Clinging to a three-point lead over arch rival Iowa in the final minutes Saturday, ISU football coach Dan McCarney turned the fate of the game over to his defense, and the decision proved to be genius.

Cyclone strong safety Adam Runk intercetped a Kyle McCann pass with less than two minutes left to preserve a 17-14 victory, sending a Jack Trice Stadium-record crowd of 51,042 into a frenzy.

The victory allows the Cyclones to keep the Cy-Hawk trophy in their possession for the fourth consecutive year and boost their bowl game possibilities. Scouts from the Alamo, Sun, Independence and gallery furniture.com bowls were in attendance at the game.

The Cyclones finish their season schedule with a 7-4 record, 4-4 in the Big 12 Conference. The game marked the final home game for 18 seniors who never tasted defeat against their hated rivals, Iowa.

“This is a great farewell, a real good sendoff to 18 seniors,” McCarney said. “We get to continue our bowl tradition and any bowl should be proud to have our kids at their bowl.”

The 49th meeting in the rivalry had a unique setting of being played at the end of the season after it was rescheduled due to the Sept. 11 tragedies.

Both teams entered with identical records of 6-4 and waged arguably the most thrilling game in the history of the series.

The Cyclones took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when Tony Yelk drilled a 32-yard field goal. The two teams traded possessions unti a late Cyclone possession stalled at the Iowa 33-yard line with four minutes left.

McCarney chose to punt instead of trying a 50-yard field goal on a wet field. The Hawkeyes took over at their own 20 and got one first down before Runk’s interception.

“I felt real good about our defense and in those situations, you go with your gut and that’s what we did,” McCarney said. “That was a huge play by Adam Runk. That is something that will stay in our highlight films for a long time. He had great vision of the field and made a great play.”

The fourth quarter was the scene for several key plays. The biggest play came when Hawkeye linebacker Grant Steen intercepted an errant Seneca Wallace throw deep in Cyclone territory, but then had it stripped from behind by Craig Campbell. The Cyclones recovered the fumble and had a new set of downs.

“I used to play defense in high school. I played cornerback, so I know how to do that kind of stuff [stripping the ball],” Campbell said.

“I just went with my instincts. He had the ball on his right side and I figured if I could get my right arm in there, my strong arm, then I had a chance.”

After Yelk’s fourth-quarter field goal, the Hawkeyes moved to the Cyclone 41-yard line but were stopped cold by Cyclone defensive back Anthony Forrest.

On a third down play, Forrest came through unblocked and decked McCann for a sack, halting the Hawkeyes’ drive and forcing them to punt.

The two teams were equals offensively as the Cyclones narrowly outgained the Hawkeyes 312-304 in total offense. The Hawkeyes had balance, running for 159 yards and passing for 145.

The Hawkeyes’ tough front line shut down the Cyclones’ running game, limiting Ennis Haywood to just 71 yards on 23 carries. Where the Hawkeye defense had problems was in the secondary as Wallace went 20-of-27 for 228 yards and a touchdown.

The Cyclones started fast as they marched 80 yards for a score on their first possession, with the touchdown coming on a short pass from Wallace to Lane Danielsen. The big play on the drive came when Wallace hooked up with Campbell for a 39-yard completion down to the goal line.

The next Cyclone score was set up when Hawkeyes dangerous returner Kahlil Hill muffed a punt and Ellis Hobbs recovered at the Iowa 36-yard line. Four plays later, Haywood raced seven yards through a big hole to give the Cyclones a 14-0 halftime advantage.

“In a nutshell, we didn’t make the plays to win the game, particularly in the first half,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We came out and played like a tight team. The first half turnover [muffed punt return] was a costly one, points and all.”

The halftime break seemed to energize the Hawkeyes, who dominated the third quarter with a pair of impressive scoring drives. The Hawkeyes first touchdown came on a screen pass from McCann to Betts and Betts tied the game on the Hawks’ next drive with a 42-yard touchdown run.

“Iowa came back in the second half, and you could really feel the momentum going their way,” McCarney said. “They had the momentum, but our kids made the plays when we needed them and did an outstanding job.”