The Cyclones will come into Saturday’s game against Kansas State with their first winning streak in more than a month, as they hope to clinch bowl eligibility.

Iowa State (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) will try to secure its fifth bowl berth in the past six seasons against a team it hasn’t beaten in Ames since 1993.

“We’ve had a lot of streaks that we’ve broken since I’ve been here,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said. “We’d never beaten Kansas State until last year, and Iowa State had never beaten Texas A&M.”

The Cyclones are hoping to catch the Wildcats (4-4, 1-4) while they are mired in a three-game losing streak. Kansas State has lost four of its last five overall – the last two by a combined total of five points.

The Wildcats got behind early against Colorado, giving up 20 points in the first 25 minutes of the game, but then held the Buffaloes scoreless until a game-winning field goal with seconds remaining.

The week before, Kansas State staged a 20-point fourth-quarter rally against Texas A&M only to come up two points short.

McCarney isn’t fooled by Kansas State’s record, however, and said he knows the Wildcats won’t go quietly.

“This is really going to be a tough football game and we have to do everything we can to win this game,” McCarney said.

“They’re playing really good defense and our offense will have its hands full this week.”

The amount of success the ISU offense has may once again be key for the Cyclones’ hopes of victory.

The ISU defense has performed well for much of the season, but the limited production and too many turnovers by the ISU offense hindered the Cyclones during the first half of the Big 12 season.

With Iowa State scoring 79 points in the last two games, ISU defensive back LaMarcus Hicks said the result has been breathing room for the defense and the realization of the football team’s potential.

“It makes the team better,” Hicks said of a high offensive output. “When we play defense like we have been and know that the offense is going to come out and put up points it really helps. It’s really shown the last couple weeks what kind of team we can be.”

The elimination of turnovers – just one in the past two games – has been the difference for Iowa State, McCarney said.

“The difference is clear,” McCarney said. “The effort, everything has been there; it’s just the fact that we’re holding onto the ball. Obviously, you don’t want to have a lot of turnovers on offense and you want to get a lot on defense.”

McCarney also said Iowa State is trying to clinch an unprecedented fifth bowl in six years – Iowa State had been to just four bowls before McCarney was named head coach in 1995 – but the team has to stay focused on the game Saturday and not a potential bowl game in late December.

“Both Iowa State and Kansas State are playing for a lot of things this Saturday,” he said.

“We all want to extend our season, but we’re focused on Kansas State this week. We’ve already let three slip away and we don’t want to do that again – we want to finish this as strong as we can.

“You’re either going to be soon forgotten or long remembered.”