Minutes after one of the biggest wins in school history, the theme among the players of the ISU football team was the same across the board.

“We’ve got long season ahead and we’ve got to keep going forward,” safety JaMaine Billups said. “We’re just going to have to throw this game away and worry about the opponent next on our schedule.”

That task could prove difficult, after dominating Nebraska on both sides of the ball and ending a nine-game losing skid to the rivals from the west.

Iowa State will have time to let the win sink in, taking a week off before facing Texas Tech Oct. 12.

With an average of 441 yards of total offense – which ranks second in the Big 12 Conference and 14th nationally – and an offense that has outscored its opponents 133-30 in the second half this season, it would be easy to look at the positives the season has produced for the No. 15 Cyclones.

However, head coach Dan McCarney was quick to point out that five of the remaining seven games are against teams that went to a bowl game last year.

“We are still in the midst of playing the toughest schedule in the history of Iowa State,” McCarney said. “We’re not going to sit around here two weeks patting ourselves on the back. I won’t let that happen.”

The Cyclones (5-1, 2-0 Big 12) are in first place of the Big 12’s North division.

Senior tight end Kyle Knock said the strong start has helped shift the mindset at Iowa State.

He said the confidence among the team is the highest he’s seen since he’s been here.

“We go into games now knowing we’re going to win and knowing we can win,” Knock said. “In the past it was like ‘maybe we’ll get these guys,’ or ‘maybe we’ll get lucky and get a win here.'”

When asked if Iowa State had a shot to win the North division, Knock said it’s still anybody’s title to win.

“Every team you play in the Big 12 is going to be a tough one,” Knock said. “We took care of one [Saturday]. We’ve just got to move on to the next one and take it one game at a time.”

Senior co-captain Zach Butler said the Cyclones will go into each of the last seven games believing they can win, but was also hesitant to predict where his team could finish the season.

“The Big 12 Conference doesn’t get any easier from this point on,” Butler said. “We’ve got to keep building on what we did. It’s a good step for our program, but we can do a lot more.”