On November 6, 1993, Jim Walden and his Iowa State football team entered their game against No. 18 Kansas State at Jack Trice field needing a boost in morale after posting a disappointing 2-6 record through eight games.

When the final gun sounded that Saturday afternoon, Walden and the Cyclones were grinning from ear to ear after stunning the Wildcats 27-23.

The Cyclones used a clutch performance from backup quarterback Todd Doxzon and a stellar defensive effort to put KSU’s bowl plans on hold for another week.

“I’m sure they will get their win, but I’m glad it wasn’t against us,” Walden said. “Our guys played well against a good team. It was great for us to get a big win at home. The crowd was great — they did a great job for us.”

Doxzon replaced struggling Cyclone quarterback Bob Utter midway through the third quarter with ISU trailing 10-6.

The deficit increased to 17-6 as the game headed into the fourth quarter.

Then it was time for Doxzon and the ISU running game to take over.

The Cyclones marched down the field for three consecutive scoring drives of 80, 68 and 29 yards to go on top 27-17.

Fullback Rodney Guggenheim’s 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:29 remaining capped off the scoring for the Cyclones.

The key play for ISU came midway through the quarter with Kansas State on top 17-12.

Doxzon attempted a pass on third down and six at the Wildcat 49-yard line that was tipped by KSU defensive tackle Kelley Greene.

The ball managed to fall in the hands of Cyclone center Tony Booth, who rambled eight yards for a first down.

“I had no idea where I was when I caught it,” Booth said. “I just looked up and saw the ball and jumped for it. The next thing I knew, Lamont Hill was pushing me forward.”

James McMillan scored six plays later, and ISU was on top for good, 20-17.

Doxzon only attempted two passes during his time behind center, completing them both for a total of 13 yards.

His job was to make smart decisions and get the ball to his ground crew of Chris Ulrich, Calvin Branch and Guggenheim, a trio that amassed most of ISU’s 222 rushing yards.

The key statistic for the Cyclones, however, was the 248 yards given up by the defense against a K-State that averaged 372.3 yards per game.

Against the Cyclones, the Wildcat offense could never quite get on track.

“The pressure we were able to keep on the quarterback was the big thing,” ISU linebacker Matt Nitchie said.