Josh Pederson TD catch vs. Iowa State 2019
Wesley Winterink
20
ULM ULM 1-2
72
Winner Iowa State ISU 2-1
ULM ULM
1-2
20
Final
72
Iowa State ISU
2-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 0 13 7 0 20
ISU Iowa State 14 13 21 24 72

Game Recap: Football |

Missed Opportunities Early Prove Costly in 72-20 Loss at Iowa State

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

AMES, Iowa – An overcast day at Iowa State's Jack Brice Stadium turned even gloomier for ULM on Saturday.

The Warhawks fell in a 21-point hole in the first half and never totally recovered in a 72-20 loss to the Cyclones.

"We just got beat by a better team," ULM coach Matt Viator said.

Missed opportunities were the theme for ULM (1-2) early. Two Iowa State turnovers and three quick ULM possessions in the first quarter netted zero points for the visiting team.

"We had a couple turnovers early but couldn't find a way to get them off the field," Viator said.

ULM cornerback Corey Straughter intercepted quarterback Brock Purdy's first pass at the 24 and returned it 14 yards to the 10. Straughter's second INT of the year ended a streak of 98 passes without an interception for Purdy.

ULM failed to convert the turnover into points though as Jared Porter missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt. Porter made a 25-yarder prior to the miss that was negated by a penalty.

The Warhawks came up with another takeaway as defensive end Ty Shelby recovered Purdy's fumble at the Iowa State 42. That ULM drive ended with a turnover on downs at the 31.

ULM quarterback Caleb Evans ran for 93 yards on 17 carries and completed 19-of-30 passes for 176 yards and touchdowns to Josh Pederson and Jonathan Hodoh. Josh Johnson carried 14 times for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Purdy completed 21-of-27 passes for a career-high 435 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 75 yards and three touchdowns to lead Iowa State (2-1). Tarique Milton had three catches for 142 yards and a touchdown and Deshaunte Jones made two grabs for 100 yards and a score.

"They did a good job throwing and catching and we didn't have an answer," Viator said.

Iowa State would outscore ULM 45-7 in the second half and finish with 714 yards of total offense and 31 first downs.

Purdy shrugged off his early woes to direct a six-play, 69-yard scoring drive. Purdy's 7-yard rushing touchdown with 4:59 left in the first quarter gave the Cyclones a 7-0 lead.

The turnover bug bit ULM with 3:12 to go in the first quarter as Iowa State's Lawrence White picked off Evans and returned it 25 yards to the Warhawks' 40. Three plays later, Purdy scored on a 7-yard run for a 14-0 lead with 2:03 remaining.

Johnson, one of ULM's emerging offensive weapons this season, gave the Warhawks a needed boost on the next series with a 46-yard run to the ISU 29. But another drive stalled with a turnover on downs at the 24.

Purdy found a wide-open Milton for a 73-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to extend Iowa State's lead to 21-0.

Evans made runs of 14 and 40 yards to get ULM back into the red zone to the ISU 19. Finally, the Warhawks converted with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Evans to Pederson with 10:26 left in the half and cut the lead to 21-7. Pederson finished with three catches for 40 yards.

Another big play from Milton, a 47-yard reception to the ULM 17, led to points for the Cyclones. ULM kept ISU out of the end zone before Connor Assalley booted a 21-yard field goal for a 24-7 score at the 7:46 mark.

Johnson capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it a 24-13 game with 2:50 left in the second quarter. Evans had a 40-yard run during the series to move the help move the chains.

Assalley kicked a 37-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the half to give Iowa State a 27-13 halftime lead.

Evans rushed for 77 yards and passed for 123 yards as ULM gained 271 yards in total offense. Iowa State amassed 327 yards with 27 first downs in the half.

"If you'd have told me we'd have 300 yards at half, I'd have taken it," Viator said. "But we're not capitalizing enough on defense."

The third quarter saw things take a turn for the worse for ULM.

Iowa State took the second-half kickoff 75 yards in six plays and Purdy punched in a 13-yard touchdown run for a 34-13 edge.

Purdy hit Deshaunte Jones on an 84-yard touchdown pass, the fifth-longest pass play in Iowa State history. Iowa State led 41-13 with 8:37 left in the third.

Evans got the Warhawks back on track offensively as he connected with Jonathan Hodoh on a 38-yard touchdown pass with 3:56 left in the third quarter. ULM went 76 yards in 10 plays to make it a 41-20 game.

Purdy capped his monster day with 12-yard touchdown pass to Sean Shaw with 19 seconds left in the third quarter to give Iowa State a 48-20 lead.

Up next: ULM opens Sun Belt Conference play at home with a visit from South Alabama on Sept. 28. Kickoff is 6 p.m.

Early birds: ULM's traveling party had a 6:30 a.m. wakeup call and left the team hotel at 8 a.m. for the 11 a.m. kickoff. That start seemed even earlier after a 1 a.m. fire (false) alarm that forced evacuation of the hotel.

Tail feathers: FS1 play-by-play talent Brian Custer had a family tie with ULM. Defensive lineman Brandon Nettles is Custer's nephew through marriage. Custer said his phone had been "blowing up all week" about the connection and he was planning on a brief pregame reunion on the field. … ULM game captains were SN Walker Easton, OG T.J. Fiailoa, DT Mason Husmann and TE Josh Pederson. … ULM made its second all-time appearance at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa State won 42-7 in the first meeting in 1980. Former running back Bobby Craighead, who played in that first game, made a return trip with ULM as a fan.  … Former ULM pitcher Todd Ledoux scouted the game, representing the Cure Bowl in Orlando.

 
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