It’s time for the ISU football team to pick up the pieces and move on.

“We have to reach down,” said coach Dan McCarney.

“You find out about the resolve and character of a team after a tough loss like that.

“I’m glad this isn’t the last game of the season. There’s a lot of football left to be played.”

Leading 13-10 against Baylor, the Cyclones (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) drove 73 yards on their first possession of the second half, but halfback Greg Coleman fumbled at Baylor’s one-yard line.

The ball was recovered by the Bears (4-1, 1-1) in the endzone for a touchback.

“I tried to reach out, I thought I was down, but I wasn’t,” Coleman said. “It was definitely a momentum changer, but that’s why you play football games. A lot of things happen during the course of a football game.”

The game was not stopped to review the play, but officials said the replay booth confirmed the fumble while the teams switched sides.

McCarney said the game shouldn’t have come down to one play.

“The ball should never come out down there, obviously,” he said. “The number one thing is ball security.”

Two Baylor field goals sent it ahead 16-13 with 12:19 left in the game, which was all the Bears needed to secure the victory.

The Cyclone offense marched the ball down the field, driving 61 yards on 11 plays. Quarterback Bret Meyer connected with R.J. Sumrall at the Baylor 19-yard line, but Sumrall was hit from behind and fumbled. The Bears recovered.

The ISU defense was unable to stop Baylor, and the Bears ran the clock down to 1:36 on a 12-play, 81-yard touchdown drive, completing the win and Baylor’s first ever Big 12 victory on the road in 37 games.

“We know that we’re good enough that we can bounce back from this,” said receiver Jon Davis. “We all have to be focused, and tell ourselves to not think about [the loss] too much.”

Iowa State’s defense played well for much of the game, holding Baylor’s offense to 276 total yards, but the Bears’ last drive disappointed McCarney.

“[Our defense] did a lot of good things, but when we needed to be at our best, the last drive of the day, we were not,” McCarney said.

“That’s the thing that’s disappointing.”

Meyer was 19-of-31 for 210 yards and one interception. Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell was 18-of-26 for 160 yards and one touchdown.

Todd Blythe led ISU receivers with four catches for 69 yards. Davis caught five passes for 44 yards and tight end Ben Barkema had three receptions for 30 yards. The Cyclones, though, seemed to lack that knockout punch.

“We’re making smaller plays when we need to, but at the same time, it just comes down to all 11 guys on the field doing their job at the same time,” Davis said.

“We know we have the punch. We just haven’t connected on it yet.”

Coleman rushed the ball 22 times for 91 yards, but fumbled twice.

True freshman Jason Harris played in his first college game, carrying five times for 25 yards.

Senior defensive lineman Nick Leaders said the Cyclones have a big week ahead of them, not just to practice hard, but to re-align the morale of Cyclone football.

“This is where the leadership has to step up,” he said. “We have to rally the troops; we have to get back on track.”