For each game the Iowa State football team has played, a new challenge has been presented.

Indiana State was the first opponent of the year. It had been four years since the Cyclones had won a season opener.

Iowa State responded with a ringing 33-7 victory.

Next came Iowa. The Cyclones had not knocked off the Hawkeyes in Ames since 1981.

Done and done. ISU came away with a 17-10 win.

UNLV was next. Iowa State had not won a nonconference road game outside the state of Iowa since 1989, when they defeated Tulane 25-24.

Once again, the Cyclones exorcised the demons with a 24-0 whitewash of the Rebels.

Kansas State presented the opportunity to beat a ranked team for the first time since 1993. And for the first 30 minutes, it looked like it would get done, as ISU had a 28-7 advantage at the break.

But ISU surrendered 28 consecutive points and lost 35-28.

ISU then travelled to Nebraska, where it hadn’t won since 1977. This one wasn’t even close as the Huskers dominated to the tune of 49-14.

Then it was Missouri. ISU hadn’t won a conference road game since 1991, when they beat the Tigers 23-22 in Columbia.

Another mission accomplished as ISU won 24-21, fighting back from a 14-point deficit to win.

Now the Cyclones face the Colorado Buffaloes. They have not defeated them since 1983, when they took a 22-10 decision in Ames.

The Cyclones know that despite the Buffaloes’ 3-3 record, they present a major problem.

“They are very good offensively,” coach Dan McCarney said. “They have an outstanding quarterback in Mike Moschetti and a very good corps of receivers.”

ISU has not really been tested this year with an opponent possessing a strong passing game, although they did allow over 300 yards a week ago to a Missouri team not thought to have a passing game that posed a large threat.

Now they must face Colorado, which features Moschetti at quarterback. McCarney and the Cyclones know he will be difficult to contend with.

“He’s got a little Fran Tarkenton in him. He can throw very well on the run, and he makes a lot of plays. I know he hurt us last year, and he can do that again,” McCarney said.

His impact is also not lost on the players.

“He is very dangerous because he can either run or pass, and we haven’t really faced anyone yet this year who could do that,” Cyclone defensive end Ryan Harklau said.

“We know this is by far the toughest passing game that we have faced so far this year. They present a lot of problems for a defense,” Cyclone linebacker David Brcka said.

And they will have to face the formidable attack without either of their starting cornerbacks that started the season.

Jamarcus Powers has been out since the Iowa game and will miss the remainder of the season. The other starter, Breon Ansley, was injured in the Kansas State game, and it was learned late last week that he, too, will be gone for the duration.

Stepping in the last several weeks have been redshirt freshman Atif Austin, who was recruited as a running back, and junior Ryan Sloth, a former walk-on.

While Austin has been solid overall, he has been beat a few times, including last week for a 42-yard touchdown. Sloth, on the other hand, clearly lacks the size and speed to be an every-down defensive back in the Big 12. To be fair, if the injuries had not occurred, Sloth would simply be a solid contributor on the special teams, and a defensive back only in the nickel-and-dime packages.

But now nothing can be done, something McCarney is aware of.

“Well, I know I can’t go out there and play, so those guys are going to have to go out there and do the job. They have done very well so far, and we hope that can continue. If it can’t, we have guys on the bench that we can go to, and then they have to do the job,” McCarney said.

The Cyclones will face a receiving corps that consists of Marcus Stiggers, who has run reverses for touchdowns the past two seasons, and Javon Green, who has already caught 23 passes so far this year.

How ISU can respond to this challenge will dictate how other teams, particularly passing offenses like Oklahoma and Texas, will attack the Cyclones in games down the stretch of this year.