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Tough enough: Defense makes its stand to turn away Cyclones, 20-16

Related Topics: West Virginia, Justin Crawford

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No. 15 Iowa State nearly dug out of a 20-point hole but West Virginia’s injury-riddled defense made a series of late stops in a 20-16 win on Saturday.

Though the Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) entered as two-point favorites, the win had an upset feel given the Cyclones’ terrific October.

With David Montgomery rushing for 115 yards, Iowa State (6-3, 4-2) scored the game’s final 16 points, but couldn’t finish the comeback while twice settling for field goals inside the West Virginia 10-yard line.

It marked a stark turnaround for a Mountaineers defense that started the weekend ranked 115th in the FBS.