Kyle Kempt was a Cinderella story for Iowa State last season. The fifth-year senior had bounced around three schools and virtually never played. But he got his chance last October when Jacob Park suffered from off-the-field issues. Kempt made his debut in Norman and engineered a 38-31 upset of Oklahoma and went on to lead the Cyclones to an 8-5 season. Kempt threw 15 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
Then Iowa State hatched the plan of applying for a sixth season of eligibility for Kempt.
“That time was certainly nerve-wracking,” said ISU coach Matt Campbell. “I know we had gone in to our bowl prep with the expectation that Kyle wasn’t coming back.