RECAP: Texas Longhorns fall to Iowa State Cyclones

Texas came into Saturday's matchup having won 14 of their last 16 meetings against Iowa State, but yesterday was not their day. While the score was close throughout the game and it took an Iowa State field goal as time expired to eventually give the Cyclones the win, the Longhorns never really got things going on either side of the ball.

Here are some of the highs and lows from the Longhorns 21-23 loss to Iowa State. 

Here is a look at the game-winning field goal by Iowa State kicker, Connor Assalley:

From the start, it appeared that the cold temperatures and rough environment in Ames, Iowa was affecting the Texas offense. Six of Texas' first seven drives resulted in a punt, and the three-and-out was the story of this weekend's game for the Horns.

Standout Stars:

Texas:
Sam Ehlinger, QB: 22-40, 273 YDS, 3 TD
Devin Duvernay, WR: 9 REC, 107 YDS

Iowa State:
Brock Purdy, RB: 30-48, 354 YDS, 2 TD
Breece Hall, RB: 24 Carries, 101 YDS
Deshaunte Jones, WR: 7 REC, 144 YDS, 1 TD

The X-Factor:

Injuries, Cold Weather, Road Woes. All the above contributed to Saturday's Longhorns loss, but Texas' inability to consistently make stops on defense was the difference in today's game and has been the story of their season. As you see in the above category, the Iowa State offense had a field day against what seemed to be a very lost Texas defense. 

Offensive play of the game:

After Texas went three-and-out on their first two, they were set up for 3rd-down and long, an incomplete pass away from being forced to punt for their third straight drive. Ehlinger dropped back and hit his go-to receiver Devin Duvernay on this unbelievable sideline catch:

Best Touchdown:

Texas had a first down inside the Iowa State 20-yard line with 30 seconds remaining in the first half, but Brennan Eagles and the Longhorns had no intentions of going into the locker room down 10-0. Take a look at this great grab by Eagles on a touchdown pass from Ehlinger that made this a one possession game going into halftime. 

Momentum Shift:

Up 10-7 heading into the second half, Iowa State opened the third quarter with a 75-yard bomb. Brock Purdy took advantage of the blitz package sent by Texas on the play and hit receiver Deshaunte Jones for a big score to go up 17-7. That put Texas into desperation mode for the remainder of the game.

Looking ahead:

Injuries and road games have each been a kryptonite for this very talented Longhorn team. That being said, the Longhorns will now fall to 6-4 and it is unlikely that we will see the Horns appear in any significant game once the regular season ends. They will travel to Waco next weekend to take on the Baylor Bears where they will try to improve on their road struggles against a 9-1 Baylor squad.