Cyclones Claim Fiesta Bowl: Iowa Time Machine January 2, 2021

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 2, 2021, Iowa State captured the most significant bowl win in program history with a 34-17 victory over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. The pinnacle of the Matt Campbell era of Cyclone football, the win capped a season that saw Iowa State rise as high as 8th in the national rankings.

Between 1996 and 2015, Iowa State endured 18 losing seasons in 20 years. When Matt Campbell arrived from Toledo in 2016, he inherited a team coming off a 3-9 season. Campbell slowly started turning things around in a multiyear campaign that ultimately culminated in the first-ever appearance for the program in a traditional New Year’s Six bowl game. As the COVID-19 pandemic caused great uncertainty, Iowa State entered a 2020 season with a veteran roster featuring program-altering stars Kene Nwangwu, Breece Hall, Brock Purdy, Mike Rose, Will McDonald IV, Charlie Kolar, JaQuan Bailey, and Xavier Hutchinson.

After suffering a season-opening loss to the Rajun’ Cajuns of Louisiana at Jack Trice, the Cyclones slowly started to build toward an all-time season with wins over TCU, 18th-ranked Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. A setback at sixth-ranked Oklahoma State was the last game the Cyclones would drop during a regular season campaign that culminated in the school’s first-ever appearance in the Big XII Championship game. After dropping the rematch to the Sooners 27-21, Iowa State accepted an invite to the Fiesta Bowl.

The Cyclones showed the success of Campbell’s Cyclone era in a dominant victory. Breece Hall, who finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting that season, carried the ball 34 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Purdy, a hometown Arizona product, accounted for two more scores while completing 20 of 29 passes. The Cyclones controlled possession for nearly 43 minutes of the 60-minute game, a staggering imbalance that reflected Campbell's physical, methodical approach. #Iowa #OTD #History #CollegeFootball #Cyclones