Luckily for Steele Jantz, football games are only 60 minutes in length.

For the first 54:23 of Saturday’s season opener against Northern Iowa, Iowa State’s offense was stagnant. Jantz completed only 13-of-31 passes for 91 yards and threw a trio of interceptions, two of which offensive coordinator Tom Herman said were “something you learn as a second-grader playing quarterback.” Jantz did pick up 55 yards on the ground and a touchdown to end the first half.

When the Cyclones got the ball back with 5:37 remaining on their own 39-yard line, Jantz showed a sense of urgency. After an incompletion on the first play, he found Aaron Horne for a 10-yard pickup, then completed a 25-yard pass to Josh Lenz. Finally, on fourth and 10, Jantz threw across his body on the run to a sliding Josh Lenz in the back corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown that will likely go down as one of the most memorable moments of this young season.

ISU fans sensed a comeback.

Jantz showcased his maneuverability outside of the pocket, throwing on the run and picking up first downs with his feet when he needed to.

So, with that, here are five observations we made from Steele’s debut on Saturday.

He likes to make plays with his feet.

Jantz admitted he spent too much time outside of the pocket in postgame interviews, but aside from the three interceptions, he kept plays alive and kept the fourth-largest crowd in Jack Trice Stadium history on its toes.

He’s not afraid to stick his nose into the pile.

Rather than feed it to short-yardage back Jeff Woody, Jantz ran the ball six out of eight times when the Cyclones were in the red zone. That included two touchdowns from one yard out — one on the final play of the first half and the other to give the Cyclones a 20-19 lead with 40 seconds remaining.

He likes to play fast.

The jet tempo the Cyclones wanted to implement seems to fit Jantz well.

The quarterback was at his best in the final minutes when things were happening quickly. Focus on just the task at hand and the next play serve him and the offense well.

He must learn to check down to running backs or tight ends when under duress.

A designed shovel pass to Woody and a swing pass to Shontrelle Johnson were the only two completions that Jantz made to running backs on Saturday, and tight end Reid Branderhorst had only two catches as well. To end the first half, Jantz threw the ball to the 6-foot-4, 242-pound Branderhorst five times, completing two and drawing pass interference penalties.

He needs more time to throw.

Clearly Northern Iowa’s front seven presented challenges for Iowa State’s offensive line in week one, and don’t expect the Cyclones’ next opponent to be any easier. Under defensive coordinator Norm Parker, the Iowa defense has year in and year out been one of the best in the Big Ten and in the last two seasons has stifled Herman’s offense.

In the last two seasons, the Iowa defense has forced eight interceptions by ISU quarterbacks and has allowed an average of only 289 yards per game, 155 of which were through the air. Jantz will need to establish an early rhythm for himself and for the offense if the Cyclones are to have any chance of snapping their three-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes.

Iowa has outscored Iowa State by a combined score of 42-3 in the first halves over the last two seasons, so a slow start could spell trouble for Jantz and Co.

If Jantz can play the way he did in the final 5:37, the Cyclones could have a chance in Saturday’s game. If he and the offense perform as they did for the first 54-plus minutes, Jack Trice Stadium will once again be a playground for the Hawkeyes.