SHUCKED
September 29, 2002
If this game doesn’t prove Iowa State is back on the map in the Big 12 Conference, who knows what will.
The Cyclones’ 36-14 victory over Nebraska in front of a sellout crowd of 51,888 puts Iowa State (5-1, 2-0 Big 12) atop the Big 12’s North division for at least the next two weeks.
The perfect start has Iowa State, once designated to the conference cellar, set to challenge for the division title.
For ISU running back Michael Wagner, who looked like a kid in a candy store after the game, the Nebraska game was an opportunity to make a statement to those who doubted his team.
“This was a time to shock the world, and I guess we did it,” said Wagner, who ran for 111 yards against the Cornhuskers.
The way the Cyclones won may have been just as shocking as the outcome.
The ISU defense was stingy all night, only allowing 16 rushing yards in the first half. Nebraska (3-2, 0-1) had racked up an average of 411 rushing yards on Iowa State in nine previous wins over the Cyclones, but had just 81 yards Saturday.
This season, the Cornhuskers had averaged more than 250 rushing yards per game to lead the Big 12 and rank seventh nationally in that category.
“You could tell that they were arguing between the offensive linemen, and they couldn’t figure out who to block who,” defensive lineman Nick Leaders said. “It just seemed like it wasn’t the real them. They just kept having problems communicating.”
Conversely, Iowa State was able to establish a running game of its own.
After being held under 100 rushing yards in the two previous games, the Cyclones put up 192 yards on Nebraska.
Head coach Dan McCarney, who recorded his first win over a ranked opponent, said the attacking mentality of his defense was crucial.
He said his defense hit about as well as he’s seen during his eight years at the helm.
“When we have problems, a lot of times there’s a lot of yards after contact, and I didn’t see a lot yards after contact today,” McCarney said.
“We were getting first and second and third guys to the ball, and getting the ball carrier down. That sure made a difference.”
Jordan Carstens led the way defensively for Iowa State with eight tackles, while Leaders had seven tackles, including two sacks.
Linebacker Brandon Brown, Iowa State’s leading tackler through five games, had another big night with a fumble recovery and two pass deflections to go along with his six tackles.
Leaders also picked off a pass from Nebraska’s Jammal Lord early in the fourth quarter to set up Iowa State’s last touchdown.
Brown’s interception and fumble recovery were just two of Nebraska’s five turnovers.
“We’d play all night if we had to,” Brown said.
“There’s just no quit. We’re never going to quit and we’re just going to play hard.”
ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace struggled on the Cyclones’ first two possessions and said the defense was able to pick up the slack until the offense got back on track.
“We made some mistakes early, but luckily our defense – [Matt] Word and everybody on the defense – they came up and helped us out,” Wallace said.
“My hat goes off to the coaches and whole defense,” said Word, who had five tackles and forced a fumble. “We knew that we’ve got the talent to stop a team like this, and all we had to do was go in there and let everybody be accountable.”
For Wallace, Word, Zach Butler, Atif Austin, Kyle Knock and the rest of the seniors, it was an especially notable night. Iowa State hadn’t beaten the Cornhuskers since 1992 and had been outscored by an average of 30 points in the previous three games in the series.
“It was a red-letter game for me,” Word said. “I told them boys we’ve got to come out here and win these big-time games.”
McCarney said he hopes the win and his team’s strong start to the season settles the argument as to whether he has righted the ship in Ames.
“I hope people believe that we’re turned around,” McCarney said. “I know we’re not going to drop out of the top 25 now. They can’t knock us out for the next two weeks and it’s up to us to stay there for the next few weeks after that.”
