1972 Iowa State Cyclones football team

Don Greenwood, who started at tight end after Keith Krepfle cracked a neck vertebrae during practice the previous week, caught six passes for 80 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown reception.

[13] At its home opener, Iowa State came back from a 14–16 halftime deficit against Utah to score 28 unanswered points, defeating the WAC team 44–22.

The Cyclones were stymied by penalties on both sides of the ball, with nine for 121 yards, including a defensive offsides on a Buffaloes field goal attempt that kept the Colorado drive alive.

Leon Crosswhite and Greg Pruitt combined for over 200 rush yards to establish the dominant Sooners ball control offense, while the Oklahoma defense held Strachan to 50.

The Sooners scored first at the beginning of the second quarter when Crosswhite carried for a touchdown on a drive kept alive by a pair of completions from Dave Robertson to John Carroll.

Larry Hunt and Steve Burns tacked Robertson for a loss, forcing the Sooners to settle for a Rick Fulcher field goal to bring their lead to 10–3 at the half.

In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Robertson ran for 55 yards on a third and long to the Cyclone 3-yard line before a Pruitt touchdown run put the game out of reach.

[51][52][53][54] Heading to Lewis Field to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Cyclones' conference finale, Majors sought to avoid another embarrassing defeat before the Liberty Bowl.

[56] Despite early-season upsets of bowl-bound Colorado and Missouri teams, the Cowboys, led by first-year head coach Dave Smith, had not received a bowl invitation and desired to prove their fitness for one.

[58][59] Iowa State rallied after Steve Burns recovered a Palmer fumble on the Cyclones 39 and marched 61 yards in 13 plays down the field to score on an Amundson screen pass to Krepfle towards the end of the first quarter.

Another Cowboys fumble, this time by Smith, was recovered by Ted Jornov near midfield, allowing the Cyclones drive 51 yards in seven plays to tie the game with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Amundson to Willie Jones in the first minute of the second quarter.

Overcoming two illegal procedure penalties, the Cowboys drove in on a Palmer run for a 21–14 halftime lead after Blackman lateraled to Smith for a large gain.

In three plays, San Diego State quarterback Jesse Freitas passed to Isaac Curtis for the touchdown, giving the Aztecs a 21–14 lead.