With all four losses this season coming in at an average of less than one touchdown, it is easy to see how the ISU football team thinks its 1-4 record could just as easily be flipped the other direction.

Both ISU defensive starters Luke Knott and Jacques Washington played every single defensive snap against No. 20 Texas Tech on Oct. 12 in a 42-35 losing effort.

Each of them were on the field for 101 defensive snaps. How many of them cost Iowa State the game? How many plays through the first five games have cost them?

“You take back two or three plays, and our record is flipped pretty much,” Knott said. “But you’ve got to have an every down focus. If the person could’ve been a step quicker there, or a step quicker here, then that changes the whole course of the game.”

Iowa State has found ways to stay in the ball game, forcing turnovers and winning the special teams battle. In the latest game against the Red Raiders, the team was outgained by more than double in offense yardage at 666 to 311. But they won the turnover battle 3-0, and return man Jarvis West took a kickoff back for a 95-yard touchdown.

“It’s one of the things I talked to the team about yesterday, why good things are on the horizon,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “You don’t play as good of special teams as we’re playing right now, you don’t have the turnover margin that we have right now, score more points as an offensive football team and not going to have things go your way.”

Against Texas Tech, the ISU defense forced three turnovers with two fumble recoveries in the second quarter and a Jeremiah George interception in the fourth quarter. From those turnovers, they produced a pair of rushing touchdowns and the other ended the half.

“[If] they fumble a punt, we get another turnover and put us on the 20-yard line,” said ISU running back Jeff Woody. “Just to make sure we capitalize on the things we need to capitalize on when opportunities present themselves, we have to take them.”

Whatever the problem is, Rhoads and Iowa State’s only definitive answer can be to keep grinding away, starting with the daunting task of stopping the No. 1 scoring offense in the country with Baylor, who is ranked No. 2 in passing and No. 4 in rushing.

“As long as our kids keep fighting and giving the effort they are, allowing the improvement to take place that I see, we’re going to keep being in ball games and sooner or later we’re going to end up on top,” Rhoads said.