Iowa State’s athletic department kept telling the press box to quiet down.

Cheering is prohibited in the second level of the glass facade on the west side of Jack Trice Stadium, but that wasn’t the problem. With new ISU records coming in faster than the stat keepers could find them, the press box, the 43,162 in attendance and even the men in uniforms and polo shirts on the sidelines were just along for the ride.

“We stepped and made plays in situations where we haven’t shown we can make plays. They made them on both sides of the ball, and they made them on special teams,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “I think that mental toughness abounds in every phase of the program.”

It had been 16 years without a kick return touchdown, eight years without seeing the number five hit the left side of the scoreboard, and Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud had, statistically, one of his best games in a Cyclone uniform. Texas Tech’s offense thrived as the Red Raider defense wilted, but it was a game until the end.

“Just being around Jack Trice and being around this environment, this is one of the best games I’ve been involved in. I’ve seen some good ones here, I’ve been coming since I was 5 years old,” Arnaud said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever thrown four touchdowns before.”

The excitement of a 90-point shootout with 949 yards of total offense was all over Rhoads’ face while he was talking post-game.

The mood was different in the third quarter, when Texas Tech tied up the game at 24 points a piece, after the Cyclones and their fans had been dancing around with 24-0 lead less than an hour before. Giving up 14 quick points before halftime and then struggling to move the ball after halftime, the team was in need of a turnaround.

“The talk was to relax. There’s one thing that I never tell my football team and that’s to relax. You get ahead and you relax and it’s no good,” Rhoads said. “Today, I wanted them to relax. They tightened up, they were nervous about what they were giving away. You’ve got just keep progressing and moving on, and that’s what we did.”

While the Cyclone offense had plenty of success under the lights, with running backs Alexander Robinson and Shontrelle Johnson each hitting 100 yards, and Arnaud finding holes in the TTU defense, giving up a 24-point lead can wreak havoc on young psyches.

“It was a little thing here or there and it turned into a touchdown. A couple blown coverages or something like that, with their up-tempo offense, that’s going to happen sometimes,” said Cyclone linebacker Jake Knott, who had 13 tackles Saturday. “It was kind of a reality check I guess, and we had to get back into it and watch our offense get down the field.”

With an offense questioned after a shaky performance against Northern Iowa a week before, the Cyclones rallied, answering the bell to the tune of four fourth-quarter touchdowns, pushing Rhoads to 7-0 in night games in Ames.

Red Raider quarterback Taylor Potts can’t take too much blame for the loss, going 42-of-62 for 377 yards and five touchdowns to just one interception. His completions and passing attempts were both Jack Trice records, and his favorite target, receiver Lyle Leong, was a problem to the Cyclone secondary all night.

Leong finished with nine catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Texas Tech got its numbers, but went back to Lubbock 0-2 in the Big 12.

“We got tired of all the negative things that we went through in practice. We just came in and worked hard and got the job done,” said ISU cornerback Jeremy Reeves.

Reeves’ touchdown from returning the Red Raiders’ onside kick attempt put the game away for Iowa State, but until Arnaud took a knee, Cyclone fans couldn’t believe it.

Saturday night was a back-and-forth battle that put on a great show with big play after big play, the Cyclones overcame challenges to will themselves to victory. Overcoming those problems were the trademark of Rhoads’ first team just a year ago, but this was the first ISU victory over Texas Tech since Seneca Wallace quarterbacked an 11th-ranked Cyclone team to a win in 2002.

The white-helmet-topped Red Raiders amassed 28 first downs, gained 5.8 yards per play in the 87 plays they literally ran through, and converted all of their red zone opportunities into points. Texas Tech gained notoriety with eye-popping numbers like those under former coach Mike Leach. First-year Texas Tech coach and one-time Rhoads mentor Tommy Tuberville hasn’t been noted for those things yet in 2010, but the offense was rolling like it was 2008.

Iowa State had a counter-punch every step of the way.

“We knew they were going to come back strong, they have a quick scoring offense, so we just had to keep fighting. I think we accomplished that,” Robinson said.

While the Red Raiders nearly doubled the Cyclones’ yardage through the air, ISU offensive coordinator kept the ball on the ground 50 times, giving Iowa State 290 yards rushing and an edge in time of possession.

The Lubbock, Texas-based group ran more plays and converted both their fourth down opportunities in the game. Rhoads’ team responded with a season-high 10-for-18 third down conversion rate.

But Iowa State’s explosive plays blew the game open. The Cyclone coaching staff had been stressing their importance to the young squad, and with Arnaud’s touchdown passes for 36 and 27 yards, and runs by Robinson for 65 yards and Johnson for 61 yards put all of that in the past.

“I expect big plays from this offense every Saturday, but we haven’t been doing that lately. Tonight feels good to get back on track,” Arnaud said.

Iowa State caught all the breaks when the game mattered. It wasn’t because the team was any faster than Texas Tech, had been prepared for tough competition, or were much more savvy with the game plan. The Cyclones came ready to play on Saturday, and were gritty enough to overcome obstacles.

“There was a different energy tonight. It starts with being ready to play. When you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, you take the field with conviction and you play differently,” Rhoads said. “We practiced with conviction. We’ve got a lot of belief and strength in that belief that we practiced with, and it showed tonight.”

The Cyclone spread offense might not have completely come of

age on Saturday night, but it certainly found the scoring touch they had been looking for. Factor in that in came against an opponent known for the spread, and at a pivotal time in the Cyclones’ season, and the ISU coaching staff is ready for more challenges waiting.

“We’re in our infancy still as a program, we’ve played 18 games,” Rhoads said. “But, we might have turned a corner today.”