The Cyclones enjoy history, but not from 1997. That was the last time the Hawkeyes rolled into town.

The last time the Hawkeyes rolled into town, they obliterated Iowa State, 63-20.

The last time the Hawkeyes rolled into town, Iowa State’s running backs lost 11 yards during the game.

The last time the Hawkeyes rolled into town, they had Tavian Banks and Tim Dwight, two players who accounted for 42 of Iowa’s 63 points and 314 of Iowa’s 575 offensive yards.

The Hawks racked up 233 rushing yards on that day, a total which always spells the demise of Iowa State in this historic matchup.

Since 1989, Iowa State is 1-9 against Iowa, mainly because the Iowa offense runs over the Cyclone defense in their matchups.

During their last nine victories over the Cyclones, the Hawkeyes have averaged 245.1 rushing yards per game.

In their only win in the past ten years, the Cyclones held Iowa to only 42 yards on the ground. In fact, the past four Cyclone victories (1980-1982, 1998) saw the Hawks amass only 230 yards total over all four games — an average of only 57.5 yards per game.

A series rich in tradition, the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry has belonged to Iowa over the years, as they lead the all-time series 33-13.

The teams first met each other back in 1894 when Iowa State won 16-8. The 1897 game saw the first real glimpse of what we know Iowa-Iowa State football to be today.

The game was played at Iowa, and emotions ran high for the entire game. In the second half, Iowa State’s Parker ran for a 40-yard touchdown that the Iowa players claimed shouldn’t have counted because of an illegal block by an Iowa State player.

Even the Cyclone who committed the foul said he was guilty, but the referees claimed they had not seen anything, so there was no foul to be called. The Iowa players were furious and walked off the field, forfeiting the game by a final score of 6-0.

Between the years of 1935-1977, the Cyclones and Hawkeyes didn’t play each other. It was in 1934 that the Cyclones had the “most astonishing upset in the annals of Iowa football.” One witness stated that Iowa was “on the verge of demoralization.”

Many Cyclone fans claim that it was because of that loss in 1934 that the two teams didn’t play for 43 years. Regardless, the series did resume in 1977 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

That 1977 matchup saw the 25th meeting between the two schools. The rivalry never received as much attention as it did that year.

Nearly 60,000 people attended the game in which all of the scoring was done in the first half. The Hawkeyes walked away the victors in a 12-10 defensive struggle.

However, the greatest two years of importance came at the beginning of the 20th century.

1906 was a great year in ISU football history — a year in which the Cyclones won nine game, the most they’ve ever won in a single season.

During the course of their nine-win season, the Cyclones allowed only 30 total points. When the Iowa game came around in 1906, Iowa State was 7-1, but had dropped the previous seven games to Iowa, and worse, they had to go to Iowa City for the game.

A defensive struggle ensued on that 24th of November, resulting in a 2-0 Iowa State victory after L.A. “Bat” Nelson and Fred Brugger blocked a Hawkeye punt out of the back of the end zone in the first half.

While the score of last year’s game in Iowa City wasn’t totally dependent upon a blocked punt, parallels can be drawn between the 1906 and 1998 Iowa State football teams. In 1906, the Cyclones had lost seven consecutive years to Iowa, went to Iowa City and defeated the Hawkeyes, 2-0.

In 1998, the Cyclones had lost 15 consecutive years to Iowa, went to Iowa City and dropped the Hawkeyes, 27-9. What followed those victories is another similarity.

In 1906, the Cyclones returned to Ames the newly crowned state champs after a seven-year absence from the title. When they arrived at the bus depot that night, the team was greeted with a throng of students and townspeople wanting to congratulate them.

The victorious Cyclones were led to State Field, where Ames store owners and Mayor Sheldon had piled gun powder and two train cars full of flammable material for a bonfire. Participants claimed that the flames from the fire could be seen for miles.

Now while President Jischke didn’t open up shop with a bonfire last year at Jack Trice, you will recall that a nice gathering of nearly 1,000 people greeted the Cyclones as they came home triumphant from Iowa City.

With that said, the following year saw the Cyclones face Iowa at home to decide who the state champion would be for the 1907 season. Similarly, this year the Cyclones return home to face the Hawkeyes to decide who the state champion will be for the 1999 season.

If 1907 is any indication, the game will be a close one with the lead changing hands four times. The Cyclones can rest assured this weekend that history is on their side.

Who won in 1907?

Final score: Iowa State 16, Iowa 8