The Iowa State Cyclones held off a second half rally by Minnesota to post a 14-13 victory in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Iowa State recovered a fumble by Gopher backup quarterback MarQueis Gray inside the 20-yard-line with just over four minutes remaining and were unable to run out the clock to finish 7-6 on the season.
Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says they set out to accomplish two things, enjoy themselves, and prepare and work to win the game. He says the preparation they had was exactly what they need to win the game.
Rhoads led the program to its third bowl victory in his first season at the helm. Jake Williams was on the receiving end of a scoring pass from Austen Arnaud just before halftime to give the Cyclones a 14-3 lead at the break. Williams says he couldn’t see the ball thrown, but says the play was a huge momentum shift going into halftime.