I may get this story wrong, but I will tell it anyway; it’s a good story. Legend has it that Iowa State gained its mascot from a newspaper article following a victory.

The reporter wrote that Iowa State blew through their opponent like a Cyclone.

I have been a Cyclone fan since the first time I watched an Iowa State/Iowa football game.

That was 1982, and the Cyclones won. I have to admit that there have been few times since then that the Cyclones actually lived up to this name, other than to say that they blow.

And then came Saturday.

Now before you turn away on account of another story about the big game, let me just say that originality holds no water this week.

If I read one million stories on how the Iowa State Cyclones beat the Iowa Hawkeyes for the second year in a row, I still haven’t read enough. Let’s hope the editor agrees.

We all know the stats: 15-year losing streak, haven’t won at home since 1981, et cetera, et cetera.

But there’s no use reviewing history when history has been against us for so long. The old saying goes, there’s no time like the present and presently Iowa State is 2-0.

And the winning streak is finally ours.

Still there are the pessimists. They will tell you that the Cyclones two wins have come against a Division 1-AA school and a less then stellar Iowa team.

They will say that most Texas high school teams would also be 2-0.

So the pessimists will hold back their applause in hopes to be the guy who says “I told you so.” And they will ask if we should really be getting excited about this team.

The answer lies in the obstacles, as it so often does.

In the papers, we read about Darren Davis’ 235 yards and Mike McKnight’s clutch 39-yard fieldgoal.

These are amazing accomplishments ,and my hat’s off to these guys.

But how about the fact that Davis was hampered all game with leg cramps or that McKnight struggled the week before to hit even an extra point?

These guys overcame their obstacles and stepped it up at the right times.

Then look further and realize that starting noseguard Ryan Harklau, who had stopped the run up the middle all first half, left the game with a broken foot early in the second.

Though the papers don’t say who, someone sure stepped it up because the Hawkeyes still had trouble running it up the middle.

Add to these the injuries to backup tailback Ennis Haywood and cornerback Jamarcus Powers, and you see that the ‘Clones overcame a lot of adversity to win that game.

Adversity has been a common theme to Iowa State football teams. Overcoming it has not..

And that is the mark of a good football team.

So should we really be getting excited about this team?

According to the Des Moines Register, the last time Iowa State won back to back games against Iowa was 1982 when they won three in a row.

Until last year, the Cyclones had yet to win another.

And overall, it goes without saying that in the 47-game series between the two Iowa teams, the Cyclones have won about as many times as I’ve had a date.

But we have witnessed two of them.

That combined with their first 2-0 start since 1985 is enough to get even the tamest fan up on that goal post.

But unfortunately, as long as there are sports, there will always be pessimists.

They will insist that this team will flop and fold once the Big 12 season comes around.

To be honest, I don’t know if they will, and I don’t know if they won’t. But I know we have something special in this football team.

It’s a team that has faced adversity and criticism since they were assembled, a team that is about as rich in history as its fans are in tact, and a team that will play their hearts out no matter what the odds will say.

A team that never gives up is all I need to be excited.

Thank goodness the majority of people feel the same way.

After the game, the fans rushed the field. Students who didn’t even know each other were hugging and slapping high fives.

Players were thanking the students, like we did anything.

Band members had cheerleaders on their shoulders and there were no policemen with billy clubs stopping the celebration.

For the first time since I’ve been here, this university that is so high on diversity, was unified.

And for the first time since I’ve been here, the Cyclones lived up to their name. They even surpassed it.

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Jackson Lashier is a junior in English from Marshalltown.