The newspaper with an image of James White crossing the pylon on a hot, sunny Iowa afternoon still lays on the television stand in the ISU running back’s Ames apartment.

White will never forget that moment when his foot crossed the white painted line in the south end zone at Jack Trice Stadium two years ago.

How could he? The touchdown pushed Iowa State to a 44-41 triple-overtime victory against Iowa as fans poured across the railings and as teammates sprinted across the field to recapture the Cy-Hawk trophy from the opposing sideline.

While the run still plays in White’s mind and the image on the newspaper catches his eye each day, he is without one memory: White never did get to that trophy.

“No chance, no chance,” White said. “My linemen congratulated me and stuff like that. [Offensive lineman] Hayworth Hicks — I’ll never forget it — he was the first one. I jumped up on him and he picked me up and he was saying: ‘I’m glad, I’m proud. We beat those guys.’”

White’s memory — with or without picking up the trophy — is just the same. ISU defensive back Jacques Washington said that he, too, has never had the chance to rush to the trophy.

So, is the trophy overrated?

“Trophies go along with victory,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads when asked. “And victory, my friend, is not overrated.”

Yet the game — for Rhoads and players — is about more than a trophy. Several players rattle off the word “pride,” and Rhoads said the game would be just as important with something else on the line.

“I could play for a lollipop and be extremely excited,” Rhoads said.

When a sold-out crowd pours into Jack Trice on Saturday for a nighttime rivalry matchup with the Hawkeyes, the Cy-Hawk trophy will sit on the Cyclones’ sideline. Iowa State retained the prized possession for a second consecutive year with a narrow 9-6 victory in Iowa City last season.

This season’s Cy-Hawk game will carry extra importance moving forward for both teams as they search for all the wins they can get with losses already marring their records. That’s as if the game wasn’t already significant.

“The week’s electric,” Rhoads said. “In a state with no professional sports, whether you’re an Iowa State graduate or University of Iowa graduate, whether you’re a true 365-day supporting fan of one institution or the other, you generally draw up sides in this game for the entire state.”

It’s Iowa or Iowa State, Hawkeyes or Cyclones.

“Everyone in this state, when you grow up in this state, you’re one or the other. You’re a Hawkeye or Cyclone… or Panther,” said ISU running back Jeff Woody. “And even if you’re a Panther, you kind of pick one or the other.”

Iowa State has won nine of the last 15 matchups against Iowa. The Cyclones’ wins have come by an average of fewer than eight points, and six of the ISU wins have been decided by a touchdown or less.

There is an expectation that this year will be much of the same.

“There’s nothing that going to be anything blowout about it,” Woody said. “Either way, you know whether you’re wearing black and gold or cardinal and gold, this is going to come down to the final whistle.”

The players will fight for a trophy, but the game is much bigger than that.

“Hey, pride is pride,” Washington said. “Like he said, even if it’s a lollipop or a key chain or something, we’d fight for it.”