So close. That about covers the thoughts of every ISU fan Saturday afternoon. For those living on another planet this weekend, Iowa State almost upset heavily favored Iowa, losing 17-10.

Yes, it was close. Yes, it could have turned out differently. The most important thing for me, though, is that Iowa State covered the 24 1/2-point spread. That’s right.

The Las Vegas oddsmakers were saying Iowa would win by 24 1/2 points. What were they thinking? Northern Iowa would have gotten a more favorable spread against Iowa. That’s ridiculous.

All joking aside, Iowa State very easily could have gone into Iowa City and stolen one from the Hawkeyes.

Many think of this as a moral victory, but there’s no such thing as a moral victory, just something that will help the team learn for next time.

One person who will have gotten plenty of knowledge from the game is kicker Brian Jansen. As much as I hate to put so much blame on a freshman, Jansen did miss three field goals in the game. That totals nine points, and Iowa State lost by seven.

Even if you give him one of those misses, a fairly long and difficult kick, Jansen still missed two kicks that any collegiate kicker could make. That makes up six of the seven points that would make the game play out differently.

Don’t get me wrong, Iowa State played a fantastic game. In fact, the ISU pass defense played much better than the 200-plus yards it gave up, and the run defense played even better. Don’t let Iowa running back Jermelle Lewis’ 100-plus rushing yards fool you; he picked up about 40 of those on one run in the fourth quarter once the game was out of Iowa State’s reach.

The only weak spot for Iowa State seemed to be the punt and kick coverage. It gave up too many yards on the kicks that usually resulted in excellent starting field position for Iowa.

After Iowa State let Northern Iowa past the 50-yard line once last week, Iowa started on Iowa State’s 49-yard line the first play from scrimmage.

Iowa State far exceeded what it did wrong with what it did right. On Iowa’s first possession, the ISU defense over-pursued the ball (usually a sign of anxiousness), which resulted in a touchdown. After that, though, it really settled down, playing excellent run defense throughout the entire game.

After the first Iowa score, Iowa State only allowed 10 more points: a field goal and a touchdown pass on a play hardly any defensive back could defend.

The play-action pass was a huge advantage for the ISU offense, as it seemed every time it used it, the play was a success. Iowa State’s only touchdown of the game came in a play-action pass from sophomore quarterback Austin Flynn to freshman receiver Todd Blythe.

Another bonus for the ISU offense was the protection either quarterback received from the offensive line. In the first half, Flynn and freshman quarterback Bret Meyer were hardly ever pressured, allowing both to have plenty of time in the pocket to make good decisions.

The biggest factor of Iowa State’s near-win was the play of Flynn. Although Meyer played a good game and didn’t make any mistakes, it felt like whenever Flynn was in, the offense tried just a little harder.

Anyone watching the game in the second half could see that it was a different team on the field when Flynn was at the helm. Every play he made was helpful to the team, whether it was knowing when to run or when to loft the ball over the receiver’s head to keep from throwing an interception.

Flynn led Iowa State to its only touchdown (and first third-down conversion) of the game, and was on pace in the next possession to do it again before getting hurt in the fourth quarter, essentially ending the drive and the last real scoring threat for Iowa State.

Although Meyer will end up being a great quarterback for Iowa State, I have been a supporter of Flynn starting for a while. The ISU coaching staff should take notice of how different the ISU offense looked and how well it clicked when Flynn was under center.

The biggest thing to take away from this game is the poise Flynn played with and the command he demanded of his offense when in the game.

With no shots meant at Meyer, the coaching staff should reconsider who gets the nod under center for the rest of the year.