It had been 673 days since the Iowa State football team last beat a Big 12 opponent. On that day, Nov. 30, 2013, the Cyclones needed three overtimes to top West Virginia, 52-44.
On Saturday, ISU relieved its fans of anything remotely resembling that kind of stress. The Cyclones put a beating on the basement-dwelling Jayhawks, winning 38-13 in front of 55,837 at Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones (2-2, 1-0 Big 12) scored the game’s first 24 points, which included consecutive touchdown drives just before half. Quarterback Sam Richardson found the end zone on a 4-yard run, and then hit Allen Lazard for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds before the half, capping a 7-play, 73-yard drive that lasted just a minute and 19 seconds.