With an offense that has yet to score a point in the first quarter and has scored 45 of its 68 points in regulation in the second half, the ISU defense has been relied upon heavily to keep games close as the Cyclones have squeaked by with a trio of wins that have all been decided by four or fewer points.

“They’ve tackled overall pretty well,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads in a teleconference on Monday. “[They] haven’t given up a lot of big plays, and when you’re not giving up big plays and getting beat fast, you’ve got a chance to just keep your football team in the game and that’s what they’ve done.”

Defensively, the Cyclones may have had their best game so far this season on Friday night against Connecticut. They allowed their fewest yardage total on the season (343), forced three turnovers after forcing only a single turnover through the first two games, and halted a final drive by the Huskies to secure a 24-20 victory.

“I think the number one thing that I’d say about them is they’ve just been sound,” Rhoads said. “I think [defensive coordinator Wally Burnham] and the coaches and the players have a good feel for what they’re capable of, they haven’t tried to do much.”

The ISU defense was especially effective on third down as the Huskies converted on only five of their 17 third down opportunities on Friday and only one of six in the second half.

“There were several key third down situations where our guys were just located in the right places and gave us a chance to get off the field,” Rhoads said. “We’re running better and getting off blocks better overall as a defense than we did the two previous seasons.”

Although his team has trailed in the fourth quarter of all three non-conference wins, Rhoads has seen an unwavering confidence from the Cyclones who are 3-0 for the first time since 2005.

“In three games I’ve never seen the confidence waver that we could win the football game,” Rhoads said. “I’d like to stop having to do it game after game after game, but if that’s what it takes to win, then that’s what it takes.”

Iowa State, who is one of 27 3-0 teams in the nation has inched closer to their first ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 poll since week four of the 2005 season when they were ranked No. 23. The Cyclones received 19 votes this week, the sixth highest in the Big 12.

“We’ve got five teams in front of us that are ranked and maybe another three or four that could be closing in on getting ranked so we’ve got a big task ahead of us, and that begins with Texas next week,” Rhoads said.

Following their bye week, Iowa State will host Texas in a rematch of last year’s 28-21 victory for the Cyclones, their first against the Longhorns in program history. Kick-off for the game on Saturday, Oct. 1 is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jack Trice Stadium.