Iowa State’s problems in the red zone are reaching the point of absurdity. They’re enough to make a grown coach cry.

The Cyclones have had trouble cashing in close to the end zone all season, mainly because of kicking problems, but their bungling in that area was at its worst in Saturday’s 19-14 loss at Colorado.

Iowa State drove inside Colorado’s 20-yard line five times — and came away with no points. In this era of sophisticated offenses, that defies logic.

“We did a lot of things better than we did all year long, but it wasn’t good enough,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said. “It’s a sickening feeling to let this thing get away. It’s a sickening feeling to have the opportunities that we had to win this game.”

The Cyclones (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) have scored just seven times in 21 chances to the red zone this season. Saturday’s opportunities ended with two missed field goals, two fourth-down stops and quarterback Bret Meyer’s fumble.

Now that hurts.

“We’re beating ourselves down there,” Meyer said.

“When you get down there, you have to put it in the end zone, that’s just the bottom line. I failed to do that.”

McCarney, whose team has lost 13 straight conference games, tried three kickers and all they could manage was two extra points.

Walk-on Scott Krava missed a 22-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. Brian Jansen, also a walk-on, missed from 25 yards in the third quarter. Brian Culbertson, a walk-on who wasn’t even listed in the program, kicked the extra point after Iowa State’s final touchdown, a 43-yard pass from Meyer to Todd Blythe.

“Sooner or later, you’ve got to have enough focus and concentration and courage to make a kick,” McCarney said. “They all have ability, but it just turns into a comedy of errors and you go through the lineup and you keep throwing somebody out there and missing short field goals, and I have to keep going for it on fourth down.

“‘It really does affect strategy and thought process and what we’re trying to do to win games.”

McCarney twice went for it on fourth down Saturday instead of trying a field goal, and the Cyclones were stopped both times.

“It’s just part of playing football,” Meyer said of the fourth-down plays.

“I still have faith in our kickers when the game is on the line, to kick it and they’re going to make it.”

While enduring their frustration, the Cyclones watched Colorado’s Mason Crosby kick field goals of 28, 60, 54 and 33 yards. The Buffaloes (4-2, 1-2) had just one touchdown and 304 yards. Iowa State had 403 yards and seven more first downs.

“Right now it’s extremely frustrating to move the ball like that against a Big 12 defense and not come up with more than the points we did,” McCarney said.