As soon as their season began, the ISU football team climbed on a rollercoaster and never really got off. Three wins, then three losses, followed by four wins and then a loss that could have won the Big 12 North outright was just part of the Cyclones’ wild ride. So without further delay, here are the top 10 moments of Iowa State’s 2005 regular season.

10. Playing at West Point, and rallying in the fourth.

Iowa State had a Friday night date with Army televised nationally on ESPN2. With the TV lights shining brightly, the Cyclones were forced to rally in the fourth quarter to hand Army a 28-21 loss.

9. Blythe sets career touchdown mark at Iowa State

In just his 23rd game as a Cyclone, wide receiver Todd Blythe placed himself on top of Iowa State’s all-time touchdown reception charts, hauling in a 27-yard pass from Bret Meyer against Kansas. It was Blythe’s 16th touchdown grab in his career and seventh of the season.

8. McCarney sets school win record

With his team’s 37-10 win over Oklahoma State, ISU coach Dan McCarney set his name atop the Iowa State record book. The win was his 23rd in conference play, besting Clay Stapleton’s mark. McCarney is also the winningest coach overall in school history, jumping to the top of that list with Iowa State’s victory over Nebraska in 2004.

7. Strong TV showing from the Cyclones

Six of Iowa State’s games in 2005 were shown on TV, including two to national audiences. Wins over Army and Colorado were seen by viewers coast-to-coast, and games against Iowa, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Kansas were regional broadcasts. In case you were wondering, the Cyclones were 4-2 in their televised games.

6. Iowa State blows out Texas A&M, at A&M

It was an offensive explosion for the Cyclones against Texas A&M. Playing in front of A&M’s 12th Man, the ISU offense shut up the crowd and shut down the Aggies, 42-14. Blythe had a career game, catching eight balls for 214 yards and four scores. Meyer threw for a career-best 371 yards and running back Stevie Hicks returned from an injury to gain 122 yards.

5. Curvey finds the end zone for the third time

Brent Curvey has touched the football four times as a Cyclone. Three of those have resulted in touchdowns. The big defensive lineman returned two fumbles for scores in 2004 and found his way to the end zone for a third time in his career with a 66-yard rumble against Colorado. Safety Steve Paris also returned an interception for a score, leading Iowa State past the Buffaloes, 30-16.

4. Blythe sets up shop in the Aggie end zone

If you were looking for Todd Blythe during Iowa State’s win over Texas A&M, your search should have started in the end zone.

The sophomore receiver caught four touchdown passes, setting an ISU single-game mark for scoring receptions.

Blythe opened the game with a nine-yard score but really turned on the jets in the second half. He caught scoring passes of 53 and 19 yards in the third quarter, and added a 63-yard score in the fourth quarter.

3. Iowa State finds a new athletic director

When Bruce Van de Velde resigned in August, Iowa State embarked on a quest to find a new athletic director. The search landed the Cyclones Jamie Pollard, a former administrator at the University of Wisconsin. Pollard brought with him the experience of spearheading a Wisconsin rebirth, leading renovations of Camp Randle Stadium and expanding the Badgers’ athletic budget. His vision at Iowa State is just beginning to come forth, but indications point to the beginning of a golden age for Cyclone athletics.

2. Cyclones have big win over Oklahoma State

It was the game that turned the Cyclones’ season around.

Coming off of three consecutive losses, Iowa State blew past Oklahoma State, 37-10, sending the Cyclones on a four-game winning streak that would put them back in the Big 12 North title picture.

The ISU defense intercepted four Cowboy passes and the offense clicked on both the ground and through the air for the victory.

1. Moser strips Chandler, Cyclones beat Iowa

With the No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes driving in the fourth quarter, ISU senior safety Nik Moser – playing in his last Iowa State-Iowa game – forced a Scott Chandler fumble that was recovered by the Cyclone defense. That play stopped Iowa’s last scoring chance, helping the Cyclones to their sixth victory over the Hawkeyes in the last eight years.

The win was also McCarney’s first victory over a top-10 team in his tenure with Iowa State.