Iowa was everything: 2-0, No. 1 defense in the country, 17-point favorite – it all means nothing.

A week after a devastating loss to I-AA Northern Iowa, the Cyclones shocked the heavily favored Hawkeyes 15-13, to regain the Cy-Hawk trophy in front of 49,516 at Jack Trice Stadium thanks largely to two unlikely sources – special teams and freshman third-string quarterback Phillip Bates.

After surrendering a 12-point halftime lead to make it 13-12 Iowa, quarterback Bret Meyer hooked up with Bates on second-and-14, for a 38-yard completion to put the Cyclones in field goal position with a minute to play. Much maligned senior kicker Bret Culbertson, who has been criticized by media and fans for missing big kicks in the past, put it through the uprights from 28-yards, sending the Iowa State fans into a wild frenzy.

The Cyclones, who have now won 7-of-10 against Iowa, took advantage of good field position in the first half and jumped out to a 12-0 lead on four Culbertson field goals. Culbertson went 5-6 on field goal attempts, with the only miss coming on a 47-yard attempt that bounced off the left upright. It was the first time in Culbertson’s career that he made five field goals in one game.

Iowa State received the ball after the half up 12, but Meyer fumbled the ball back to Iowa at the Iowa State 41-yard line. The Hawkeyes then scored from the 11-yard line on a fourth-and-one naked boot leg by quarterback Jake Christensen to make it 12-7 and re-grasp the momentum.

The Hawkeyes made it 12-10 on a third quarter field goal, and then took the lead with a 41-yard field goal to give it a 13-12 lead with just 3:38 remaining in the game. The Cyclones then marched 56 yards to set up the game winning field goal.

Iowa’s vaunted defense allowed just three points in its first two games, and only 103 yards of total offense against Syracuse last week. The Cyclones, who struggled on offense in the first two weeks, used the good field position and the wind in the first quarter to put up 101 yards of offense and six points. Iowa State finished the day with 300 yards of total offense, and held Iowa to just 233 yards.