Iowa State Stuns No. 24 Oklahoma State 51-49 on Kyle Konrardy's Field Goal as Time Expires

Iowa State came into Halloween night as a 9.5-point underdog with a quarterback who had been benched a week earlier. It lost the lead with 53 seconds left and still walked out of Jack Trice Stadium with the biggest win of its season.

The Iowa State Cyclones beat No. 24 Oklahoma State 51-49 on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, on Kyle Konrardy's 34-yard field goal as time expired. Jaylen Raynor accounted for four touchdowns, Aiden Flora ran for 221 yards and two scores, and Jamal Polite Jr.'s 33-yard catch on the final drive set up the finish after Drew Mestemaker's fifth touchdown pass had put the Cowboys ahead.

The Setup

Oklahoma State rolled into Ames ranked No. 24, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, carrying the league's highest-scoring offense at 40 points per game. The Cowboys were fresh off a 57-24 homecoming rout of Colorado in which they trailed at halftime and then shut the Buffaloes out after the break. Their only conference loss was a 35-32 shootout at Houston on Oct. 17, and this trip opened a stretch in which they play three of four away from Stillwater.

Iowa State needed something to grab. The Cyclones were 3-4 and 1-3 in league play after a 39-3 loss at Arizona, a game in which quarterback Jaylen Raynor was benched before halftime. Jimmy Rogers stuck with Raynor anyway, and with Connor Moberly unavailable, the job was Raynor's to keep.

A First Half That Refused to Settle

The Cyclones landed the first punch. Aiden Flora, the do-everything back who entered with 716 rushing yards, broke a 29-yard touchdown run just 2:22 into the game.

Drew Mestemaker answered like a quarterback who has done this all season. A 10-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Young tied it at 6:33 of the first quarter, and less than three minutes later Mestemaker hit running back Caleb Hawkins on a 59-yard catch-and-run for a 14-7 lead.

Raynor answered in the second quarter. A 2-yard touchdown pass to Easton Miller tied it at 14 with 12:17 left in the half, and on Iowa State's next possession Raynor found Jamal Polite Jr. for a 43-yard score and a 21-14 lead. Mestemaker came right back with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Justin Bowick to square things at 21, but the Cyclones got the last word before the break when Kyle Konrardy hit a 39-yard field goal with seven seconds left for a 24-21 halftime lead.

A Third Quarter of Haymakers

Oklahoma State opened the second half with a six-play drive that went nowhere and ended in a punt. Iowa State made it pay with the best drive of its night, a 10-play, 91-yard march. Raynor found Polite for 53 yards to flip the field, then kept it and scored from 8 yards out to make it 31-21 with 5:46 left in the third.

The lead lasted 17 seconds. On the second snap of the ensuing drive, Hawkins burst up the middle and outran everybody for a 75-yard touchdown run, and Oklahoma State was back within 31-28.

Raynor had an answer for that too. Iowa State went 75 yards in seven plays, and Raynor capped it with a 40-yard touchdown strike to Cameron Pettaway with 1:18 left in the quarter. It was 38-28 heading to the fourth, and Raynor had now accounted for four touchdowns, three through the air and one on the ground.

A Fourth Quarter Shootout

After a quick Iowa State three-and-out, the Cowboys put together a nine-play, 75-yard drive and got within 38-35 when Mestemaker found Bowick for a 41-yard touchdown with 11:19 left.

Iowa State's answer took 11 seconds. On the first snap after the kickoff went for a touchback, Flora took a handoff right and went 75 yards for a second touchdown on the night, and the Cyclones were back up 45-35.

Facing fourth-and-3 at their own 32, Mestemaker kept it for 3 yards and a first down. A horse-collar penalty on Iowa State moved the chains again, Mestemaker found Wyatt Young for 18 yards down to the 1, and Hawkins punched it in to make it 45-42 with 8:00 left.

Iowa State's next drive stalled on its own side of the field, and the Cyclones punted with just over five minutes left. Oklahoma State got the ball at its own 17 with a chance to take the lead.

Two plays later, the game turned. On a no-huddle second-and-5 from the Oklahoma State 22, Mestemaker threw over the middle and Iowa State linebacker Beau Goodwin stepped in front of it at the 35, returning the interception 6 yards to the Oklahoma State 29 with 4:35 to play.

Iowa State leaned on Flora, who ran 15 yards to the Oklahoma State 12, and after Raynor was sacked on third down, Kyle Konrardy knocked through a 29-yard field goal with 2:56 left for a 48-42 lead.

Oklahoma State needed a touchdown and got the ball at its own 25 with 2:56 to play. Hawkins ran for 4, 5, 9, 11 and 3 yards to move into Iowa State territory, and Mestemaker converted a third-and-5 with a 7-yard completion to keep it alive. With just over a minute left, Hawkins ran for 5 yards to the Iowa State 14, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Iowa State moved the ball to the 7. On the next snap, Mestemaker found Wyatt Young over the middle for a 7-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left, and Sam Keltner's extra point put Oklahoma State ahead 49-48. The drive covered 75 yards in 12 plays.

Iowa State still had time. After a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Young pushed the kickoff back, Flora returned it 22 yards to the Iowa State 37 with 53 seconds left. On the next snap, Raynor threw deep down the left side to Polite for 33 yards to the Oklahoma State 30. Flora carried the rest of the way, running for 4, 3 and 7 yards to set up a first down at the 16, and Konrardy drilled a 34-yard field goal on the final play to win it 51-49.

The Quarterbacks and the Backs

Mestemaker completed 27 of 42 passes for 323 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. Bowick led the Cowboys with seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns, Wyatt Young caught seven passes for 74 yards and two scores, and Hawkins did damage both ways, adding six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown to 194 rushing yards and two more scores on 25 carries.

Raynor's night was a different kind of impressive. A week after getting pulled at Arizona, Raynor completed 18 of 28 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns with an interception and ran for 48 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries as the Cyclones' offense never stalled the way it did in Tucson. Polite finished with six catches for 171 yards and a touchdown.

The best player on the field for Iowa State might have been Flora, who ran for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, including the 75-yard touchdown that answered Bowick's score in the fourth quarter.

By the Numbers

581: Total yards for Iowa State, including 272 on the ground.

221: Rushing yards for Flora on 29 carries, with touchdown runs of 29 and 75 yards.

5: Touchdown passes for Mestemaker, who threw for 323 yards and still left Ames with a loss.

100: Combined points, on 13 touchdowns and three Konrardy field goals.

What It Means

For Iowa State, this is the kind of win that can reset a season. The Cyclones bounce back from the 39-3 loss at Arizona, improve to 4-4 and 2-3 in the Big 12, and do it against a ranked opponent.

For Oklahoma State, the loss is a blow to its Big 12 title hopes. The Cowboys fall to 5-3 and 3-2 in conference play, and an offense that scored 49 points still came up short. Eric Morris and the Cowboys head to Kansas State on Nov. 7, while Iowa State visits Baylor the same day.

The Take

Iowa State did not play a perfect game, and with 49 points allowed it did not have to. What it showed was a team that could lose the lead with 53 seconds left, take a punch from one of the Big 12's best offenses and keep swinging, with a quarterback who looked nothing like the one who was benched in Tucson. If Raynor and Flora can carry this into November, a season that looked like it was slipping away can still end in a bowl game. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, learned again that scoring 40 is not a plan by itself when the defense cannot get off the field.

Sources: ESPN box score (opens in a new tab), ESPN play-by-play, Iowa State Athletics, Oklahoma State Athletics. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Oklahoma State Athletics.