With the Cyclones trailing 25-20 in the waning minutes of last Saturday’s game at Baylor, the ISU offense took the field with all eyes on one player.

Freshman quarterback Bret Meyer led his team on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that — capped by the first touchdown of Stevie Hicks’ career — allowed the Cyclones to earn their first conference win since 2002.

Meyer went 5 of 6 for 72 yards on the drive, including a 46-yard connection with Todd Blythe.

With one drive, Meyer solidified his position on the field and silenced his critics.

“When we were going into that drive, we weren’t nervous,” said senior receiver Todd Miller. “We knew what we had to do — score a touchdown. Bret led us out there and our confidence is getting better every week as an offense.”

On the game, Meyer was 12-for-18, throwing for 148 yards and one touchdown. He also picked up 18 yards on the ground.

Meyer said getting into the red zone and coming away with points is big for the team.

“Going 0-for-5 against Colorado and then 3-for-3 in Saturday’s game is a big improvement and gives us confidence,” Meyer said. “It shows once again why when we get in the red zone there’s no reason we shouldn’t score.”

Iowa State’s ability to score after long drives is something they had been looking for.

“The red zone is where it counts, and we put it in the end zone down there,” Meyer said.

Two of Iowa State’s three offensive touchdowns came in the red zone.

Jason Scales kicked things off with a 1-yard run, followed by Hicks’ game-winning pitch from Meyer.

With Meyer rolling and the red-zone monkey off the team’s back, the ISU offense is ready to thrive under the leadership of their freshman signal caller.

“He’s not nervous, and he’s not scared,” Miller said. “Some QBs may show that, especially in a situation like we were in last week, but Bret shows none of that. He’s focused and focused on winning.”

Miller said Meyer is quickly learning how to play at the highest level.

“The biggest thing starting the season was getting accustomed to the Big 12 and the Big 12 schedule,” Miller said. “He’s being a better leader in the huddle and a better leader on the field. As he gets more reps he’s going to be a great player.”

Even being thrust into the starting role as a freshman couldn’t shake Meyer.

“The first time he went on the road to play was at Iowa, and on the opening series when we went on the field, he looked like a guy that had been doing it for a while,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said.

“That’s not easy in front of 70,000 people.

“It showed me something about the kid. With every positive thing he does, every individual success that he has with a play or a series or a game, he’ll just get better and better because of it.”

McCarney’s experiment with two quarterbacks ended after Iowa State’s loss to Texas A&M, with Meyer assuming full control of the position.

The job security hasn’t changed the way Meyer plays or the way the team responds.

“I’m playing the same as I did before,” Meyer said.

“I’m just focusing on the fundamentals and trying to avoid lost-yardage plays. [Playing the entire game] might help me get into the flow of the game and stay loose a little more, but other than that it’s not affecting me a whole lot.”