LINCOLN, Neb. – Moral victories are unacceptable in the ISU locker room.

Even in the wake of a heartbreaking 27-20 double overtime loss on the road against Nebraska, the ISU football team wasn’t spending time trying to find positives from the game. It was just trying to figure out how it let the game slip away.

“We came here to win,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “Not to look good, not to be competitive, not to be almost, not to go into overtime and then wait for people to pat you on the back.

“We came here for one reason – to win the football game. Period. End of story. Anything less is unacceptable.”

In a stadium where they hadn’t won since 1977, the Cyclones put up their best performance since that last win. From their victory in ’77 until Saturday, the closest Iowa State had come to a win in Lincoln was a 31-7 loss in 1981.

“We were in it all the way to the end,” said defensive lineman Nick Leaders. “All the way up to the second overtime we had plenty of chances to win the game and we just didn’t take advantage of enough of them.”

Leaders almost came away with an interception near the line of scrimmage which would have ended the game in the first overtime, but he was unable to hang onto it.

The loss was the first of the season for the Cyclones, who move to 3-1 and 0-1 in the Big 12. Iowa State fell out of The Associated Press top 25, while Nebraska is the odd man looking in as the team with the most votes not to crack the poll.

“This is about winning football games,” McCarney said. “When you work throughout the year and it comes down to just a few Saturdays that we get, and you come this close and don’t get it, it’s very disappointing.”

Both teams scored in the first overtime – the Cyclones on a 10-yard run by Greg Coleman and Nebraska on a Cory Ross 1-yard run.

Nebraska got the ball first in the second extra period, scoring on an 8-yard pass from quarterback Zac Taylor to Ross. The Cyclones tried to answer, but Bret Meyer’s fourth down pass to the end zone fell incomplete, ending the game and the Cyclones’ hopes of victory.

“There was no moral victory out there today,” receiver Todd Blythe said. “We had a lot of opportunities to do things out there today and we didn’t capitalize. This is going to sting a little bit, but we have to put this behind us and get ready for the next one.”

Both teams spent much of the game moving the ball through the air, combining for 748 yards passing and 96 pass attempts.

Taylor set a Nebraska record with 431 yards passing, and had two touchdowns.

With the ISU defense playing zone for much of the game, Taylor picked it apart by throwing short passes and routes.

“We can’t give up those kind of plays,” McCarney said. “There were way too many completions, and our pass defense left a lot to be desired.”

The defense also had problems stopping Ross, but not on the run. Ross was held to 32 yards rushing, but he did catch eight passes for 131 yards. He scored all three Cornhusker touchdowns.

“When he gets the ball on his own he is really dangerous,” McCarney said. “I saw more missed tackles by our defense – especially the secondary – than I want to see. A lot of that is the talent and ability of Cory Ross. He’s a great player.”

The ISU offense had its own problems moving the football against the Nebraska “Blackshirt” defense, but used big plays to stay in the game.

Running back Stevie Hicks tried to play, and with backup Jason Scales still on the sidelines, rushing duties fell to Coleman.

The third stringer racked up 65 yards, proving effective when needed. Iowa State spent much of the game passing, as Meyer finished with 317 yards.

The sophomore quarterback had four completions of 20 or more yards, including a 60-yard completion to R.J. Sumrall. He also hit Austin Flynn for 41 yards and Blythe for 30.

Even with the numbers, Cyclone receivers had several dropped passes.

“We didn’t make enough plays in the passing game, and a lot of that is my fault, I take a lot of that on my shoulders,” Blythe said. “We’re going to have to come in next week and focus on a lot of things that we did wrong today and try to get those ready to go for next week.”

While Nebraska continued to pile up yards, the ISU defense was able to keep the Cornhuskers out of the end zone. In the first half, Nebraska drove inside the ISU 20-yard line three times, coming away with a single field goal.

Late in the fourth quarter and with Nebraska driving, DeAndre Jackson forced and recovered a Taylor fumble to stop what could have been a game-winning drive and send the game to extra periods where the Cyclones eventually lost.