There is something about playing under the lights at Jack Trice Stadium that has brought out some of the best performances in ISU football history. In the Paul Rhoads era alone, the Cyclones have recorded some of the most monumental wins in school history after the sun goes down in Ames.

There was the 41-7 blowout against No. 19 Texas Tech in 2011, where Iowa State rushed for 368 yards.

There was the 381-yard, five touchdown performance by Steele Jantz in a 35-21 win against Baylor in 2012.

There was the controversial Texas game in 2013 that featured the longest pass play in Iowa State history in a nail biting 31-30 loss.

And, of course, there was the upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State in 2011 that featured one of the best offensive displays in school history with 568 yards of offense and five turnovers forced by the defense.

The Cyclones have performed well in these games under Rhoads, but Baylor is anything but a typical opponent. That much was apparent after the Bears handed the Cyclones the worst loss in school history last season, 71-7.

The Bears’ offense is unlike any other offense the Cyclones will see, relying on not only pre-snap reads, but post-snap reads as well. Rhoads said the offense is extremely difficult to operate and even more difficult to defend.

“It’s extremely unique,” Rhoads said of the Baylor offense. “People throw around the term ‘spread’, [but] there are so many types of spread offenses and their’s is extremely unique.”

The talk all week is keeping the Baylor offense off the field and for good reason. The Bears are averaging nearly 60 points per game and Rhoads said the team will need to shorten the game and get in the end zone “a number of times to have a chance.”

But perhaps the most important thing for the Cyclones is starting quick. In the four games mentioned above, the Cyclones outscored opponents 65-55 in the first half. Against Baylor, that includes getting players to play at their full potential.

“Getting as many people to finish plays is going to be important,” Rhoads said. “Not making this a game of one-on-one tackles and one-on-one battles. But what they do in a unique way lends itself to that [being] what you’re going to get more of than what you’d like to see.”

With a national television audience, a premiere opponent and a night game at Jack Trice Stadium, the Cyclones are ready to show that last year’s 71-7 loss is just history.

“It’s obviously a Big 12 opponent, a game that nobody expects us to win other than ourselves and you’ve got to go out and perform your best and get the [win],” said quarterback Sam Richardson.

And that’s not to lose track of what this game really means. A loss to Baylor is not going to hurt the season. But a win over Baylor?

“For us it gets us to 2-2,” said center Tom Farniok. “At the same time of all this hype and everything, it’s still just another game.”