AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State insisted on playing 12 games, cycling through a pair of FCS opponents before settling on tiny Drake.
That decision nearly resulted in the most embarrassing loss in school history.
David Montgomery ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns and No. 24 Iowa State survived a near-upset by the non-scholarship Bulldogs on Saturday, winning 27-24.
Brock Purdy had 153 yards passing and a TD and ran for another score for the Cyclones (8-4), who fought through persistent rain and a muddy, torn-up field for their seventh win in eight games.