Blaise Bryant, you can rest easy.

Joe Henderson, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Chris Spencer, your burden has been lifted.

The innumerable Iowa State football players who toiled for 15 years as “second-best” in the state were vindicated Saturday, as the Cyclones routed those pesky Hawkeyes, 27-9.

The annual intrastate battle started off in a typical way: An early mistake led to a turnover and a momentum-setting touchdown.

But this time, the team doing the celebrating in Kinnick Stadium’s north end zone wore cardinal and gold.

Iowa State fans watching in living rooms, dorm rooms and sports bars rejoiced cautiously.

We had seen this before, and we knew better than to think seriously of victory.

Then, another gift from the Hawkeyes. Speedster Kahlil Hill lost a punt in the sun, and while he minced after the ball, Dawan Anderson flew across the field and gobbled it up.

Ahead 10 points, we dared to dream. The defense was solid, our boys on offense were pushing the Hawks around, and there had been none of those usual crippling mistakes.

Could this be the one?

After an Iowa field goal, we waited for the seemingly inevitable collapse.

It would not come.

The Cyclone offense erased our worries by rolling down the field for a touchdown, fearlessly completing a pass on fourth-and-two to keep the drive going. Another unstoppable march left Hawkeyes scattered in the dust and resulted in a field goal.

This was the feeling of superiority that the hated Hawkeyes had enjoyed all those years, and with our brutal rushing attack and swarming defense, we were giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Then, unlike almost every other game in recent memory, we held on — stubbornly, relentlessly, never giving up until the final whistle blew and the black-and-gold had been vanquished

And it was no squeaker, no disputed win in the last seconds. This dominant performance exorcised 15 years of demons in one glorious afternoon.

Besides the praise that should be heaped on our gridiron warriors, a hearty salute goes out to all those who celebrated responsibly.

Thanks to the suddenly successful football team, Iowa is a Cyclone state again.