The Iowa State football team is in desperate need of a win.

After working to the top of the Big 12 following seven consecutive wins to begin the year, the Cyclones now sit at 7-2 as they host Cincinnati Saturday night in Ames, Iowa. The odds are in favor of Matt Campbell and ISU, as they are 7-point favorites vs. the Bearcats.

Follow our live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights from the Iowa State vs. Cincinnati matchup:

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Field goal Cincinnati: The Bearcats march down into ISU’s red zone but the Cyclone defense comes up, forcing a successful field goal of 29 yards by Nathan Hawks to make it 10-7 Cincinnati. Sorsby had a big 41-yard run on an option play but penalties – the Bearcats have been flagged six times already – have been an issue. Something to watch as the game moves forward is the playing surface. Both teams have had trouble with slipping, as the field appears to be getting ripped up quite a bit. 

A very fast played first quarter, as Cincinnati had 113 yards of total offense and recorded five first downs to 47 yards and two by the Cyclones. The Bearcats had the ball for almost 10 minutes, as Sorsby was 6-for-7 for 55 yards.

End of first quarter: Iowa State 7, Cincinnati 7

Iowa State Touchdown! Carson Hansen took advantage of a Cincinnati flag to get the Cyclones on the board from two yards out, making it 7-7 with 1:53 left in the first. After a 28-yard punt return by Jaylin Noel set Iowa State up in Bearcat territory, Rocco Becht found Gabe Burkle on a 32-yard strike. Cincinnati’s Jordan Young was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, resulting in first-and-goal from the 2. 

Iowa State gives backup QB a run: Connor Moberly, who this time last year was leading Southeast Polk to another Iowa state football championship, got his first action since late in September. Moberly came on to handle a designed quarterback run, picking up five yards. The first Iowa State possession, though, stalled out after a sack by Jared Bartlett.

Touchdown Cincinnati: The Bearcats get on the board first with an old-school option play. Brendan Sorsby, the talented dual-threat QB for Cincinnati, led the Bearcats down the field for a 7-0 lead with 9:56 left. He picked up 14 yards on third-and-14, and the offense stayed on the field to pick up the first-down by Sorsby again. Following a big pass play from Sorsby to Tony Johnson for 23 yards, Evan Pryor would take an option pitch from Sorsby and go in untouched. Sorsby had 62 yards of total offense on the drive.

Iowa State wins the toss and elects to defer to the second half. Cincinatti will start with the ball.

The Iowa State vs. Cincinnati game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. CT. The weather in Ames is currently in the 50s with the temperature expected to drop throughout the night. There are steady winds out of the South with high humidity but no expected rainfall. 

Some good news for Cyclone fans, as Tim Brando and Devin Gardner, on the call for FOX, are 2-0 while covering Iowa State this season. Gardner is a former Michigan quarterback.

* Scouting the opponent: Get to know QB Brendan Sorsby

* Latest college football playoff rankings

* What Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield had to say about Cyclones

* Updated bowl projections for Iowa State, rest of Big 12

* Pair of ISU verbals compete in state football semifinals in Iowa

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Multi-time Iowa high school state champion Grace Hoeper has signed on to swim for Indiana beginning in the fall of 2025. The Solon, Iowa native races for Iowa City High School and her club team the Iowa City Flyers. When she verbally committed to the Hoosiers, Hoeper wrote:

I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to Indiana University to further my academic and athletic career! I want to thank my family, coaches, and teammates for getting me to where I am. I can’t wait for what’s next! Go Hoosiers!!! ❤️🤍

Most recently, Hoeper won the 50 and 100 freestyle (23.34/50.95) at the IGHSAU Regional Swim Meet, setting her up to defend her 2023 state titles in both events this month. She also won the 100 and 200 freestyle (51.18/1:53.08) at the MVC Conference Championships at the end of October. Her 50 freestyle time from this past weekend is faster than she went to claim her 2023 state title (23.44).

Since winning her state titles last year, Hoeper has improved both her 50 and 100 freestyle lifetime bests, clocking a 23.01 at the February Iowa SC Championships and 49.79 at the Speedo Winter Juniors – West in December 2023.

She projects as a classic 50/100/200 freestyler but also could develop in butterfly and the 200 IM.

Best Times (SCY):

• 50 free: 23.01
• 100 free: 49.79
• 200 free: 1:48.67
• 100 fly: 55.80
• 200 fly: 2:02.58
• 200 IM: 2:06.79

In addition to qualifying for Winter Juniors, Hoeper competed at the long-course 2023 Junior Nationals, competing in the 50 and 100 freestyle. This summer, she raced at the Speedo Summer Championships, with her highest finish coming from a season-best 26.41 50 freestyle for 27th place.

With her times in the 50/100/200 freestyle, Indiana is surely hoping the Hoeper will play a role in their relays as well as contribute in her individual events. Hoeper’s current lifetime bests in the 100 and 200 freestyle would make the ‘C’ final at the 2024 Women’s Big Ten Championships, where the Hoosiers won the 400 freestyle relay to win the conference championship by half a point.

Hoeper joins Kaylee Bishop, Colleen Bull, Kamile Zinis, Liberty Clark, and Luci Gutierrez as part of the Hoosier women’s 2025 recruiting class.

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AMES, Iowa (AP) – Cincinnati (5-4, 3-3) and Iowa State (7-2, 4-2) go into their game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday coming off two straight losses.

Cincinnati needs to win one of its last three games to achieve bowl-eligibility for the first time under second-year coach Scott Satterfield. Iowa State will try to give ninth-year coach Matt Campbell an eighth win for the fourth time. The Cyclones would be all but out of the Big 12 race with a third straight loss.

GAME INFO

• WHERE: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
• WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16
• WATCH: FOX
• LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network
• VEGAS ODDS: Cincinnati +7.5, O/U 52.5

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa State defense vs. Cincinnati offense. The Cyclones have been the standard bearer of Big 12 defenses since 2020, but there’s been slippage this year. They gave up a season-high 532 yards in a loss to Kansas last week, and they have especially struggled against the run. Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor lead Cincinnati’s solid run game, and Brendan Sorsby is the Big 12’s third-highest rated passer.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cincinnati: Sorsby will try to shake off a tough outing in last week’s 31-24 home loss to West Virginia. He had three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown. Sorsby challenges defenses. He’s throwing for just under 270 yards per game and he’s a willing runner.

Iowa State: WR Jaylin Noel is on track for a 1,000-yard season, and his average of 99.2 per game ranks second in the Big 12. He had eight catches for a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 45-36 loss to Kansas.

FACTS & FIGURES

An Iowa State victory would give Campbell a fourth season with at least eight wins. Pryor has four touchdowns of 50-plus yards, three of them having gone for at least 60, tied for most in the Big 12. Three of his long touchdowns have come on the first offensive play of a drive. Bearcats LB Jared Bartlett is second in the Big 12 with 6.5 sacks. The Cyclones won the teams’ only previous meeting 30-10 in Cincinnati last year, with Jayden Higgins catching six passes for 172 yards. ISU RB Carson Hansen has six touchdowns in his last four games. ISU DB Ta’Shawn James made a career-high 10 tackles against Kansas. He had entered the game with just 12 tackles in two years.

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