Iowa State football brought in some talent on Saturday.

The Cyclones landed two wide receivers from the NCAA transfer portal in Chase Sowell (East Carolina) and Xavier Townsend (UCF).

They both have two years of eligibility remaining.

Here’s some information on the two newcomers:

More: How many Iowa State football players are in transfer portal? A complete list (so far)

Chase Sowell stats

• 2024 (9 games): 34 catches, 678 yards, 3 TDs
• 2023 (11 games): 47 catches, 622 yards, 1 TD
• 2022 (1 game): 2 catches, 23 yards

The 6-4, 195-pound wideout enjoyed his best career season in 2024 despite missing three games due to injury, according to 247Sports.

Most impressively, he increased his average yards per reception by 6.7 to 19.9, indicating he can be a big-play threat for the Cyclones.

His best stretch in 2024 came in the middle of the season in back-to-back games against Temple and Army, in which Sowell combined for 11 catches and 255 yards with two scores.

More: Iowa State football: Cyclones things to know as transfer portal opens

Xavier Townsend stats

• 2024 (4 games): 10 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD
• 2023 (10 games): 31 catches, 316 yards, 3 TDs
• 2022 (8 games): 16 catches, 102 yards

The 5-11, 185-pound wideout sat out the final eight games of 2024 in order to retain his eligibility, according to ESPN.

Across the first four games, Townsend’s best performance was the season opener with four catches for 50 yards against Colorado.

Associated Press

Montana Grizzlies (7-4) at Northern Iowa Panthers (6-4, 1-0 MVC)

Cedar Falls, Iowa; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Montana plays Northern Iowa after Joe Pridgen scored 21 points in Montana’s 89-60 win against the Montana Tech Orediggers.

The Panthers are 5-1 in home games. Northern Iowa ranks fifth in the MVC with 34.8 points per game in the paint led by Tytan Anderson averaging 7.0.

The Grizzlies have gone 0-4 away from home. Montana ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 13.8 assists per game led by Brandon Whitney averaging 3.0.

Northern Iowa makes 51.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.7 percentage points higher than Montana has allowed to its opponents (42.9%). Montana scores 12.9 more points per game (77.3) than Northern Iowa allows to opponents (64.4).

TOP PERFORMERS: Anderson is scoring 13.0 points per game and averaging 6.0 rebounds for the Panthers.

Money Williams averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Grizzlies, scoring 13.9 points while shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

A severe ice storm swept across Iowa and eastern Nebraska this weekend, creating hazardous travel conditions and causing chaos across the region. The storm forced the temporary closure of Interstate 80 highway after cars and trucks started to slide off the icy roads.
The icy conditions, which began Friday evening, have claimed at least one life in eastern Nebraska. A 57-year-old woman lost control of her pickup truck on Highway 30 near Arlington, colliding with an oncoming truck. The other driver suffered minor injuries, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s office.
“Luckily, some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary,” said Dave Cousins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport, Iowa. Temperatures rose on Saturday afternoon, melting the ice in many areas.
Meanwhile, California faced a rare tornado warning in San Francisco and nearby San Mateo County. The warning, issued early Saturday morning, was lifted within 20 minutes. Later that day, a tornado struck Scotts Valley, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, overturning cars, toppling trees, and damaging power lines and buildings. The city last experienced a tornado in 2005, though Meteorologist Roger Gass noted the warning system may have missed it back then.
“Based on video, photos, firsthand accounts, and radar signatures, a tornado occurred (at) 1.40 pm,” confirmed the National Weather Service. Images showed vehicles overturned and significant damage to the area. Several people were injured and hospitalised, including a battalion chief with the California department of forestry and fire protection.
Heavy snow blanketed upstate New York, with 33 inches reported near Orchard Park. In Nevada, parts of the Sierra Nevada saw up to 3 feet of snow, while winds gusted up to 112 mph at Mammoth Mountain resort. Avalanche warnings remained in effect for high elevations near Lake Tahoe.
Western Washington faced widespread power outages on Saturday due to rain and high winds, leaving tens of thousands without electricity.