IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — Iowa defeated Iowa State 16-13 on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Kinnick Stadium. A crowd of 69,250 saw the Hawkeyes improve to 2-0 while the Cyclones fell to 1-1. Hank Brown directed Iowa’s offense and finished with 191 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Jaylen Raynor led Iowa State with 117 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 18 rushing yards in the Cyclones’ first loss of the season.

Iowa State struck first with 14:17 remaining in the second quarter on Kyle Konrardy’s 29-yard field goal. The Cyclones extended their lead with 7:51 left in the second quarter when Raynor completed a short left pass to Vince Benetti, who caught the ball at the Iowa 4 and reached the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. The previous play was reviewed for whether the receiver was short of the line to gain, and the call was upheld. Konrardy added the extra point. Iowa responded with 5:34 remaining in the second quarter when Brown rushed left for a 1-yard gain into the end zone. C. Buhr made the extra point. Buhr then connected on a 45-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter to tie the game. In the third quarter, Konrardy made a 51-yard field goal with 10:06 remaining to put Iowa State back ahead. Iowa tied the game with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter on Buhr’s 32-yard field goal. Buhr then made a 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Iowa the final margin.

Brown completed 21 of 30 passes for 191 yards for Iowa. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound quarterback from Nashville, Tenn., also ran eight times for 22 yards and scored on his 1-yard rush. Kamari Moulton led the Hawkeyes on the ground with 15 carries for 57 yards and added six receptions for 31 yards. Tony Diaz caught eight passes for 95 yards. Reece Vander Zee had three receptions for 32 yards and returned two punts for 23 yards. DJ Vonnahme caught two passes for 25 yards and ran once for 2 yards. Nathan McNeil carried twice for 9 yards. Xavier Williams ran three times for 3 yards. Thomas Meyer caught one pass for 5 yards, and Evan James caught one pass for 3 yards.

Moulton is a 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Diaz is a 5-foot-11, 176-pound receiver from San Marcos, Texas. Vander Zee is a 6-foot-4, 207-pound receiver from Rock Rapids, Iowa. Vonnahme is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end from Breda, Iowa. McNeil is a 5-foot-11, 203-pound running back from Tampa, Fla. Williams is a 5-foot-10, 225-pound running back from Schererville, Ind. James is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver from Apopka, Fla.

Raynor completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State. The 6-foot, 204-pound quarterback from Kernersville, N.C., also ran eight times for 18 yards. Benetti, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end from Adel, Iowa, caught two passes for 10 yards and the Cyclones’ touchdown. Carter Pabst had one reception for 24 yards. Jamal Polite Jr. caught one pass for 20 yards. Ty Claiborne had one reception for 15 yards. Evan Boyd caught one pass for 6 yards. Cameron Pettaway ran twice for 4 yards, and Easton Miller ran once for 3 yards. Jonah DuPont punted six times for 260 yards, and Ethan Gurney added one punt for 47 yards.

Pabst is a 6-foot-1, 194-pound receiver from Wichita, Kan. Boyd is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound receiver from East Lansing, Mich. Pettaway is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back from Farmington Hills, Mich. Miller is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back from Ankeny, Iowa. DuPont and Gurney handled punting duties for Iowa State.

Iowa State’s defense was led by Sullivan Schlimgen, who recorded nine tackles. Carson Willich and Drew Surges each made six tackles. Beau Goodwin finished with five tackles. David Coffey and Seth Johnson each had four tackles. Caden Crawford, Bryson Lamb, Brody Miller and Malaki Ta’ase each recorded three tackles. Beni Ngoyi, Willie Breland III, Isaac Terrell, Zaimir Hawk and Donovan Fitzmaurice each made two tackles. Jaheim Singletary, Duhron Goodman, Montreze Smith Jr., Jack Janikowski, Max Baloun and Ethan Stecker each added one tackle.

Iowa’s defense was paced by Cam Buffington, who made 15 tackles. Jaylen Watson and Bryce Hawthorne each recorded five tackles. Deshaun Lee and Jayden Montgomery each made four tackles. Anthony Hawkins, Zach Lutmer, Kenneth Merrieweather and Luke Gaffney each finished with three tackles.

Kyle Konrardy made field goals of 29 and 51 yards and added an extra point for Iowa State. C. Buhr made field goals of 45, 32 and 42 yards and added an extra point for Iowa.

Iowa State opened the season with a 38-10 home win over Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 5. The Cyclones are next scheduled to host Bowling Green on Sept. 19 before hosting Utah on Sept. 26, West Virginia on Oct. 3, and then traveling to BYU on Friday, Oct. 9. Iowa State is also set to play at Arizona on Oct. 24, host Oklahoma State on Oct. 31, travel to Baylor on Nov. 7, host Cincinnati on Nov. 14, travel to UCF on Friday, Nov. 20, and host Kansas State on Nov. 28.

Iowa opened the season with a 40-0 home win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 5. The Hawkeyes are scheduled to host Northern Iowa on Sept. 19, travel to Michigan on Sept. 26, host Ohio State on Oct. 3, travel to Washington on Friday, Oct. 9, and travel to Minnesota on Oct. 24. Iowa is also set to host Wisconsin on Oct. 31, travel to Northwestern on Nov. 7, host Purdue on Nov. 14, travel to Illinois on Nov. 21, and host Nebraska on Friday, Nov. 27.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Iowa 33, Iowa State 20. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Iowa with an 81.8 percent probability to win. Iowa State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +14. The total score of 29 went over the over/under line of 41.5.