After they were outscored 120-27 in a pair of losses against Utah and Oklahoma, the 2010 Iowa State team limped into Austin, Texas, for a week eight contest against Texas.

The Cyclones, however, won the turnover battle and held off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt as they upset the then No. 22 Longhorns, beating Texas for the first time in the eight meetings between the two teams.

“We had just gotten our rear ends kicked for the past two weeks, and that was upsetting to us. That was surprising to us so to go back out after that and play a full 60 minute football game was very pleasing to our program at that point, and [the win was] something to build on and something we’ve tried to build on since then,” said coach Paul Rhoads at a press conference on Monday.

Fast-forward to 2011 and the Cyclones are striding as they prepare to host the No. 17 Longhorns. Iowa State is 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and are fresh off a bye week during which starters such as quarterback Steele Jantz and left tackle Kelechi Osemele were able to heal in preparation for the Big 12 opener against Texas.

“We’re about as healthy as we can be right now,” Rhoads said. “To be 3-0 at the end of that very challenging schedule has certainly done a lot for our confidence.”

Similar to the Cyclones, Texas will travel to Ames coming off a bye week and with a 3-0 record. Rhoads sees a different Longhorns squad from last year, which could be due in large part to new coordinators on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

“There’s a different energy with their ball club and you can see it from snap through whistle in how they play,” Rhoads said. “They’re playing fast offensively there’s a lot of movement to what they’re doing, they’re playing with great enthusiasm on defense having some success with pressure and turnovers. Even without being in a stadium or hearing the sound, you can see the energy in their football team.”

Twenty-four players on the ISU roster hail from the state of Texas, none of which were offered a scholarship by Texas. Among the Texans on the ISU roster is Allen, Texas, native and starting junior cornerback Jeremy Reeves. Reeves, who had an interception in the third quarter of last year’s game, knows that revenge will be on the minds of the players wearing burnt orange on Saturday.

“I know that’s one of the things on their minds that we came to their home field and we beat them and now they’re talking about it’s revenge now they want to come to our home field and beat us so I know it’s a big thing on their mind over there,” Reeves said.

With a showdown of 3-0 teams set for Saturday at 6 p.m., another reachable goal for the Cyclones is the chance to become ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. The Cyclones, who haven’t been ranked in the top 25 since October 2005, received 21 votes in the Associated Press poll this week.

“If we win this one I’m pretty sure we’ll be ranked so I’m just ready and I’m excited about it,” said ISU running back Shontrelle Johnson.