Through most of the first half of Utah State’s home finale against San Diego State on Saturday, the Aggies didn’t play particularly well. On offense especially. It was supposed to be something of a shootout given the season-long struggles on defense for both the Aggies and Aztecs,

If a football team scores the first 13 points of a game and knocks the opposing team's quarterback out in the 1st half, it's perfectly acceptable to assume that team ended up winning the game. It's certainly reasonable to think maybe they lost but it was close.

Iowa State tight end Gabe Burkle (84), running back Carson Hansen (26) and offensive lineman Jim Bonifas (63) celebrate after Hansen’s touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Salt Lake City.

It takes a complete football team to win a championship. Iowa State is finding that out with each passing week. Seemingly left for dead in the heated Big 12 Conference race, the Cyclones now find themselves one win away from competing for the league title following a thrilling 31-28 victory over Utah Saturday night.

Iowa State football very nearly gave up a huge game, but the Cyclones came out on top vs. Utah to setup a monster finale vs. Kansas State.