LINCOLN, Neb. – When Bret Meyer’s fourth and 10 pass fell incomplete during the second overtime against Nebraska, the Cyclones reaction was clear.

Disappointment. Dissatisfaction. Frustration.

The Cyclone offense stood exactly where the play ended as they watched the Cornhuskers rush the field and celebrate, frozen – for what seemed like minutes – in what could have been.

As I walked across the big red “N” at midfield a thought crossed my mind: Where does Iowa State go from here?

The reactionary Cyclone fan would tell you the offense is anemic and the defense is porous; that this game will be the undoing of the season and Iowa State’s bowl destination will be a couch near you.

These people need to come in off the ledge and re-examine a few key facts from this game.

Although the defense gave up 467 yards, stats don’t win games. Points do. But look closer. Iowa State only allowed an average of 1.4 yards on Nebraska’s 36 rushing attempts and only 13 points through four-quarters of play.

I’m sure if you told Dan McCarney that every week after 60 minutes of football his defense would hold the opponent to less than two touchdowns, he would take that every time.

The ISU offense came into the game averaging 27.6 points per game. What happened to the production? Nebraska happened. This was the best defense Iowa State has faced – and maybe will face – all year.

They faced it in the most hostile environment they will be in all year, and they went toe-to-toe with it.

The fact remains that Lincoln is Lincoln and is one of the hardest places in the country to win in.

It’s easy to panic and proclaim the sky is falling, but the Cyclones are still 3-1 and have seven more games to write the legacy of this season.

Although failing to achieve the only acceptable goal in the eyes of the ISU players and coaches, Iowa State took another small step toward getting over the hump in the Big 12. They played a competitive game in Lincoln. Lost in all the talk about 1977 being the last time Iowa State won in Lincoln, was the fact the last time the Cyclones were competitive in Lincoln the year was … 1977.

That’s right. Saturday’s 27-20 double-overtime loss was the closest game since that victory. The next closest? A 31-7 Nebraska victory in 1981.

So where does Iowa State go from here? This team cannot afford to sit around all week and feel sorry for themselves. An improved Baylor team coming off an overtime loss at Texas A&M will require the full attention of the team. Anything less could result in a loss that may start the Cyclones down a slippery slope.

No, this game will serve as one more chip on the shoulder of the Cyclones and add vengeance for “letting one get away” – a phrase heard many times in the bowels of Memorial Stadium -to the ISU revenge tour of 2005.

– Brett McIntyre is a sophomore in meteorology from Fort Dodge.