The moment of the game was Kyle Konrardy drilling a 54-yard FG with 1:52 left to give No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones a 16-13 win over Iowa. He only got that chance because his QB marched the offense on a 55-yard drive that chewed more than 6 minutes off the clock and put Iowa’s defense into a pressure cooker situation. The Cy-Hawk rivalry tends to come down to small margins, and once again Iowa State leaned on their steady hand under center.

That’s where Joel Klatt entered the conversation. The analyst didn’t hold back in his praise of Rocco Becht. “Rocco Becht is a really good player and they have full trust in him to win it when the moment gets big in the fourth quarter,” Klatt said. For Klatt, the Cyclones’ entire game plan was about dragging Iowa into the deep end of Q4, knowing they had the one player most comfortable in that chaos. “And lo and behold, with about what was it, eight minutes left, guess who jogs on the field in a 13-13 game and I’m just thinking to myself like they’re so comfortable with this because of their confidence in their quarterback. And I just give a ton of credit to Matt Campbell and to Rocco Becht.”

Klatt took his praise even further, dropping a comp that every Iowa State fan would love to hear. “Rocco Becht is one of the better players in the country at the quarterback position. I think that he is an NFL player. He reminds me a lot of Brock Purdy, okay. And I know Brock got selected late in the NFL draft, but like he is smart. He is accurate with the football. The way that he talked with Jenny in the interview after the game, I’m like, yes, that’s exactly the type of guy I want in my building.” It wasn’t just the traits on the field either. Klatt cited his respect for the Becht family, saying, “And just a lot of respect for him and his family. I know Anthony Becht fairly well from calling those UFL games. I really respect the way that they go about business in the sport of football. They’re about ball. They’re not selfish. They’re humble. And Rocco played awesome.”

Of course, the turning point in that final drive came on a play that almost never happened. With the game tied at 13 and the Cyclones pinned at their own 10-yard line after a Hawkeye punt, Iowa State faced a third-and-4 at the 27. Becht’s pass up the middle to Xavier Townsend was tipped at the line, ricocheting off Townsend’s outstretched hand, and floating in the air. Iowa’s Jaylen Watson looked ready to pounce, but instead, Cyclone’s tight end Gabe Burkle made a leaping snag for a 17-yard gain. It was one of those rivalry plays that shifts everything.

Rocco Becht himself admitted the moment left him stunned. “Yeah, you know, I think I’m built for moments like that. I mean, it doesn’t happen without the miraculous catch but it came off the tip. That was insane,” he said. He admitted the wild deflection stunned him in real time. “I think my mouth is kind of open. It was like what just happened. I kind of gave it a little bit after he caught it, but it was insane catch and he really kept the chains moving because I think it was a third down, so we really needed that. We eventually got more yards for like his kick.” That play defined the drive as much as any throw Becht made.

Though the end game stat line wasn’t eye-popping with 18-of-27, 134 yards, and one touchdown. But it was calculated. Against an Iowa secondary many doubted, Becht kept the game manageable and didn’t let a rivalry script turn chaotic.

Déjà Vu in Ames: Konrardy does it again, Rocco Becht soaks it in

To snap the streak, get two in a row in 4 years, and do it again in front of a packed house. What does that mean to the guy under center? Rocco Becht didn’t hesitate. “It’s a lot. You saw how much it meant to the fans. I mean, they were out there the whole entire game cheering us on, making us have the momentum with the, you know, the loudness of the stadium. So props to them and helping us win this game today.” The Cyclones’ QB knew what everyone else in Jack Trice Stadium could feel. This wasn’t just another win, it was a moment.

The circumstances weren’t exactly identical, but they were eerily close. The script had that déjà vu energy that only rivalries can deliver. Last year, Iowa State silenced Kinnick Stadium when Kyle Konrardy drilled a 54-yard dagger as time expired to topple Iowa. Fast-forward to Sept. 6, and the senior kicker found himself staring down nearly the same distance, this time at home with everything on the line.

Sure enough, Konrardy split the uprights from 54 yards once again, giving the Cyclones a late three-point lead with just 1:52 to play. 2 years. 2 kicks. Same distance. Same heartbreak for the Hawkeyes.