The referee blew the whistle and the overtime clock began to tick. It was in this moment that ISU heavyweight Quean Smith saw his opening.

Smith and Iowa’s Terrance Jean-Jacques had already spent three rounds under the lights, trading escapes and reversals until halfway through the second period when Smith earned the first takedown of the match. It would not be his last.

After Smith’s takedown gave him the 4-2 lead, he was stuck with a stalling call followed by an escape from Jean-Jacques that put the match at 4-4, sending the two heavyweights into sudden death overtime. Five seconds ticked off the clock before Smith sent Jean-Jacques through the air and onto his back, securing a two-point takedown and the match.

“Just as soon as the whistle blew I said, ‘OK, should I just take this shot or wrestle through?’ but once I saw it open it up I said, ‘Okay, that’s where I can take this shot,’” Smith said.

Smith’s victory against Jean-Jacques was the first of the season for the Cyclones at heavyweight after going 0-5 through the first of their six duals.

The lights are always brighter when Iowa comes to Hilton Coliseum and the intensity and pressure became even greater during Smith’s overtime match, but he didn’t let the size of the stage rattle him.

“I was nervous, but I know I wrestle for Iowa State so I shouldn’t be nervous and that was it,” Smith said.

Smith was not the only Cyclone that brought Iowa State fans to their feet during 23-9 loss against the in-state rival Hawkeyes. Luke Goettl earned a 4-2 victory against No. 17 ranked Mike Kelly during the dwindling seconds of the third period.

The two went back and forth from the start, with Goettl taking a first period lead off a takedown, but Kelly evened the score in the second period after getting a reversal.

Goettl chose neutral to start the third period and with just two seconds left scored the decisive takedown. Afterwards, Goettl was rather mum about his takedown that brought the Cyclone faithful to their feet.

“Probably should have done it [takedown] earlier in the match, but I still got the win,” Goettl said.

ISU coach Kevin Jackson said there was more to the matches than just a win.

“It was big for him [Quean] and Luke Goettl to find a way to win in a gut-check type match,” Jackson said. “What it tells them is that this is what it feels like to dig down deep and figure out how to go get that win. This is what it feels like mentally, this is what it feels like physically and this is what it feels like technically to go out and impose your will on that match.”