FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Benjamin Brahmer insists that things looked a lot worse than they were when the big Iowa State tight end passed out on the field after getting up from a big hit in the previous game.
A week later, Brahmer was back in the end zone.
Brahmer caught a pass around the 11 with his back to the goal line, then then lunged through four defenders while extending his 6-foot-7 body into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the Cyclones' 20-17 win at TCU on Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak.
“It was awesome to see Ben get out there again. I know it was a little bit of a scary moment last week for all of us,” linebacker Kooper Ebel said. “He bounced right back. ... He’s a warrior and he’s continued to show up big ways for this team.”
It was the second game in a row for Brahmer to score a TD, but he was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of the home loss to Arizona State following a hard hit. He said the hit caused a bruised lung, and that he passed out going toward the Cyclones sideline after initially getting up to his feet.
“It looked a lot worse than it actually ended up being,” said Brahmer, who practiced all week.
“I kind of got the wind knocked out so bad that I couldn’t breathe at all,” he said. "Once I got the wits about me after about 30 seconds of waking up, I knew I was fine. That’s what I told coach (Matt) Campbell I'll be back (in the game). But I didn't realize that they would take to the ER.”
Brahmer, who wore rib protection Saturday and said he felt fine, was only at the hospital for about an hour last week before going home. What followed were visits from many of his teammates, along with messages from hundreds of people.
“Shows me how many people support me, how many people I'm playing for revery week,” he said. It's good to have that support on my side."
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