LAS VEGAS – Brock Purdy completed 21 of 24 pass attempts for 288 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 14 Iowa State over UNLV 48-3 Saturday night.
Purdy, who also rushed for 33 yards, finished with a 229.6 quarterback rating, the third-highest of his career. Iowa State (2-1) finished with 486 yards of offense and 7.59 yards per play, scoring on eight of its 11 possessions, including six touchdowns. Breece Hall, who rushed for 69 yards in each of Iowa State’s first two games, rushed for 70 of his 101 yards in the first quarter to lead the Cyclones’ rushing attack. Hall scored two touchdowns. Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who entered the game with 110 total receiving yards this season, had 10 receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
As efficient as Iowa State’s offense was while coach Matt Campbell kept his starters in the game, the defense was just as suffocating after entering the game ranked eighth with 224 yards allowed per game. UNLV (0-3) was held to 23 yards on 18 plays in the first half and finished with 130 yards for the game.
Iowa State set the tone by working methodically to score on its first two drives of the game. The Cyclones went 72 yards in 12 plays over 6:51 to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and then traveled 75 yards in nine plays over 5:06 to extend their lead to 14-0 at the start of the second quarter.
Iowa State added a touchdown and a field goal near the end of the half to go up 24-0 and finished the first half with 303 yards on 43 plays, an average of 7.05 yards per play. Iowa State had 18 first downs, while UNLV managed just one.
Iowa State opens Big 12 play Saturday at Baylor. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on FOX.
