Who Needs Yard Lines? Iowa State Defeats Kansas State In Ireland Thriller

I think we can all agree that not being able to see the yard lines is a big deal in college football, though that did not stop Kansas State and Iowa State from delivering a fourth quarter filled with excitement on Saturday evening in Ireland, with the Cyclones winning 24-21.

Let's be honest, if you were paying attention to this game in the first half, expectations for some type of thrilling final thirty-minutes were dwindling as both teams had a hard time hanging on to the football. Those four turnovers were a recipe for a disastrous season-opener, besides the fact that viewers at home could not determine where the actual line of scrimmage was during the game.

I know everyone was excited about the season-opener, obviously myself included, but it would be great to have these games played at home, not thousands of miles away. But, that's in the past now, with Michigan set to play in Germany next season against Western Michigan.

Even though we had to wait until the second half for this game to explode, it was certainly worth the wait.

Turns out, a Big 12 game finally broke out in the fourth quarter, with both Kansas State and Iowa State trading touchdowns in the most absurd way possible. While Wildcat fans were about to lose their minds over a spot Avery Johnson was given on a fourth-down run, it was the Cyclones who took advantage on the next play.

But, just when you thought it was over for Kansas State, trailing by ten points late in the fourth, Avery Johnson had fans throwing back more Guinness than recommended, which added to the ongoing beer-snake within their section.

All both teams needed was an opportunity to play this game without the rain coming down sideways, which obviously led to plenty of downfield touchdowns. I'll take it, given that I predicted a classic Big 12 offensive showcase in Dublin.

We waited eight months for this moment, and thankfully both teams delivered the nervousness throughout the fourth quarter. I still would've loved to see which yard line each team was on during the game, but that was probably asking too much for the field crew in Ireland.

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Matt Campbell Decides To Gamble On Fourth Down For Iowa State

Luckily, this one came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with Kansas State trailing 24-21 with just over two-minutes remaining. On 4th down, fans in attendance were shaking at their knees, while Irish fans were most likely trying to decipher when a ball was going to be kicked on this rugby field.

But this was Rocco Becht's game for Iowa State, especially in the second half, who decided to go for it, and not kick the field goal on the critical fourth down that would decide this one.

Cyclones coach Matt Campbell decided he was going to gamble overseas in the season opener. And why not? The field was a disaster, and a field goal would only put them up 27-21, giving Kansas State an opportunity to drive the field for the win.

And, the best part about how this play ended was Iowa State not getting into the end zone for the touchdown, allowing the Cyclones to drain the clock.

For all the comments about how this game wasn’t going to deliver for college football fans, both teams had something up their sleeves in the second half. Luckily for all of us, we got to watch this opening game that turned into a massive party for the Cyclones.

We were all praying that this is how the season-opener would get us started in 2025, and Iowa State is heading home with their first Big 12 win, coming in Ireland.

Thanks for the appetizer. I'll take this version of ‘Farmageddon’ any day of the week.

Here we go, college football fans. The 2025 season is officially underway!

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