Iowa State Defeats No. 3 Oklahoma in Shocking 38-31 Upset

The Iowa State Cyclones shocked the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners 38-31 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.                      

Iowa State senior walk-on quarterback Kyle Kempt threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, including the go-ahead scoring strike to wide receiver Allen Lazard from 25 yards out to put the Cyclones on top 38-31 with 2:19 remaining.

The Cyclones improved to 3-2, while the Sooners fell to 4-1 and saw their College Football Playoff hopes suffer a significant setback.

Per ESPN Stats and Info, the win was Iowa State's first in program history over an AP Top Three team on the road after going 0-17 in such games.

Saturday also marked Iowa State's first win against Oklahoma since beating the Sooners on the road in 1990.

Adding to the shock value behind the win is the fact that Oklahoma was a 31-point favorite, according to OddsShark.

Kempt started Saturday's game for the Cyclones after the team announced Friday that regular starting quarterback Jacob Park was taking a leave of absence for "personal health issues."

In addition to stepping in on short notice, Kempt outplayed Heisman Trophy candidate Baker Mayfield, who finished with 306 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 57 yards and one score on the ground.

Former Iowa State and NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels suggested Kempt take a page out of Mayfield's book after the Sooners upset Ohio State on the road earlier in the season:

Oklahoma held a 24-13 lead at halftime, but Iowa State tied it in the third quarter by virtue of a 42-yard field goal by Garrett Owens and a 28-yard touchdown pass from Kempt to Marchie Murdock followed by a successful two-point conversion.

The Cyclones then took a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Kempt to Trever Ryen. Although Dimitri Flowers tied it with a one-yard touchdown run shortly thereafter, Iowa State put the game away in the closing minutes.

While the loss was a surprising and disheartening one for Oklahoma, ESPN Stats and Info pointed out that its national titles hopes are far from over:

Just last season, Clemson suffered a home loss to Pittsburgh before going on to beat the previously undefeated Alabama in the national championship game.

The Sooners will likely need to run the table in order to remain in the mix, but doing so in the competitive Big 12 won't be easy.

Oklahoma will battle the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in the Red River Showdown next week, and it still has clashes with ranked opponents in Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia on the schedule.