AMES — Kyle Konrardy delivered the final kick in a Halloween shootout Saturday night, drilling a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift Iowa State past No. 24 Oklahoma State, 51-49, at Jack Trice Stadium.
Aiden Flora rushed for a career-high 221 yards and two touchdowns, while Jaylen Raynor threw for 309 yards and three scores as the Cyclones piled up 581 yards of offense before a crowd of 50,295.
Iowa State improved to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12. Oklahoma State slipped to 5-3 and 3-2 after briefly taking the lead with just 53 seconds remaining.
Cyclones answer with the game on the line
Oklahoma State appeared poised to escape Ames when quarterback Drew Mestemaker found Wyatt Young for a 7-yard touchdown, capping a 12-play, 75-yard march. The extra point put the Cowboys ahead 49-48.
Iowa State needed only five plays to respond.
Carson Robbins returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Cyclones’ 37-yard line. Raynor then connected with Jamal Polite Jr. for a 33-yard gain, moving Iowa State to the Oklahoma State 30.
Flora handled the next three snaps, gaining 4, 3 and 7 yards to move the ball to the 16. Iowa State called timeout with two seconds left, setting up Konrardy’s winning kick.
Konrardy finished 3-for-3 on field goals, adding makes from 39 and 29 yards. It was his third career game-winning field goal; his previous two came from 54 yards against Iowa.
Flora, Raynor and Polite fuel offensive explosion
Flora carried 29 times and supplied two of the Cyclones’ biggest plays. His 29-yard touchdown opened the scoring, and his 75-yard sprint early in the fourth quarter restored a 10-point Iowa State lead just 11 seconds after an Oklahoma State touchdown.
It was Flora’s second 200-yard rushing performance of the season. He became the fifth Cyclone to accomplish that feat multiple times in a season and the first since Ennis Haywood in 2000.
Raynor completed 18 of 28 passes with one interception, setting season highs in passing yards and touchdown passes. He added 48 rushing yards and an 8-yard touchdown run.
Polite emerged as his biggest target, catching six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. He entered the game with eight catches for 115 yards all season.
The freshman scored on a 43-yard reception in the second quarter and later made the critical catch that launched the winning drive. His 171 receiving yards rank 15th in Iowa State single-game history, according to the school’s postgame notes.
Raynor also threw touchdown passes of 2 yards to Easton Miller and 40 yards to Cameron Pettaway.
Cowboys keep coming in frantic second half
Iowa State took a 24-21 lead into halftime on Konrardy’s 39-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining.
The Cyclones pushed the margin to 31-21 when Raynor finished a 91-yard drive with his third-quarter touchdown run. Oklahoma State immediately countered with a 75-yard touchdown run by Caleb Hawkins.
Pettaway’s scoring catch made it 38-28 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys kept answering.
Mestemaker found Justin Bowick for a 41-yard touchdown before Flora’s long scoring run put Iowa State ahead 45-35. Hawkins followed with a 1-yard touchdown, and Konrardy’s 29-yard field goal gave the Cyclones a 48-42 advantage with 2:56 left.
That set up Oklahoma State’s go-ahead drive and Iowa State’s last-second response.
Mestemaker finished with 323 passing yards and five touchdowns, throwing one interception. Hawkins rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns while adding six catches for 81 yards and another score.
Bowick caught seven passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Young also caught two touchdown passes.
A historic night for Iowa State’s offense
The teams combined for 1,114 yards and 100 points. It was only the second game in Iowa State history in which the teams combined for at least 100 points.
The Cyclones’ 51 points were their most in a Big 12 game since a 59-7 victory over Kansas in 2021. Their 581 yards were the program’s most since a 714-yard performance against Louisiana-Monroe in 2019.
On defense, Sullivan Schlimgen led Iowa State with eight tackles and two pass breakups. Beau Goodwin recorded his second interception of the season, and Caleb Schmidt recovered a fumble on an Oklahoma State punt return.
Iowa State has now beaten Oklahoma State three straight times, its longest winning streak in the series since taking four consecutive meetings from 1960 through 1963.
Up next
The Cyclones are scheduled to visit Baylor on Nov. 7 in Waco, Texas, the next stop on Iowa State’s 2026 football schedule.