Aiden Flora ran for 212 yards, threw two touchdown passes and scored the decisive touchdown with 1:57 remaining as Iowa State beat West Virginia 45–42 Saturday in Ames. The Cyclones survived a game with 1,095 combined yards to earn their first Big 12 victory of the season and improve to 3–2 overall.
Flora’s two-yard run completed a six-play, 74-yard drive after Michael Hawkins Jr. had put West Virginia in front with a 47-yard touchdown pass to DJ Epps. Iowa State’s final answer depended on more than its leading rusher: Jaylen Raynor found Cody Jackson for gains of 25 and 15 yards on the winning possession, and a pass-interference penalty moved the Cyclones to the two-yard line.
West Virginia still had a chance, but Epps lost a fumble after a reception on the ensuing possession. Iowa State recovered, and Flora’s later 11-yard run produced the first down the Cyclones needed to close the game. WV MetroNews’ live report documented both the turnover and the final first-down run. The Mountaineers fell to 3–2 and 0–2 in conference play; Iowa State moved to 1–1 in the league.
Flora’s afternoon combined three rushing touchdowns with two scores through the air. He completed both of his passes, a 46-yard touchdown to Jackson in the second quarter and a two-yard score to Vince Benetti with five seconds left before halftime. Those two throws accounted for 48 of Iowa State’s 312 passing yards and helped the Cyclones take a 21–14 lead into the break.
The lead grew to 28–14 when Flora scored on a 24-yard run early in the third quarter. West Virginia answered with Hawkins’ seven-yard rushing touchdown and Cam Cook’s nine-yard score, tying the game at 28 before the fourth quarter. Neither offense had finished finding its way to the end zone.
After Kyle Konrardy’s 35-yard field goal restored Iowa State’s lead, Cook scored from eight yards out to put West Virginia ahead 35–31. Flora immediately reversed that advantage with a 63-yard touchdown run. Iowa State’s official game-day clip shows that long run, which gave him two rushing and two passing touchdowns at that point; his winning short run came later.
