Rocco Becht throws for 267 yards and two touchdowns to lead Iowa State over North Dakota 21-3

AMES, Iowa — Rocco Becht threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in Iowa State's 21-3 win over North Dakota on Saturday.

Becht had no trouble spreading the ball to his receivers as he completed a pass to six different receivers. His top target was Jaylin Noel, who finished with 135 yards and a touchdown.

This duo was also methodical in Iowa State’s first drive of the game. The two connected for a 54-yard completion that was followed by a 21-yard TD pass to wide receiver Jayden Higgins.

“It kind of reminded me of Baylor last year, when we scored with three plays against them," Becht said. "But with this at home, you can't beat that.”

Becht also threw a 14-yard TD pass to Noel, and his 2-yard run in the fourth quarter finished the scoring.

“(Becht) is a leader and poised,” Noel said. “He kept the whole offense poised and even when we had drives that didn't end how we wanted them to, he kept the guys ready to go.”

The opening drive touchdown showed that the Cyclones' offense wanted to come out aggressive, which earned new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser praise.

“I think he did a great job,” coach Matt Campbell said. “I thought there was great balance to what we wanted to do.”

North Dakota's Simon Romfo, making his first career start after being a backup to the now-Michigan State quarterback Tommy Schuster, was 17 of 30 for 121 yards.

“I thought he competed really hard today,” coach Bubba Schweigert said. “He made some plays on his feet and threw the ball well.”

Romfo led a North Dakota offense that ran for 174 yards and held a nearly 16-minute advantage in time of possession.

The Fighting Hawks' longest drive came late in the first quarter. They went on a 23-play, 88-yard drive that resulted in a field goal by C.J. Elrichs. The drive lasted 12:24 and the 23 plays were the most in a Bowl Subdivision game since at least 2014, according to SportRadar.

“I thought it showed a lot of heart and desire," Schweigert said. “We feel like our running backs really run hard and we know we want to run the football to be a good football team.”

THE TAKEAWAY

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks showed they can slowly drive down the field but need to be able to finish those drives with points.

Iowa State: The Cyclones will look to clean up the rushing defense before traveling to Iowa City to take on No. 25 Iowa next Saturday.

UP NEXT

North Dakota: hosts Montana next Saturday.

Iowa State: visits No. 25 Iowa next Saturday.