HOUSTON – As Stevie Hicks goes, so go the Cyclones.

This may as well have been the slogan for the 2005 Iowa State football team. The junior running back missed three full games and parts of two others with various injuries this season, and the Cyclone’s fortunes can be directly traced to his success.

Hicks was injured in the Cyclones win over Army, and then was forced to leave the game against Nebraska after just one carry.

He missed the next three games, returning against Texas A&M.

Iowa State went 1-2 in the three games he missed, relying on a platoon of running backs.

In games in which Hicks rushed for less than 30 yards, the Cyclones are 3-5.

The Cyclones won all four games in which Hicks ran for more than 30 yards. Three of those saw him crack the 100-yard mark, including a season-high 149 yards against Kansas State.

It was no different in the Cyclones 27-24 Houston Bowl loss to TCU.

Hicks carried the ball just nine times, accounting for -1 yard. As a team, the Cyclones were held to a season-low 34 yards rushing.

“It’s real frustrating,” Hicks said. “It’s been the second or third game where we failed to get 100 yards on the ground. If you can’t run the ball, you’re not going to win the game.”

The bowl game was the fifth time the Iowa State run game failed to gain 100 yards on the ground. The Cyclones lost three of those, with the two victories coming at Army and against Colorado.

“I thought [TCU] played great rush defense,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said. “It has not been a strength of ours this year. We have to show a lot of improvement in 2006 running the football. “

Quarterback Bret Meyer led the Cyclones with 27 yards rushing against TCU. Greg Coleman was also given a chance with the football, earning nine yards on three rushes.

“It’s hard to move the ball when you’re one-dimensional,” Hicks said. “We didn’t move the ball up front and that falls on the running back’s shoulders. I have to make more plays for us to get down the field.”

The lack of a run game makes things easier for the opponent’s defense, Hicks said.

“When you’re one-dimensional they can rush three or four players and just sit back in coverage,” Hicks said.

“We just have to make more plays.”

The TCU defense gave up an average of 107 yards per game on the ground.

“We have always been good against the run,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

“They helped us by coming out throwing. They didn’t seem to run as much as they did in other games.”

The task of moving the offense downfield was put on Meyer, who threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

“I knew we were going to have to throw the ball to win the game, it didn’t really change the way I think,” Meyer said.

“You just have to adjust and do what you have to do.”

Meyer’s favorite target on the afternoon was Todd Blythe, who caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Blythe was rewarded for his efforts with the offensive most valuable player honors for the game.

The Cyclones also came home with the Houston Bowl’s most valuable player on the defensive side of the ball.

Jason Berryman won the award after recording 12 tackles and 3.5 sacks.