Resilience: the ability to recover from or adjust easily to change or misfortune.

Dan McCarney is a big fan of resilience.

Just ask him.

The man cannot get through a single team press conference without using the word.

When his Cyclones win, they’ve shown great resilience. When they lose, the opponents were the resilient ones.

Realizing this, Coach Mac has probably never been happier than after his team’s 24-21 win at Missouri on Saturday.

For a team that hasn’t been very resilient in weeks (or years) past, Iowa State was an absolute case study in this quality in Columbia.

Of course, to be resilient, a team needs to run into some “change or misfortune.” Luckily, such things seem to follow the Cyclones week-in and week-out.

Saturday was no different. With both their offense and defense sputtering, the ‘Clones fell behind by two touchdowns very early on. Missouri seemed to have the game in hand by the end of the first quarter, and ISU could have just rolled over and died.

But they didn’t.

Showing far more character than could have realistically been expected from a team that’s endured two debilitating losses in two weeks, Iowa State fought back.

The Cyclones fought back on special teams, they fought back on offense and they fought back on defense.

A pair of clutch J.J. Moses punt returns led to the Cyclones’ first two scores and a 43-yard field goal by rookie kicker Mike McKnight proved to be the game-winner.

Darren Davis, in putting together the most consistent season of his career, piled up 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Cyclone line came to life on a number of crucial third downs.

But resilience found no better illustration than in the ISU defense.

Leading the Tigers by just seven points in the fourth quarter, and backed up to their own goal line, the Cyclone defenders made perhaps the most important stand in school history.

The running of DeVaughn Black and the passing of Jim Dougherty had moved Missouri 64 yards down the field to the ISU three-yard line. They’d been moving the ball at will and faced a second down-and-one. To those of us who’d been watching from the beginning, the game was as good as tied.

Enter Cyclone resilience.

Black went over center on second down but was met at the line of scrimmage and hammered by linebacker Dave Brcka. No gain.

The stop was an impressive one, but the Tigers were still just a yard from a first down and three from a game-tying touchdown.

On third down, Black again took the handoff and this time tried the right side of the bulky Missouri line.

He was met by a swarm of Cyclone defenders. Leading the charge were Jesse Beckom and Jeff Waters, and when the dust had settled, the Tigers still needed that critical yard.

Again, the gritty determination of the defense was inspiring, but it didn’t matter unless they could hold on for one more play.

Opting to go for it on fourth down, Dougherty rolled out and looked to pass to his sure-handed fullback, Rob West.

Again, the ISU defense broke through. With a pair of linemen in the backfield to disrupt the throw and a backer on West to take advantage of a bobble, the pass fell incomplete.

The Cyclones had finally come through in the clutch.

If a program like ISU is ever going to turn the corner and prove itself in the world of college football,it is not going to do it by pulling off an occasional upset or appreciating a close loss.

It will do it with character, with discipline and with a certain little r-word ingrained in them from day one by their coach.

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Ron DeMarse is a senior in liberal studies from Muscatine.