Iowa State tight end Ben Brahmer appears to be "all right" after taking a scary hit in 24-19 loss to Arizona State

AMES — For several tense minutes, no one thought about football.

Everyone simply hoped Iowa State tight end Ben Brahmer was OK.

The 6-7, 255-pound star junior had absorbed a hard hit with 8:50 remaining in the Cyclones’ 24-19 loss to Arizona State on a rainy, gray sky-shrouded Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium — and after he stood up, he tumbled to the turf again.

Several tense minutes passed. Both team’s players kneeled on the field. Brahmer was eventually carted off the field, then hospitalized, before being evaluated, treated and discharged.

“Right now it looks like, hopefully, everything’s going to be all right,” said ISU head coach Matt Campbell, whose team (5-4, 2-4) lost its fourth straight game — and third by one score. “It’s precautionary, but at least the feedback we’ve gotten so far has been positive.”

Once the game resumed, Cyclone quarterback Rocco Becht threw an interception at his own 29-yard line. ISU’s defense responded, however, when safety Marcus Neal forced the Sun Devils’ journeyman quarterback Jeff Sims — who replaced injured star Sam Leavitt — to fumble and defensive lineman Zamir Hawk recovered the ball at the ISU 16-yard line.

But the Cyclones’ offense couldn’t take advantage of one of Sims’ three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception), as Tyler Perkins punted six plays later.

Call that a recurring theme, as ISU’s ability to play complementary football vanished for the fourth consecutive outing. Sims broke an Arizona State record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with a whopping 228, while helping his team improve to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

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“It’s tough,” said ISU tailback Carson Hansen, who notched his second straight 100-yard rushing game of the season. “That’s four in a row of just, you know, we’ve just gotta be better. We’ve gotta refine things and we’ve gotta keep coming back to work because we’re not giving up. After this, we’ve gotta keep our heads up and keep moving forward because there (are) still games to play.”

The problem is, as Campbell noted, the reeling Cyclones are now “stuck” in “broken record” mode. ISU enjoyed four opportunities to score a touchdown and take the lead in the fourth quarter and failed to do so each time. The Cyclones’ last gasp hope ended when on fourth-and-6 with 19 seconds left, Becht’s pass to wide receiver Chase Sowell spanned five yards.

Sims — a sixth-year player on his third college team — kneeled in victory formation and ISU shuffled off the field with a pocket full of what-ifs.

“We’re disappointed, we’re upset,” said Becht, who connected with Brahmer for a 17-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. “That’s really all it is. That’s how we’re feeling right now. We know we’ve gotta stay positive, stay up and continue to grind in whatever we’re doing, but we’ve just gotta change something during the week. Just the players as a whole — just change every rhythm. Just find that joy again.”

Becht went 18-for-36 through the air for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for a 7-yard touchdown to tie former ISU great Brock Purdy for the most career touchdown runs by a quarterback with 19.

“I’ve got absolute faith in Rocco Becht,” Campbell said. “We’ll continue to pound away. Receivers gotta catch the ball. We’ve gotta be able to protect him a little bit better in some critical moments. It’s a whole offense. It’s tough to be the quarterback because everyone wants to point the finger at you, and that’s not the case.”

Speaking of that offense, the Cyclones converted just two of their 14 third-down chances and saw a second-and-goal situation late in the third quarter turn into a 35-yard Kyle Konrardy field goal because of a penalty.

“The ball’s not bouncing our way right now,” Becht said. “We’ve just gotta execute better.”

That’s the “broken record” part of ISU’s four-game swoon, but as much as losing hurts, Brahmer’s health remained at the forefront of his teammates minds.

“We just keep prayers over him and we just thank him for what he’s done for this program, and just the man he is,” Hansen said.

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