No. 6 Oklahoma will be the opponent Saturday, whether or not Iowa State is ready.

Moving forward from a 68-27 loss isn’t as easy as turning the page, but No. 11 Utah is now in the past, and the Cyclones are practicing like they want to forget the last three quarters of Saturday night.

“They came to work,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads of Sunday’s practice. “It wasn’t like we were out there slapping high-fives or cracking jokes and smiles. We got our tails handed to us, so we came out to work and acted like we got our tails beat.”

Confident and successful after a 52-38 victory over Texas Tech on Oct. 2, praise was being heaped upon quarterback Austen Arnaud’s four-touchdown performance and how Rhoads’ plucky team just might be ready for anything. The odds-makers for the Utah game gave the visiting Utes a six-point advantage.

A 31-point second quarter and dominant performance in special teams and on the lines meant Utah put a hurting on the once confident Cyclones.

“You can’t dwell on it too long; once midnight strikes, it’s a new day,” said sophomore linebacker A.J. Klein after the game. “We’ve just gotta move on. We did the same thing with Iowa and Kansas State, we just have to move on.”

Iowa State has split its last two contests, but the numbers from those games after the Utah drubbing indicate a team in need of repair. Utah and Texas Tech have combined for 168 plays, 1,101 yards of total offense, converted all 13 red zone scoring opportunities, completed 69 percent of their passes and have collected 56 first downs.

And No. 6 is coming up next?

“Anybody we play on Saturdays, we have to find a way to get our guys in rhythm and get them playing well,” said offensive coordinator Tom Herman. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Oklahoma or the Green Bay Packers or whoever the team that lines up opposite us, we’ve got to find a way to get in rhythm.

“We’ve proven when we can execute and stay in rhythm and not beat ourselves, we can play with anybody.”

The Cyclones don’t have a bye week. Whether every player was able to flip a switch and simply use the Utah game as a learning example is questionable, but the coaching staff needs them to move on.

“After what happened, I told them it’s good to hurt, it’s good to be embarrassed, it’s good to be angry. But don’t let those emotions bring you down, let them motivate you,” Herman said.

The secondary has struggled with the pass-heavy offenses it has seen the past two weeks as well, allowing 9 yards per completion against the Red Raiders and an ample 13.6 per completion against the Utes. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones comes in 11th in the nation in passing yards per game at 291.4.

“The loss to Utah was like a fight in high school. You go and everybody’s crowding around and you fight. The first swing, we hit them. Second swing, we missed and got beat up,” said cornerback Ter’Ran Benton. “Now we have to go back to school, realize we got beat up, but it’s over with. We have to fight another day.”

If the fight analogy holds true, the Cyclone defense has a black eye and a bruised cheek, and Oklahoma’s heavy hands are the next in line. The team will need to move on quickly, if only to be confident and feel prepared for Saturday night’s contest.

The coaching staff gave positive reviews to Sunday night’s practice, and while worn-out players will get a chance to rest Monday, they’ll need plenty of guidance in how to get over a 41-point defeat with another powerhouse right around the corner.

“You just have to put it in your mind that the game is over,” said senior center Ben Lamaak. “We just have to go right back to work, and we play another great team again in Oklahoma.”

Special teams helped the Cyclones pull away from Texas Tech, but became a major concern area for the team against Utah, as the Utes’ aptly titled return man Shaky Smithson and fellow kick returner DeVonte Christopher found the right hole almost every time.

“I saw the special teams tape and learned some things that were uncharacteristic of us. We’d given up 35 yards of punt returns in 18 games as a staff. Total. We gave up 156 [Saturday]. I wish I could say it was all the punt returner,” Rhoads said.

The speed difference between Iowa State and Utah was a catalyst in the final score, but getting more athletic isn’t a quick turnaround for any football program. The Cyclones will need to learn in a hurry, then forget about the loss.

“We thought Utah was a lot faster on the field than they were on film,” Rhoads said.

ISU punter Kirby Van Der Kamp kicked the ball to the Utes nine times on Saturday. His 50-yard average helped the field position battle for the Cyclones, but it wasn’t a good sign for the offense that the punter was on the field that often.

Starting running back Alexander Robinson is nursing a couple lower leg problems, but the offense will have to operate without him in practice this week while still hoping to get back on track with productivity.

“If we dwell on the negatives, it’s going to be a long season. If we use them to motivate us, and get back out there and work even harder, and prepare better, and execute better, then good will come from it,” Herman said.

As soon as Saturday’s game finished, the Utes were throwing their helmets into each player’s respective cubby hole in a transport case. The team was preparing to leave as soon as the final horn blew, with most of its starters sitting on the bench for the second half.

The Cyclones hope to change their focus from the huge loss to another big game as quick as the Utes wanted out of Ames.

“It was a picture of doubt that crept into our kids’ minds, for whatever reason,” Rhoads said. “My message was how you defeat that doubt, and what we’ve got to do the rest of the season to meet our goals, is isolate ourselves one play at a time when things start going south.”

Saturday’s game kicks off at 6 p.m. in Norman, Okla., and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.