Records are made to be broken.

Troy Davis is the running back to break them.

On the strength of Davis’ 53-carry, 241-yard afternoon, Iowa State ran all over the Panthers from Northern Iowa in what looks to be the final meeting of these schools by the score of 42-23.

“We didn’t write down 53 carries,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said about his offensive game plan. “We wanted to establish the line of scrimmage and move the chains, keeping the ball away from UNI’s offense.”

Davis broke the record for number of carries in a game, passing the old record of 47 previously held by Dwayne Crutchfield. He also matched his record for rushing touchdowns by finding paydirt five times against the Panthers.

“I was not tired at all toward the end of the game,” Davis said. “At Tuesday’s practice, McCarney told me to be ready to run. The carries just kept on coming to me.”

This was epitomized by the final ISU drive of the game, during which Davis carried the ball 15 times for 45 yards. His final carry of the drive was a one yard dive into the end zone to preserve the victory.

“We kept asking him if he was OK, and he said he felt great,” McCarney said. “He was a major, major factor in our game, along with the offensive line’s performance.”

The game began with ISU establishing the run as Davis had eight carries on the first drive for 56 yards, capping off the drive with a two yard dive up the middle.

The game was a special one for both Troy and Darren Davis for one special reason. Their father, William Webster, and brother William attended.

“[Troy]’s been smiling from ear to ear due to his dad being here,” McCarney said. “It’s games like this that are really special.”

Darren Davis saw limited action in the game, but made the most of his opportunities, netting 52 yards on only two carries. His first carry was an explosive run up the middle for 45 yards.

“I made one guy miss, and the offensive linemen opened things up for me,” Darren said about his long run.

The younger Davis was asked if he was jealous of the amount of carries that his brother received on the day. “I don’t get jealous,” he said. “I’ll get my turn and then I’ll do the things that Troy is doing.”

He also felt how special it was to have his father at the game. “He hadn’t seen me play since last September, so it was very special,” Darren said.

The team literally ran over UNI’s defense all day long, racking up 324 yards on the ground on 60 attempts. “We went into the season saying we were going to diversify the offense, but we didn’t do that today,” McCarney said.

ISU quarterback Todd Doxzon had a decent day despite his limited pass attempts, going 10 for 14 for 154 yards with one interception and a 23-yard strike to Tyrone Watley for a score.

“That was my first one here,” Watley said about his score. “Dox couldn’t see me, but he rolled the same way that I was going.”

“Doxzon was real solid today,” McCarney said. “It’s a shame that we didn’t get more big plays.”

“It was great today,” Doxzon said. “We finally got what we were looking for. Troy doesn’t get tired, and we went with whatever worked today.”

“I’ve said it a million times that the game is won or lost in the trenches,” Doxzon continued. “On the last drive, I told the offensive line that this was their game. When the linemen stay with their blocks, I have a chance to do what I do best.”

The feeling in the locker room at halftime had an eerie similarity to the Wyoming contest two weeks ago. “We tried to keep everybody intact,” Watley said. “We had to come out for the second half as if the score was tied at zero.”

UNI had won the previous two meetings, a thought which Doxzon didn’t dwell on. “I didn’t even think about two years ago. We went and got a big score on our first possession,” he said.

Respect for the intrastate rivals was given by the ISU players and coaches after the game.

“UNI is a school with tradition; they play to win,” McCarney said. “Terry Allen and his kids should be proud of their effort today. I’m sad to see this series end, in all sincerity.”

UNI wide receiver Dedric Ward, a Walter Payton Candidate, lived up to his billing with a ten-catch, 139-yard performance Saturday which included a 4-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

“Ward is outstanding, he could play for anybody in the country,” McCarney said. “He reminds me of Troy with his great work ethic.”

Heading into Big 12 play, this is a game for ISU to build on. “We got the taste of victory that we needed,” Doxzon said. “UNI is a good team, and we have to build off the things we did in this game for the future.”