On Nov. 14, 1992, Iowa State knocked off seventh-ranked Nebraska 19-10 at Cyclone Stadium to pull off one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

The Cyclones, a 29-point underdog heading into the contest, used an upstart rushing attack and a brilliant defensive effort to stun a Cornhusker team that had been touted by then-NU Athletics Director Bob Devaney as the best team in school history.

“This is a little more overwhelming than I think I can handle,” ISU head coach Jim Walden said after the emotional victory. “I’m very proud to be the coach at this school today.”

The performance was a tremendous gut-check for the Cyclone players, who had struggled through a disappointing 3-6 season.

“It was a great feeling,” ISU senior defensive lineman Dan Watkins said. “We had expected so much out of the season — a bowl game, to beat Iowa and Oklahoma — but those things didn’t come true. Everybody counted us out against Nebraska [and] thought we’d lie down, and they’d get their 600 or 700 yards of offense against us. But it didn’t happen that way.”

The key to the miraculous upset for the Cyclones was their hard-nosed defensive effort in the first half against a Cornhusker offense that had been on a roll the previous two weeks in routs over Colorado and Kansas. ISU stuffed the Nebraska option attack as the Cornhuskers only managed to put up 10 points by intermission.

This gave the Cyclone offense confidence, and ISU controlled the ball for most of the first half on smart play making by quarterback Marv Seiler, who was making his first start for ISU. Also instrumental were powerful runs by fullback Chris Ulrich.

ISU place-kicker Ty Stewart booted four field goals from 37, 32, 45 and 30 yards, and ISU found itself on top 12-10 at the half.

The second half saw the Cyclone defense continue to baffle Husker freshman quarterback Tommie Frazier and the Nebraska I-back duo of Derek Brown and Calvin Jones. With the Cornhuskers unable to mount an effective drive, an upset looked more and more possible as each minute passed.

The score remained 12-10 entering the fourth quarter when the ISU offense finally made an upset victory a reality for the Cyclones.

With the ball on the ISU 20 and just over 11 minutes left in the game, Seiler broke loose on an option keeper and rambled 78 yards down the right sideline before finally being caught from behind at the Nebraska two yard-line.

“I never saw so much open field,” Seiler said of his game-breaking sprint.

Ulrich scored on the next play, and after Stewart’s extra point the Cyclones had grabbed a 19-10 lead.

The score sealed the Huskers’ fate as they were forced to go away from their bread and butter rushing attack into a pass-oriented offense. The Cyclone defense had no problems containing Nebraska in its unfamiliar aerial assault, and ISU held on for the improbable victory.

The game saw a complete role reversal by ISU and Nebraska during their clashes in legendary Husker coach Tom Osborne’s tenure.

ISU limited the vaunted Nebraska rushing attack that had averaged 351.1 yards a game to just 192 yards.

Brown and Jones entered the game combining for an average of better than 215 yards per contest, but were held to 92 yards against the Cyclones.

Meanwhile, the ISU offense ran up and down Cyclone Stadium, totaling 373 yards rushing for the day and eating up 37:15 in time of possession.

Seiler paved the way for ISU with 144 yards on 24 carries, while Ulrich contributed 105 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.

After the game, thousands of Cyclone fans stormed the field, and the goalpost at the north end of the stadium was brought down. Several ISU players joined in the celebration, relishing their once-in-a-lifetime performance.

“I was on one of the goalposts when they were tearing it down,” Watkins said. “Hey, I was all for tearing down the stadium. How many times do we beat Nebraska? I just hope I don’t get the bill for tearing down the goalpost.”