If Iowa State’s 37-10 victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday is any indication, a corner may have been turned in the Cyclones’ up-and-down, extreme rollercoaster season.

The win righted a ship that was sinking and should have Cyclone fans blocking off parts of Winter Break for a possible trip somewhere south.

Don’t plan your break around what I say about the postseason – everyone who remembers basketball season knows I can be wrong – but at least keep your calendar open.

Iowa State needs two wins in its final four games of the season to reach the postseason promised land, something that is well within reach. Kansas and Kansas State are without a doubt games the Cyclones should win, and there is no reason they can’t pull an upset over either Texas A&M or Colorado.

If they keep playing the way they did Saturday, that is.

And that’s the key to continued Cyclone success – avoiding another letdown.

We watched the Cyclones take Nebraska to the wire, looking for all the world like a team that would compete for the Big 12 North crown.

Then the next week we watched them lose to Baylor – at home.

It is this lack of consistency, this up-and-down ride, that is the only thing keeping the Cyclones from being a lock for postseason play.

All aspects of the team have clicked at one time or another. They all finally came together at the same time against Oklahoma State, something Cyclone fans had been waiting all season to see.

They ran the ball well, getting a strong showing from their fifth-string running back, who ran as well as anyone has all season. They passed the ball well, gaining chunks of yards through the air.

The defense played phenomenally. ISU defensive backs picked off four passes, stopping both the Cowboy run and pass game.

It was the best game Iowa State has played all season. Hands down.

Everyone knows the Cyclones have it in them. They have shown it to themselves, their opponents and their fans. Now they just need to keep it up.

Iowa State gets an additional boost with the return of starting tailback Stevie Hicks.

The junior back has been confined to the sidelines since Iowa State’s third game of the season with an injury, but all signs point to him returning to the field against Texas A&M.

Hicks is a workhorse, getting the tough yards and keeping control of the football, a quality the Cyclones have been sorely missing during his absence.

The Aggies are last in the Big 12 in total defense, surrendering an average of 408 yards of offense each game. Just less than 300 of those are passing yards.

This should mean a huge game for quarterback Bret Meyer and his receivers. Remember last season against Nebraska, where Meyer had more than 300 yards in the air in the first half? Like that.

If the Cyclones go to the air early and often they will return to Ames with a victory. Hopefully General Bret Meyer and the rest of the Cyclone Air Force bring out their big guns.

– Grant Wall is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Fort Dodge. He is sports editor of the Daily.