ORLANDO - The Miami Hurricanes and the Iowa State Cyclones were engaged in a shootout at the Pop Tarts Bowl on Saturday (Dec. 28). This one ended with Miami dropping a 42-41 decision to Iowa State in the final seconds. Needing a late goal-line stand in order to hold on to a 41-35 lead, the Cane's defense was in a position to secure the victory.

But after four tries, the Cyclones (11-3 final record; most wins in school history) crossed the end zone on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht with 56 seconds left, tying the game at 41-41. An extra point by freshman kicker Kyle Konrardy (6-for-6 in PATs) would give Iowa State a one-point lead.

However, the game was not ultimately decided until the final buzzer, as Miami quarterback Emory Williams attempted a Hail Mary picked off by Iowa State sophomore defensive back Drew Surges at his team’s own 10-yard line.

The Canes (10-3 final record) lost their sixth straight bowl game, dating back to 2017. It is the second time this has happened in program history, with their first six-game bowl losing streak from 2008 to 2015. And since 2006, they have won only one bowl game in 2016, scoring a 31-14 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Russell Athletic Bowl at Camping World Stadium.

The Canes were in a great position to win this game, as they had a lead for almost the entire second half. However, their defense could not get the stops needed to hold on, as they did not force the Cyclones to commit any turnovers. Additionally, Miami’s offense committed three turnovers in this bowl game, which played a significant role in the outcome.

On the game’s very first play, the ball was snapped too high to catch for junior running back Damien Martinez. As a result, Miami lost a fumble at its own 22-yard line, giving Iowa State a great chance to open up the scoring. Becht (22-for-36, 270 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions) engineered a seven-play, 22-yard drive to find tight end Gabe Burkle for a 9-yard touchdown pass in tight double coverage. This would give Iowa State a 7-0 lead at 11:23. Miami punched right back with an electrifying 75-yard touchdown run from junior running back Martinez. The offensive linemen and receivers were all in unison as they blocked for Martinez to explode for a wide-open burst, and he went untouched all the way to the end zone.

The game was tied at 7-7 with 11:10 left in the first quarter. Iowa State took the lead right back at 14-7 on its next drive, as sophomore running back Carson Hansen (16 carries, 82 yards, two touchdowns; 13-yard touchdown catch) burst through the heart of Miami’s defense for a 30-yard run en route to the end zone at the 8:34 mark.

But Miami was not down for long, as record-setting and outgoing senior quarterback Cam Ward or wide receiver Jacolby George for a 4-yard touchdown loft with 4:12 left. With the touchdown pass, Ward became the FBS all-time career leader in touchdown passes with 156, breaking the record previously set by Case Keenum (Houston).

As the game was tied at 14-14, Iowa State was coming back to retake the lead. Becht hit senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel (eight receptions, 117 yards, one touchdown) in the slot for a 49-yard pass on a double move at the 2:35 mark. The referees initially ruled Noel’s play as a touchdown, but they overturned it as he was ruled down at the Miami 1-yard line. Shortly after that, Iowa State took a 21-14 lead by way of a 1-yard touchdown run down the middle of the field by Hanson with seven Cyclones up front at the 2:23 mark.

At the end of the first quarter, Iowa State was up 21-14 over Miami. With 13:33 left in the second quarter, Ward advanced downfield to find freshman wide receiver Joshisa Trader (three receptions, 61 yards, one touchdown) for a 40-yard scoring pass.

The game would be tied at 21-21. Becht kept rolling as he engineered a seven-play, 75-yard drive that took almost three minutes off the clock. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Hanson gave Iowa State a 28-21 lead over Miami at the 10:43 mark. On the next offensive series for the Canes, Martinez juked several Cyclones defenders en route to a 31-yard run to the opponent’s 33-yard line. And then, on the next play, Ward found junior tight end Elijah Arroyo (four receptions, 64 yards) for a 33-yard scoring pass to tie the score up at 28-28 with 9:25 left. Miami would take a 31-28 halftime lead over Iowa State, courtesy of a 30-yard field goal made by senior kicker Andres Borregales with 16 seconds left.

Miami gained 358 total yards in the first two quarters. Ward completed 12 of 19 passes for 190 yards, while Martinez led the Canes with seven carries for 132 yards (18.9 yards per carry). However, Miami committed two turnovers in the first half, which helped Iowa State gain some of its 267 yards and score some of its 28 points.

Becht completed 14 of 22 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the highest-scoring first half since the 2019 Peach Bowl. The Canes relied heavily on their strong ground game to start the third quarter. They got key runs from sophomore running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who powered his way to a 20-yard run that got his team into a first-and-goal situation. Then, from the Cyclone's 9-yard line, Fletcher ran the ball on three straight plays, including a 1-yard touchdown run that extended the Cane's lead to 38-28 lead with 8:09 left.

This scoring drive, which gave the Canes their first double-digit lead, was for 10 plays and 71 yards. It took about six minutes off the clock, as all but one of the plays were on the ground. But the Cyclones would not go away, as Becht led his team down the field on their next offensive series. They engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took more than four minutes off the clock and cut the Canes' lead to 38-35 with 2:20 left, thanks to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Noel.

From there, it was ruled that Ward would not play for the remainder of the Pop-Tarts Bowl. This signified the end of Ward’s historic season with the Canes, as he finished with single-season program records of 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdown passes in 13 games. And with that, Canes backup quarterback Williams would officially take over for the rest of the game. He led an offensive possession highlighted by the Canes' first fake punt of the season toward the end of the third quarter, a 28-yard gain by Elija Lofton.

The drive was for 14 plays and 72 yards, taking almost eight minutes off the clock as Borregales knocked down a 21-yard field goal to extend the lead to 41-35 with 9:40 left. Both teams traded punts thereafter.

But with 6:32 left in the game, Iowa State was going for the win as it needed to score from its own 16-yard drive. They used a mix of runs and passes to get down the field, including a 29-yard strike from Becht to Noel as they reached the Miami 17-yard line at the 2:52 mark.

A couple of plays later, Becht found an open Noel for another 13 yards to the Miami 4-yard line with 2:03 left. Now, in a goal-to-go situation, Miami would be flagged for a hold on second-and-goal with 1:52 left, giving Iowa State a fresh set of four downs to work with.

From that point on, the outcome was no longer in Miami’s favor.

BOWL GAME NOTES

The Canes got a considerable outing from Martinez, who finished this one with 14 carries for a program bowl-record 179 yards and one touchdown. Their running game was powerful, as they combined five runners for 308 yards and two touchdowns. The Canes' offense gained 524 yards and had 24 first downs.

Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond

• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify

• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @AnthonyYero1, @MichaelYero, and @Najitobias

• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County

Follow us on Facebook