MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Iowa State got three Carson Hansen touchdown runs and relied on its nationally ranked defense to down West Virginia 28-16 tonight at Milan Puskar Stadium.
 
A crowd of 55,202 was treated to new black "Coal Rush" uniforms and a halftime drone light show, but it was the 11^th-ranked Cyclones who took care of business on the field.
 
Iowa State limited West Virginia's rushing attack to just 148 yards and took advantage of two Garrett Greene interceptions to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones also boosted their record to 3-0 in Big 12 play to remain in a tie with Texas Tech atop the league standings.
 
Hansen ran 20 times for 96 yards, and quarterback Rocco Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Higgins caught six of those for 102 yards and Jaylin Noel five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
 
"We just made too many mistakes to win against (the 11^th-ranked team in the country)," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said afterward.
 
There were only eight combined possessions in the first half, Iowa State scoring touchdowns on its middle two and WVU getting a touchdown on the game's opening drive and a field goal on its final one of the half.
 
The Mountaineers (3-3, 2-1) began the game with a 14-play, 75-yard march that consumed 7:42 of the first-quarter clock and ended with Jahiem White running 8 yards into the end zone. The Mountaineers gained 54 yards in 11 attempts on the ground, and Greene completed all three of his pass attempts for 21 yards.
 
Early in the second quarter, two unfortunate plays in succession kept WVU from taking a two-score lead on its next possession. Rodney Gallagher III's third-down catch to the ISU 10 was ruled complete on the field but was overturned by the replay official, and then Michael Hayes II's 36-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. It was his first miss this season in six attempts.
 
Two plays later, Becht took advantage of a blown coverage that left the entire middle of the field uncovered and flipped a 60-yard touchdown pass to Noel. So, instead of WVU leading by either 14 or 10 points, the game was tied in a span of four plays. Brown said afterward the blown coverage was the result of a miscommunication.
 
The Cyclones untied it on their next possession when they drove nearly the entire length of the field, converting three third downs in the process, to score their second touchdown when Hansen ran into the end zone untouched from the 11.
 
ISU's scoring drive covered 91 yards in 17 plays and consumed 8:08 of game time, but it did give the Mountaineers enough time to drive down to score before the half.
 
Greene completed third-down passes of 24 yards to tight end Kole Taylor and 13 yards to Traylon Ray to get WVU into position for Hayes to kick a 43-yard field goal with 32 seconds left to trim the Cyclones' lead to 14-10.
 
Iowa State, with two timeouts left, got the ball to the Mountaineer 43 with four seconds left before Sean Martin and Jaheem Joseph sacked Becht on the final play of the half.
 
The two teams played a scoreless third quarter, but Iowa State got the game's big break near the end of the quarter when Jamison Patton picked off Greene's pass at the Cyclone 21 and returned it 14 yards to the 35.
 
Becht passes of 12 and then 34 yards to a wide-open Eli Green down the far sideline took the ball to the Mountaineer 17 to end the third quarter.
 
West Virginia appeared to have Iowa State stopped at the 6 on third down when Becht's pass sailed out of the end zone, but Ayden Garnes was called for defensive holding and the Cyclones were awarded a first down at the 3. On the next play, Hansen powered his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night to give Iowa State a 21-10 lead.
 
Greene's second interception, this one on a tipped pass to cornerback Jontez Williams, gave Iowa State the football at the WVU 33 following his 7-yard return.
 
Iowa State used 6:43 of game time to return to the end zone, converting a fourth and 2 at the 25 on Becht's option pitch to Hansen, and the 220-pound sophomore capped the drive with 4:42 left when he plowed in from the 2. 
 
Kyle Konrardy's conversion kick made it 28-10, Cyclones.
 
West Virginia scored a late touchdown with 1:10 remaining when Greene completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to White coming out of the backfield. Greene's two-point conversion pass into heavy congestion was knocked down in the end zone.
 
Hayes' onsides kick hopped out of bounds, giving the Cyclones the ball at the WVU 38. Iowa State was willing to run out the clock, but WVU chose to use it timeouts. That required the Cyclones to go to the air on fourth down for 27 yards to Jayden Higgins to burn off the final 51 seconds at the Mountaineer 4.

"I thought (lack of red zone success), turnovers and penalties was the story of the game," Brown said.
 
Greene completed 18 of his 32 pass attempts for 206 yards and a touchdown, but his two picks resulted n 14 Cyclone points. Brown thought Greene's first pick was the result of a missed pass interference penalty on tight end Kole Taylor.
 
Iowa State was called for just one penalty for 10 yards while West Virginia was flagged six times for 42 yards.
 
Taylor was WVU's top pass catcher with five catches for 55 yards.
 
West Virginia remains in Morgantown to face 18^th-ranked Kansas State next Saturday night on homecoming. The Wildcats are playing at Colorado tonight.