The Gene Chizik era opened up officially Thursday night. Unfortunately for the ISU football team, so did its defense.

Three turnovers interrupted multiple Cyclone drives, Iowa State’s defense had little success against Kent State and the ISU football team lost its first game of the season, 23-14, Thursday in front of 47,313 fans at Jack Trice Stadium.

Aided by tailback J.J. Bass, the Cyclone offense put together multiple promising drives against the Golden Flashes, but stalled nearly every time it neared the endzone. Bass did his part, racking up 133 yards to become the first player to total more than 100 yards in his first game at Iowa State since Blaise Bryant ran for 213 yards in 1989.

Quarterback Bret Meyer struggled through most of the game, managing a modest 148 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Iowa State’s defense had little success against the Golden Flash offense, allowing 363 total yards of offense.

Kent State led at halftime, but briefly relinquished its lead after Iowa State marched down the field to score on its first possession of the third quarter.

The Golden Flashes quickly answered back, reclaiming the lead for good after Eugene Jarvis rushed for a two-yard touchdown with just over three minutes left in the quarter.

The Cyclones’ next game is at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 against the University of Northern Iowa.