alive, but it stalled shortly after.Still, Cincinnati got into position for a Stephen Rusnak field goal. He drilled the 38-yard attempt to make it 10-0, Cincinnati, with 7:54 to play in the first quarter.Cincinnati scoring drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:05Cyclones forced to punt after short drive Iowa State picked up one first down on its opening series. A third-down penalty pushed them back to third-and-long, and Rocco Becht’s pass to Chase Sowell was behind.Cincinnati will have the ball at its own 18 after a fair catch.Cincinnati marches downfield for easy touchdownIowa State nearly had a chance to get off the field early, but a lineman jumped offside before a third-and-3 attempt to give Cincinnati a free set of downs.Brendan Sorsby hit Jeff Caldwell for a 21 yard gain, and Evan Pryor took a handoff up the middle for a 30-yard gain and a score.It’s 7-0 in favor of Cincinnati after less than 3 minutes.Cincinnati scoring drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:28Iowa State wins coin toss, defers to second halfThe Cincinnati offense will take the field first. We’ll keep you updated Saturday with every major development from the game.Cincinnati injury update: Dontay Corleone to be game-time decisionCincinnati defensive tackle Dontay Corleone appears close to a return.Corleone, a first-team All-Big 12 performer in 2024 and a former third-team All-American by the Associated Press, has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. He is listed as a game-time decision.Iowa State football at Cincinnati: How to watch and stream the gameWhen: 11 a.m. CT Saturday, October 4Where: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OhioTV: ESPN2Livestream: ESPN onlineCincinnati vs. Iowa State football series historyThis series began in 2023 when Cincinnati joined the Big 12. So far, it hasn’t troubled Iowa State. The Cyclones own a 2-0 record in the series.Iowa State won 30-10 on the road in 2023, thanks to 241 passing yards and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) by Rocco Becht.Iowa State also won the rematch last year. The Cyclones hosted Cincinnati on Nov. 16 and survived an early back-and-forth affair before pulling away in the second half for a 34-17 win.Tickets for Iowa State football at Cincinnati at Nippert StadiumCincinnati partners with Ticketmaster for tickets. You can find tickets here.What to know about Cincinnati footballCincinnati owns a 3-1 record this season. Its lone loss came back in August in a 20-17 defeat to Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.Since then, the Bearcats have looked much improved. Cincinnati jumped out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 34-20 win over Bowling Green, then followed that with a dominant 70-0 win over Northwestern State.Cincinnati also won its Big 12 opener last week. Thanks to a go-ahead touchdown in the final 30 seconds, the Bearcats won a shootout at Kansas, 37-34. QB Brendan Sorsby tallied 388 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the way.Sorsby has 10 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns this year. He’s also the leading rusher with 227 yards on the ground.Texas A&M transfer Cyrus Allen has developed into Sorsby’s favorite target, already leading the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (273) and touchdowns (5).Iowa State football injury report: Jontez Williams, Jeremiah Cooper both ruled out for the rest of 2025Bad news for the Iowa State secondary: both starting cornerbacks, Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper, will miss the rest of the 2025 season.AP Top 25: Cyclones stay put at No. 14Iowa State’s decisive win over Arizona didn’t seem to sway many voters. The Cyclones remained at No. 14 in the latest poll released Sunday.Stream KCCI’s ‘Big College Kickoff’ Saturday morningKCCI’s “Big College Kickoff” is back for a second season, and you can watch it live on Very Local at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday through Nov. 29.KCCI sports’ Jeff Dubrof will host, with Shannon Ehrhardt live from Iowa City or Ames each week.Very Local is a streaming channel that offers 24/7 access to KCCI news, weather, original series and more. Download the Very Local App for free on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or smartphone.Click here to learn more about Very Local.Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.Iowa State at Cincinnati football betting oddsCincinnati is a 1.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The total is listed as 53.5 points.» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

CINCINNATI —

Iowa State will try to hit the halfway mark of the 2025 regular season with an unblemished record.

The Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12 play) need a win at Cincinnati to keep pace atop the Big 12 standings.

Rocco Becht shaken up after taking big hit; Alex Manske replaces him

Rocco Becht was the victim of a pretty bad facemask penalty, and when he turned around after avoiding the sack, he was lit up by the next defender.

Cincinnati was whistled for both facemask and targeting for the play. Becht is leaving the field.

Cincinnati’s Simeon Coleman has been ejected for the targeting hit. Alex Manske is in at QB for the Cyclones.

Cincinnati answers right back

Iowa State simply can’t stop the run right now.

The Bearcats are up to 159 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, barely more than a quarter into the game.

This time, it was capped off by an 18-yard rush by Evan Pryor.

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It’s 24-7, Cincinnati, with 13:40 to go before half.

Cincinnati scoring drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:06

Rocco Becht runs it in to get Iowa State on the board

Great response by the Cyclones.

Three plays, all of which gained 14+ yards, and Iowa State is in the end zone on a Rocco Becht keeper.

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It’s 17-7 after the PAT. 14:55 remains in the first half.

Iowa State scoring drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:28

End of first quarter: Cincinnati 17, Iowa State 0

Not a lot of good news in that first quarter for the Cyclones, but Rocco Becht did find Brett Eskildsen for a 41-yard gain on the penultimate play of the quarter. The ensuing play was another chunk play — a 20-yard run to the left side by Abu Sama.

Iowa State will open the second quarter at the Cincinnati 14-yard line.

Cincinnati extends lead with touchdown pass

Iowa State is in trouble.

The Bearcats are now up 17-0 after a 70-yard scoring drive capped off by a 12-yard pass from Brendan Sorsby to Joe Royer.

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Sorsby is just 4-for-11, but he and the Bearcats running backs have combined for 130 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Cincinnati scoring drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:38

Cyclones drive, but come up empty on fourth down

A promising drive comes up empty.

The Cyclones elected to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Cincinnati 30, and Rocco Becht couldn’t connect with Gabe Burkle. Reminder: Iowa State is without proven kicker Kyle Konrardy, so the Cyclone offense may be facing more fourth-down attempts.

Abu Sama had a pair of good runs on that series, including an impressive hurdle over a defender during a 17-yard gain.

Cincinnati settles for field goal after big play

A 36-yard gain on third-and-10 kept the Cincinnati drive alive, but it stalled shortly after.

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Still, Cincinnati got into position for a Stephen Rusnak field goal. He drilled the 38-yard attempt to make it 10-0, Cincinnati, with 7:54 to play in the first quarter.

Cincinnati scoring drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:05

Cyclones forced to punt after short drive

Iowa State picked up one first down on its opening series. A third-down penalty pushed them back to third-and-long, and Rocco Becht’s pass to Chase Sowell was behind.

Cincinnati will have the ball at its own 18 after a fair catch.

Cincinnati marches downfield for easy touchdown

Iowa State nearly had a chance to get off the field early, but a lineman jumped offside before a third-and-3 attempt to give Cincinnati a free set of downs.

Brendan Sorsby hit Jeff Caldwell for a 21 yard gain, and Evan Pryor took a handoff up the middle for a 30-yard gain and a score.

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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

It’s 7-0 in favor of Cincinnati after less than 3 minutes.

Cincinnati scoring drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:28

Iowa State wins coin toss, defers to second half

The Cincinnati offense will take the field first.

We’ll keep you updated Saturday with every major development from the game.

Cincinnati injury update: Dontay Corleone to be game-time decision

Cincinnati defensive tackle Dontay Corleone appears close to a return.

Corleone, a first-team All-Big 12 performer in 2024 and a former third-team All-American by the Associated Press, has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. He is listed as a game-time decision.

When: 11 a.m. CT Saturday, October 4Where: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OhioTV: ESPN2Livestream: ESPN online

This series began in 2023 when Cincinnati joined the Big 12. So far, it hasn’t troubled Iowa State. The Cyclones own a 2-0 record in the series.

Iowa State won 30-10 on the road in 2023, thanks to 241 passing yards and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) by Rocco Becht.

Iowa State also won the rematch last year. The Cyclones hosted Cincinnati on Nov. 16 and survived an early back-and-forth affair before pulling away in the second half for a 34-17 win.

Cincinnati partners with Ticketmaster for tickets. You can find tickets here.

Cincinnati owns a 3-1 record this season. Its lone loss came back in August in a 20-17 defeat to Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Since then, the Bearcats have looked much improved. Cincinnati jumped out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 34-20 win over Bowling Green, then followed that with a dominant 70-0 win over Northwestern State.

Cincinnati also won its Big 12 opener last week. Thanks to a go-ahead touchdown in the final 30 seconds, the Bearcats won a shootout at Kansas, 37-34. QB Brendan Sorsby tallied 388 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the way.

Sorsby has 10 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns this year. He’s also the leading rusher with 227 yards on the ground.

Texas A&M transfer Cyrus Allen has developed into Sorsby’s favorite target, already leading the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (273) and touchdowns (5).

Bad news for the Iowa State secondary: both starting cornerbacks, Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper, will miss the rest of the 2025 season.

AP Top 25: Cyclones stay put at No. 14

Iowa State’s decisive win over Arizona didn’t seem to sway many voters. The Cyclones remained at No. 14 in the latest poll released Sunday.

Stream KCCI’s ‘Big College Kickoff’ Saturday morning

KCCI’s “Big College Kickoff” is back for a second season, and you can watch it live on Very Local at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday through Nov. 29.

KCCI sports’ Jeff Dubrof will host, with Shannon Ehrhardt live from Iowa City or Ames each week.

Very Local is a streaming channel that offers 24/7 access to KCCI news, weather, original series and more. Download the Very Local App for free on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or smartphone.

Click here to learn more about Very Local.

Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Cincinnati is a 1.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The total is listed as 53.5 points.

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