Eight years have passed since the Cyclones have defeated the Missouri Tigers on their home turf. Ironically, it was on that day, November 2, 1991, that the Cyclones won their last road game against a Big 12 opponent.

Still four years away from the formation of the Big 12 conference, the Missouri Tigers and Iowa State Cyclones were both perennial doormats in the Big Eight and fighting for respect.

Iowa State entered the game with a 2-4-1 record, with their last game being a 6-6 tie against Oklahoma State. Missouri entered with a slightly better 3-3-1, coming off a 63-6 drubbing at the hands of then-ninth ranked Nebraska.

The Cyclones wasted no time in taking the lead, with freshman quarterback Kevin Caldwell running 12 yards for a touchdown on the fifth play of the game.

The Cyclones and Tigers traded field goals throughout the rest of the first half, with freshman Ty Stewart hitting 26- and 38-yarders and Missouri’s Jeff Jacke hitting two from 44 and 33 yards out.

With the score 13-6, Missouri quarterback Phil Johnson hit receiver Kenny Dunn for a 14-yard strike to tie the game at 13-13 going into halftime.

The third quarter featured Stewart hitting his third field goal of the game, from 43 yards out, to give the Cyclones a 16-13 advantage.

With the score 16-13 in favor of the Cyclones, freshman tailback Jim Knott surprised the Tigers in the fourth quarter and scored on a 14 yard run to make it 23-13.

Missouri would rally. After Jacke hit a 33-yard field goal with 3:35 left in the game, Johnson hit Kenny Holly for a three yard touchdown to close the gap to 23-22 with four seconds left in the game.

Tigers Coach Bob Stull pulled out all the stops and went for the two-point conversion to win the game. However, Johnson had his pass intercepted by defensive back Weylan Harding to preserve the 23-22 win for the Cyclones.

Caldwell was the story for ISU, rushing for 154 yards on 30 carries. The team combined for 299 yards rushing.

The Iowa State air attack was stymied, with Caldwell only completing one of five passes for six yards and an interception. A minus three wind chill forced Caldwell to wear gloves to keep his hands warm, but coach Jim Walden didn’t seem to mind after the outcome of the game.

“He won the game for us. We gave him the chance to run and he did it very well,” Walden said after the game. “He’s the only quarterback I’ve seen wear gloves for all 60 minutes.”

Missouri rushed for 187 yards and passed for another 321 yards, but a blocked field goal, fumble and interception late in the game hampered their ability to win the game.

“It’s very disappointing. We really wanted this win,” Stull said. “They basically made a couple of big plays, and we didn’t play very well.”

Iowa State left the Show Me State with a 3-4-1 record overall and 1-2-1 in the conference. However, the victory over Missouri did not bode well for the rest of the season, as the Cyclones would lose their three remaining games to finish the year at 3-7-1.