It was supposed to be a recipe for disaster.

Through the first seven games, the fourth-ranked Oklahoma football team averaged more than 48 points per game, while Iowa State gave up a Big 12-worst 32.7 points per game through its first seven games.

But on Saturday, the defense gave the Cyclones a chance to upset the BCS contenders. Alvin Bowen’s forced fumble set up the lone ISU touchdown in Saturday’s 17-7 loss.

After an embarrassing 56-3 finish against Texas a week earlier, the defense held Oklahoma to its lowest point total of the season.

How did it happen?

The Iowa State offense held on to the ball for 18:24 of the first half and never went three-and-out, keeping the high-powered Sooner offense off the field. Oklahoma didn’t score in the first half for the first time this season and averaged 27 points in the first half this season.

The defense forced two turnovers in the first half – three in the game.

Freshman quarterback Sam Bradford led the nation in passing efficiency through seven games. The ISU defense had allowed a Division-I worst 71.5 percent completion rate to opposing quarterbacks coming into the game, but Bradford was eight of 16 passing for 72 yards in the first half. He overthrew several passes, perhaps struggling with a 15 mph wind coming out of the south end zone.

Bradford was sacked three times and pressured throughout the game, and wasn’t able to capitalize on several defensive breakdowns.

Oklahoma rushed seven straight times to score on their first possession in the second half, and took control of the game with their three-headed rushing attack.

Allen Patrick, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray took 26 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the second half after having a combined nine carries in the first. Bradford also settled down after a rough start with an effective 8-for-12 passing effort for 111 yards.

The ISU offense, however, was inside the Oklahoma 20-yard line four times on Saturday, but scored just 7 points.

“The defense held them to 7 pretty much the whole game,” said quarterback Bret Meyer, who had a pass tipped and intercepted in the end zone in the fourth quarter. “You know, when they get turnovers, we’ve just got to capitalize better. You can’t have no penalties; we overcame some today, but we’ve got to help out our defense more.”

Coach Gene Chizik said it was a matter of time before the Sooners started making plays.

“Oklahoma is a great football team. I think they throw it well, I think they run it well,” Chizik said. “You can give all kinds of reasons why at the end right now their running backs had a little bit of success and whatnot – you can say depth. I’d just say that it is a great football team, and if they keep pounding at ya long enough, they are going to make some plays, and that’s what they did.”

Bowen popped the ball out of running back Allen Patrick’s hands and away from the rest of the play in the first quarter. After a second of confusion, defensive end Rashawn Parker was the first to see where the ball had landed and scooped it up. Jason Scales rushed for a touchdown six plays later, but the offense failed score in the next three quarters.

Kicker Bret Culbertson missed a 36-yard field goal with 4:20 left in the first half. On the next series, a pass bounced off the chest of Oklahoma tight end Jermai Gresham’s chest and into the hands of ISU cornerback Allen Bell’s hands. Bell returned the ball 26 yards to the Oklahoma 18-yard line.

Scales was then given three straight carries, running for 7- and 2-yard gains before being stopped for no gain, setting up a fourth-and-one at the Sooners’ 11. The offense stayed on the field, and Scales again took the handoff, but was stopped for a 2-yard loss.

Chizik said the prior missed field goal had no bearing on the fourth down decision, but that the play could have given the team momentum going into halftime.

The Cyclones have averaged 15.13 points per game this season – fourth worst in the nation – and has scored on just 65.5 percent of their red zone opportunities. Iowa State has scored touchdowns on just under 52 percent of those possessions.

“OU gave us every opportunity in the world to win the game,” said wide receiver Marquis Hamilton, an Oklahoma City prep. “We just didn’t cash in. So they had some turnovers, the defense played well, put us in position to win the game. We just didn’t make it happen.”