LINCOLN, Neb. – Last week it was an 11-point collapse on special teams with five minutes remaining that led to a loss to Toledo. This week against Nebraska it was a painful case of d‚j… vu for the Cyclones – this time before half.

Nebraska (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) came back from a 10 point deficit with 7:37 left in the first half to take a 14-10 lead they would never relinquish in its 35-17 win over Iowa State (1-4, 0-1 Big 12) Saturday in front of 84,703 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The Cyclones took their 10-point lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Jason Scales, but just like against Toledo, it was a kickoff return that let the Huskers back in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Nebraska returned the ball 51 yards to Iowa State’s 47-yard line. The good field position led to a Nebraska drive that ended with a 20-yard running back pass from Marlon Lucky to tight end Sean Hill.

The following Iowa State drive stalled at the Nebraska 37-yard line, but the Cyclones attempted a fake a punt on fourth-and-5. Punter Mike Brandtner rolled out to his right, seemingly with enough room to get the first down, but he was pushed out of bounds a yard short. The Huskers then drove 67 yards for a touchdown on 10 plays to make it 14-10 before half.

Coming out of the half the Huskers got two big plays to put the game out of reach. First it was Lucky, this time with his feet, who put the Huskers up 21-10 on a 41-yard touchdown run. The Cyclones then drove down to the Nebraska’s nine yard line, but Bret Meyer’s intended pass to Todd Blythe was knocked into the air by Courtney Grixby, intercepted by linebacker Bo Rudd, and returned 91 yards for a touchdown.

The Cyclones’ primary back, J.J. Bass, didn’t see any action in the game, instead it was a surprise at running back. The oft-injured Scales took the bulk of the carries and rushed for a career high 115 yards on 31 carries, breaking his previous high of 67 yards against Kansas State in 2006.

The Cyclones were unable to take advantage of a first half that saw the Huskers turn the ball over three times, and saw the Cyclones own the ball for over 19 minutes. For the game the Cyclones had the ball 39:12 to the Huskers 20:48, and outgained Nebraska 415 yards to 369. Lucky ended the game for Nebraska with 108 yards on 16 carries.