The ISU football team got the fast start it was looking for against Oklahoma State – even if it took two tries – and notched its first victory in four weeks, beating the Cowboys 37-10.

Cornerback DeAndre Jackson returned the opening kickoff 40 yards to set up the Cyclones with good field position, but it was wiped out by a delay of game penalty on the Cowboys.

It didn’t phase Jackson, though, as he returned the second kick 59 yards to the Oklahoma State 41-yard line.

“Going into this game, we knew everyone had to be accountable,” he said. “We came out fired up and knew everyone would have their blocks.

“I had to make a play and I did.”

The Cyclones were desperate for a victory, and snapped their three-game losing streak in impressive fashion with representatives from the MasterCard Alamo Bowl and Champ Sports Bowl in attendance.

Iowa State (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) was coming off a heartbreaking defeat in overtime at Missouri one week ago, but showed no signs of a hangover, playing with intensity from the start.

Jackson’s kickoff return set up an offense that had been sputtering and seemed to provide it the spark it was missing. It took the Cyclones just five plays to go 41 yards for a touchdown, capped by a 12-yard pass from quarterback Bret Meyer to Walter Nickel.

But things started to turn late in the first quarter as the Cowboys’ no-huddle offense gave the ISU defense fits. Oklahoma State put together back-to-back drives of more than 60 yards to give itself a 10-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.

“[Our defense] really settled down after the first two series,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “We were out of sync at the beginning, but we played really good defense after that.”

‘Really good defense’ may be an understatement.

The ISU defense gave up only 37 yards to the Cowboy-offense in the second-quarter, and – with the game still in doubt – intercepted OSU quarterback Al Pena on four consecutive drives in the third and fourth quarters to ice the victory.

Cornerback LaMarcus Hicks started off by picking off a pass in the endzone, strong safety Nik Moser pulled down the second, Jackson had the third interception and Hicks came up with the fourth.

“We wanted to create turnovers,” said Jackson. “When the opportunity comes we have to take it and that’s what we did.

“The past three games we didn’t finish the game, so the biggest thing this game was finishing.”

Winning the turnover battle, according to McCarney, was just one of the problems that held back Iowa State during their losing streak. Special teams was another, and they too answered the call.

Bret Culbertson came through with a huge day for the Cyclones, making all three of his field goals, one for a career-long 43-yards.

Kick returns also were a high point for Iowa State as Jackson returned two kickoffs for 82 yards, and R.J. Sumrall returned 3 punts for 48.

“We made the big plays,” McCarney said. “Anytime we get 10 points [from turnovers] and five takeaways, we’ll take it.”

The game was not completely perfect for the Cyclones, however, as Jason Harris fumbled at the 1-yard line, Oklahoma State recovering. It marked the third straight week Iowa State turned the ball inside the 5-yard line.

Harris did not play after the fumble, paving the way for former walk-on and senior David Brown to carry the load for the Cyclones in the second half. Brown’s efforts in the third and fourth quarter made him the Cyclones’ leading rusher with 77 yards on 15 carries.

Wide receiver Todd Blythe also broke out for a big day, leading the ISU receivers with 91 yards on four catches. Blythe, who struggled the first half of the season, regained his play-making form that made him a big part of last year’s offense.

“We all know he’s capable of having one of those games,” McCarney said. “We had a meeting this week and I told him it’s time for him to set up and he went out and did it.”

The day was especially nice for the sophomore, who put a lot of the blame for the struggles of the offense on himself earlier this week.

“Early in the season I wasn’t making the plays I was capable of,” he said. “Today I went out and made all the plays I had the opportunity to make. It felt real good to go out there and get it done.”

The Cyclones now turn their attention to next week’s road trip to College Station to face Texas A&M.

“[Ending the losing streak] takes a lot of weight off of our shoulders,” Jackson said. “Now we just have to carry it over to next week.

“We have to keep making plays and stay focused. That’s the biggest thing.”