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NFC Championship Game will match quarterbacks who faced off in wild 2019 Big 12 game

No one would view Iowa State as Quarterback U, as only seven former Cyclones have been signal-callers in the NFL.

But San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy said his four years as Iowa State’s starter prepared him well for the NFL.

“(It) taught me how to be real about myself. I learned so much just with winning and being successful and then also losing some big games,” Purdy told NBC Sports’ Peter King after the 49ers clinched a spot in the NFC Championship Game. “I learned how to overcome some things, believe in myself, but also not be too high when things are great, or just because you’ve lost a couple games doesn’t mean you’re horrible.

“Honestly it was a blessing in disguise because when I came here for the NFL, I was already used to the sport being hard, and being coached hard, and it was always, ‘How can I get better?’ I think it’s allowed me to have some success.”

One of those big-game defeats came in 2019 when the Cyclones lost a heartbreaking 42-41 contest at Oklahoma.

The Sooners scored the game’s first two touchdowns and pushed their lead to 21 points by halftime. A blowout seemed imminent, but the Cyclones outscored Oklahoma 20-0 in the fourth quarter.

After Purdy’s touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining, Iowa State went for a two-point conversion but it failed. That allowed Jalen Hurts and the Sooners to escape with the victory.

Next up for Hurts and Purdy: the NFC Championship Game with a spot in Super Bowl LVII on the line.

In that wild 2019 game in Norman, Hurts threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Purdy had five TD throws and one rushing.

The teams combined for 976 yards, but don’t expect those fireworks Sunday.

“Yeah, it was a game,” Purdy told NFL.com. “Obviously, there was a lot of points scored, it was almost like you had to score every single time you had the ball. Different situation and scenario than what we’re about to go through on Sunday, but it was a fun college game.

“It was a great experience to go against Jalen and they had a great team, and he was making plays and I feel like we had to do the same to keep up and stay alive in that game as well, but this is a different situation, different scenario going into Sunday.”

Yes, the stakes are much higher this time around. But the first Hurts-Purdy game provided a number of big plays. Here are highlights from the game, which also featured Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb and Jets rookie Breece Hall.