Bearcats Take Down No. 14 Iowa State, Holding on in Thriller 38-30.

Blog By Walker Johnson

Oct 4, 2025

CINCINATTI – In a wild thriller, back-and-forth battle at Nippert Stadium, The Cincinnati Bearcats stunned the No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones with a 38-30 victory on Saturday handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season. The Bearcats dynamic second half proved decisive, as they withstood a late Cyclone push to secure the win.

Cincinnati came out firing early, fueled by two touchdown runs from Evan Pryor and a sharp performance from quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who tossed an 82-yard bomb to Cameron Goodie in the fourth quarter to secure the game against the Cyclones.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht kept the Cyclones alive with four total touchdowns (two each through air and ground) helping cut the deficit to one score late. But Cincinnati’s defense held strong in the final minutes, stopping a potential game-tying drive.

The win pushes Cincinnati to 4-1(2-0 Big 12), while Iowa State falls to 5-1(2-1 Big 12) after their first setback of the season. For the Bearcats, this was a signature Big 12 victory. Which proved to be physical, explosive, and full of energy from start to finish.

413’s Bottomline

Iowa State: The cyclones had 16 players out injured which included all-Big 12 defensive-backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. In addition, they were without their top two kickers. Cyclones were 4 of 7 on fourth downs.

Up Next

Cincinnati: Hosts UCF next Saturday.

Iowa State: Visits Colorado next Saturday.