The Big 12 is a conference where the only person busier than the scoreboard operator is a defensive coordinator.

ISU defensive coordinator Wally Burnham devised a pair of successful defensive gameplans over the last two weeks as the Cyclones topped conference foes Texas Tech and Kansas.

“I think that it is just the program and the progress we’ve made having these kids in the system,” Burnham said during a teleconference on Monday. “They’ve learned the system and a good game plan as far as execution and what we are trying to do. They’ve been focused in, and I think that it’s just a lot of things that go into growing with a team.”

The ISU defense allowed a combined 17 points — seven against Texas Tech and 10 against Kansas — against a pair of offenses that averaged a combined 71.5 points per game entering their matchups with Iowa State. The 17 points allowed ties the fewest allowed by Burnham’s defense in a two-game stretch since he arrived in 2009, the other time being in back-to-back wins against Baylor (24-10) and Nebraska (9-7) in 2009.

A major difference between the Texas Tech and Kansas games was while the Cyclones remained mostly healthy in Lubbock, Texas, they battled key injuries in their secondary as free safety Jacques Washington (abdominal strain) and his replacement Durrell Givens (bruised sternum) left the game in the first half.

Redshirt junior Deon Broomfield and redshirt sophomore C.J. Morgan played extensively in the second half as the Cyclones held the Jayhawks to only three points and 73 total yards in the second half.

“We’ve been building that depth all along this fall, and they get a lot of reps in practice and hopefully when they get their chance they perform, and they did,” Burnham said.

The Cyclones may be off the field this coming Saturday but in the following two weeks they will be matched up against not just one but two of the nation’s top five teams in total offense as they host No. 2 Oklahoma State and travel to No. 6 Oklahoma.

First up on the docket will be the Cowboys, who average the fourth-most yards per game (557.3) and rank No. 2 nationally in points per game with 50.1. Burnham and his staff already watched Oklahoma State’s 52-45 victory over Kansas State once on Sunday and another time on Monday morning.

The Cowboys’ aerial attack is led by senior quarterback Brandon Weeden who threw for a school-record 502 yards against K-State, 205 of which went to senior wide receiver and 2010 Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon.

“We will study that game extensively because we feel like our scheme and what they [Kansas State] do and what we do are very similar, we’ll take as much from that as we can,” Burnham said. “Kansas State does some pretty good things on defense and we will take it and see how it fits our scheme and go from there.”

The Cyclones and Cowboys will square off in Iowa State’s second Friday night game of the season on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Jack Trice Stadium.