As the Iowa State football team prepares to open its 1999 campaign against Indiana State on Thursday, we flash back to the only other clash between the two schools, a resounding 64-9 Cyclone victory on Sept. 20, 1986.

Iowa State was in desperate need of a victory that day 13 years ago, as the ‘Clones were coming off of a disappointing 43-7 setback against Iowa the previous week.

The Cyclones managed only 125 yards of total offense against the Hawks and clearly needed a boost of confidence against the Sycamores.

Iowa State was expecting to jump all over Indiana State, a Division 1-AA school, but as the game got underway the Cyclones saw that the 2-0 Sycamores were not about to back down.

Halfway through the first quarter, Iowa State found itself trailing 3-0 and saw its offense still in shambles.

That didn’t last long, however, as senior Cyclone quarterback Alex Espinoza was finally able to get the Iowa State offense clicking.

He moved the Cyclones down the field and capped off an impressive drive with a 10-yard touchdown scramble to spot Iowa State a 7-3 advantage as the first quarter came to a close.

Now that they had some momentum and a 25 mph wind at their back, there was no stopping the Cyclones from ripping through the Sycamores.

Iowa State racked up 22 second quarter points, as Espinoza added a 15-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Jackson and another touchdown run to give Iowa State a 29-7 advantage at the half.

Iowa State continued the onslaught in the third quarter as Espinoza and crew tallied 28 more points to take a 57-3 lead.

The Cyclones polished off Indiana State in fourth quarter, adding a four-yard touchdown run from back-up quarterback Brett Sadek to close the scoring and give Iowa State its highest point total under then-coach Jim Criner.

Under Espinoza’s guidance, the Cyclones racked up 451 yards of total offense, a vast improvement from that year’s Iowa game.

Espinoza, who finished his career as the all-time leading passer in Cyclone history with 5,307 yards, ended the day completing 14-of-22 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

Sadek came off the bench to replace Espinoza after the issue was settled and did a commendable job, completing 6-of-10 passes for 88 yards and running for a score.

Other second-string players also made a big impact for Iowa State.

Back-up fullback Sylvester Nickerson led the Cyclone rushing attack with 53 yards on nine carries as Iowa State totaled 153 yards on the ground, up considerably from a horrendous -11 yards compiled against Iowa.

Freshman linebacker Darren Trieb, replacing injured starter Jeff Braswell, led the club with 11 tackles as the Cyclone defense held Indiana State to a meager 218 yards of total offense.

The victory evened Iowa State’s record at 1-1 on the season and was a tremendous confidence builder in helping the ‘Clones erase the harsh memories of the Iowa game.

Iowa State went on to win its next three games and finished the season at 6-5, one of only three winning seasons in the past 18 years of Cyclone football.