Fumble return for TD, field goals aid Cyclones



AMES, Iowa (AP) -- Defensive tackle Brent Curvey scored on a fumble return for the second straight game and Bret Culbertson kicked two field goals, lifting Iowa State to a 13-7 victory over Kansas on Saturday.
Both offenses struggled on a raw, windy day, but Iowa State (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) made enough plays on defense and in the kicking game to forge its first two-game winning streak since starting the 2003 season with two straight victories.
Along with Curvey's 30-yard return, the Cyclones intercepted three passes and blocked a punt.
Quarterback injured
Kansas (3-5, 1-4) lost starting quarterback Adam Barmann to a shoulder injury midway through the second quarter and didn't score until Jason Swanson, the second replacement quarterback, hit Mark Simmons on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 left.
Iowa State was leading 3-0 when Barmann left the game with his right shoulder sagging and his arm limp after a 4-yard scramble. He was replaced by Brian Luke, who was making his first appearance of the season, and the results were disastrous for the Jayhawks.
Luke was sacked by Brandon Brown on his third play and fumbled when Shawn Moorehead sacked him on the next play. As Curvey closed in to help, the ball bounced up, the 6-foot, 300-pounder grabbed it with his right hand at the Kansas 30 and rumbled untouched to the end zone.
On a 65-yard fumble return in a victory over Baylor a week ago, Curvey dove into the end zone and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. He went in standing up this time, making it 10-0 with 6:17 left in the half.
That would be enough on this day, even though the Cyclones totaled only 192 yards. Stevie Hicks managed to grind out 110 yards in 30 carries and did some hard running on a 15-play, 40-yard drive that used up almost seven minutes and led to Culbertson's 34-yard field goal, which made it 13-0 with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
Culbertson also connected from 22 yards in the first quarter and gave a lift to Iowa State's maligned kicking game. He took over the field goal duties after two other kickers were a combined 3-for-11.
Todd Blythe's punt block set up the first field goal. Blythe, a starting wide receiver, streaked in from the right side to block Kyle Tucker's kick, giving Iowa State the ball on the KU 8. But the Cyclones managed only 4 yards in three plays and had to call on Culbertson, who drilled a perfect kick as coach Dan McCarney watched nervously from the sideline.
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