The ISU football team has celebrated and now its back to work.

Iowa State knocked off then-No. 8 Iowa on Saturday, earning the Cyclones their first spot in the top 25 since 2002, at No. 24.

Although the win has given the Cyclones a huge momentum boost, ISU coach Dan McCarney has already put the game behind him.

McCarney spoke to the media Monday during the Big 12’s weekly teleconference.

“We’re through celebrating,” McCarney said.

“It’s over. It’s a great memory and I think the best atmosphere we’ve had in Jack Trice Stadium since I’ve been here. It’s over now and we’re moving on and getting ready for one of the top coaches in all levels of coaching in Bobby Ross.”

The Cyclones have this weekend off, giving them two weeks to prepare for their first road game of the season at Army.

Iowa State received 223 votes, placing them at No. 24 in this week’s Associated Press poll.

They are one of four Big 12 teams that are ranked. Texas leads the way at No. 2, while Texas Tech and Oklahoma sit at No. 19 and 21, respectively.

Iowa State was last ranked in 2002, when a win over Iowa pushed them up to No. 21. The Cyclones would move up to No. 9 four weeks later, before losing three of their next four to fall out of the top 25.

“The season has just begun,” McCarney said. “We have a long way to go. People get ranked and they drop out real fast this time of year. No one is doing a lot of celebrating as far as rankings go.”

Although the Cyclones came away with a win against Iowa, McCarney said he still sees room for improvement.

“We can play better than we played Saturday, we can definitely improve, there’s no doubt about it,” McCarney said. “We went over the tape with our players and we saw that, and that’s one of the reasons I’m encouraged.

“We haven’t reached the top of the mountain. We haven’t maxed out. We have lots of room to improve. We can play better and we can play smarter, but I don’t know that I can have a team that played harder than we played on Saturday.”

ISU players also received individual honors after the win.

Cornerback LaMarcus Hicks was named the Big 12’s defensive player of the week, while punter Troy Blankenship was given the Big 12 special teams player of the week award.

“[Hicks] played his best game since he’s been with Iowa State,” McCarney said.

Hicks intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, recovered a fumble, broke up a pass and recorded three tackles.

Blankenship averaged 41.4 yards per punt, including a 68-yard bomb into a stiff wind. Three of his punts pinned Iowa inside the 20-yard line.

“Troy Blankenship did a tremendous job,” McCarney said. “[That was] one of the biggest plays of the game and was into a very strong wind out of the south and he punted it nearly 70 yards, and that put Iowa back in a hole and was a great play in the game. He’s off to a great start.”

Texas quarterback Vince Young was the conference’s offensive player of the week.

For the second consecutive week, the ISU defense put points on the scoreboard. Against Illinois State, the Cyclones recorded a safety and they reached the end zone against Iowa on Hicks’ interception.

Iowa State forced five Iowa turnovers, giving it seven takeaways in just two games.

“Our defensive speed, our athleticism on defense, is the best it’s been these last couple of years,” McCarney said. “We had five turnovers on Saturday and when you watch the tape there’s no doubt that we should have had a couple more.

“We tipped four passes and dropped an interception. There were chances honestly for six, seven or eight turnovers in that game.

“There is an attitude in place that we can score on defense and we don’t have to sit around and watch the offense or special teams score.”