ISU football coach Dan McCarney stressed throughout last week that Ohio University was a solid club who would give the Cyclones a tough test to open the season. McCarney was right as the Cyclones fought off the Bobcats for a 25-15 victory Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones trailed throughout most of the first half but came alive to score 18 straight points, turning a 9-7 deficit into a 25-9 lead. The game was played in extreme heat and humidity which took its toll on both teams. “There wasn’t a lot of hooting and hollering or celebrating in the locker room. It was a hard fought game and we came out on top. I told Coach Grobe [Ohio’s coach] afterwards that he’s got a fine football team, and they’re going to win a lot of football games,” McCarney said. “I was real proud of this team, it took a lot of toughness and courage to get through that heat today. Hell, we had coaches cramping up today, much less players. There’s a number of players getting re-hydrated and getting some fluids back in them.” The play that completely shifted the momentum came in the third quarter. The Cyclones only led 16-9 when running back Ennis Haywood got loose and raced 73 yards for a score. Haywood finished with 159 yards on 22 carries and averaged 7.2 yards an attempt. The Cyclones showcased a balanced offense that racked up 400 total yards. The Cyclones totaled 204 yards on the ground while Sage Rosenfels threw for 196. “The offense was very balanced, and we hope to do that all season long. Whatever it takes to win games, if we have to run for 300 and throw for only 50 or the other way around, I don’t care as long as we’re winning. If we can be balanced like we were today, great, because we’d like to be able to do that,” McCarney said. Rosenfels credited the offensive line as the reason to the Cyclones’ offensive success as well as the victory. “Our offensive line really moved the ball and controlled the line of scrimmage. They did a heck of a job and really won the game for us,” Rosenfels said. One area that the Cyclones finished with mixed results was the special teams. Mike McKnight was good two-of-three field goal attempts but both McKnight and Tony Yelk each missed an extra point, which didn’t sit well with McCarney. “On both of those PAT misses, we had excellent snaps and protection but had ridiculous kicks. It’s a problem, and we got to get it solved one way or another. Our field goals were better then our extra points and that’s inexcusable,” McCarney said. McKnight’s only miss came on a 50-yard attempt on which he was just a little short but the junior drilled field goals of 22 yards and 27 yards. After the game, McKnight wasn’t offering any excuses on the extra point miss. “That was all me, it’s wasn’t the hold or snap or anything. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to have to get over that mental block on PAT’s,” McKnight said. “I was happy with the field goals, that’s what I’ve been working real hard on. Now I’m going to have to work on my PAT’s and short game, which are supposed to be gimmies but for me I guess they’re not.” Things didn’t start well for the Cyclones as the Bobcats drove down the field and scored on the opening drive of the game on a 5-yard run by Chad Brinker. The Bobcat scoring drive took only six plays and just under two minutes. The Cyclones helped out with poor coverage on the kickoff, the Bobcats started near midfield and a 15-yard facemask penalty. “It didn’t help that we gave them great field position on the kickoff. It was a great kick, right where we wanted it, but the coverage was horrible. Then we got that facemask which was a good call. So you look at those two plays and all the yards we gave up, that’s a real short field,” McCarney said. The Bobcats featured a triple-option offense, which the Cyclones were able to limit to only 197 yards rushing. Brinker led the Bobcats with 68 yards on 13 carries, and Raynald Ray added 43 yards on just three carries. After the initial scoring drive, the Cyclones regrouped and contained the Bobcat offense. “We didn’t panic after the first drive. If someone did that in the past, we’d think `oh no, it’s the end of the world,’ but we stayed together and played tough. I think we were nervous early but we settled down and played our game,” said defensive lineman Ryan Harklau. McCarney knew the option was going to be a difficult challenge but was happy with his defense. “They’re [Ohio] second and sixth in the country over the last two years in rush offense, they know what they’re doing. I told everybody that last Tuesday at the press conference, and you saw today that they’re a good football team that knows how to run the option,” McCarney said. “There was some missed tackles, but defensively I think we got better as the game went on. The Cyclones are back in action Saturday hosting the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Cyclones defeated UNLV 24-0 last season. “There’s some things we need to work on and get better before Vegas comes to town Saturday,” McCarney said.