It was the offensive explosion Cyclone players and fans had been waiting for.

Iowa State rolled for 549 yards in the 42-14 win at Texas A&M, finally setting off the fireworks that had been sitting idle all season.

“The victory was outstanding for Iowa State,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said during his weekly Big 12 coaches’ teleconference.

“Kyle Field is obviously one of the great places in college football to play, and I was real proud of my staff and team to put the plan together that we did and to go down and execute, and to come away with a victory.”

When the dust had settled, the Cyclones had upset an Aggie team that held a 5-2 mark heading into the game, their only losses coming to Clemson and No. 25 Colorado.

The Cyclones were the only team in the Big 12 to have never beaten the Aggies.

All that changed because of the arm of Bret Meyer, the hands of Todd Blythe and the legs of Stevie Hicks.

Blythe caught eight passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns. He had scoring plays of nine, 19, 53 and 63 yards, setting the tone early and often as Iowa State exploited a weak A&M secondary.

“He was a special player for us on Saturday,” McCarney said.

The win moved Iowa State to 2-3 in Big 12 play and 5-3 overall, just one win from bowl eligibility for the fifth time in six seasons.

After starting the season slowly, Blythe has taken off in the last two games. He had four receptions for 91 yards against Oklahoma State on Oct. 22, the first time he had more then 80 yards receiving in one game.

“I know some of our fans were disappointed with his early season production and performance,” McCarney said. “I think he’s done a heck of a job this year and is getting better every week. I’ll go to any game day Saturday and I would love to have him on my team.”

Blythe moved up the all-time Cyclone charts with his performance against Texas A&M. He is sixth all time in receiving yards and just one score out of first in career touchdown catches.

“We felt good that we could move the ball, but we never dreamed that he would get four touchdowns in one game,” McCarney said.

“I like our chances with Todd on any given Saturday.”

Iowa State also received a huge boost with the return of running back Stevie Hicks. The junior had missed either parts or all of the last five games with an undisclosed injury, but returned to have a huge day.

Hicks rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns, his first 100-yard game since a 118-yard performance against Iowa.

Aside from his rushing ability, Hicks also brought complete improvements to the position.

“It’s not just ball security; he’s one of the best blockers we have in the program,” McCarney said.

The performance almost didn’t happen, as Hicks was still a question mark until just before the opening kick.

“Honestly, we didn’t know coming out of Thursday’s practice if he was going to play,” McCarney said.

“It was a complete game time decision and Stevie said, ‘I’m ready, I’m starting, I’m going to play.'”

The return of Hicks also helped solve the Cyclone’s fumbling problem.

After turning the ball over three times on their own 1-yard line in the past three games, Hicks carried 25 times without putting the ball on the ground.

“When you are turning the ball over inside the 5-yard line, I don’t care who you are, where you’re playing or who you’re playing, your chances for success are slim to none,” McCarney said.

“Nothing can swing momentum and be more devastating to a football team than to put a great drive together and then take points off the board because you’re not disciplined enough to hold on to the football.”