After a 27-3 win over Kansas last Saturday, the No. 23 Cyclones continue their possible march toward a conference championship game appearance on Saturday when the Baylor Bears come to Ames.

The most talked-about part of the team post-Kansas? The secondary, which held Kansas to under 50 percent passing and forced a fumble via Brian Peavy.

The redshirt senior, who came into the season as one of the Cyclones’ most experienced defensive players, has been rarely targeted this season, with opposing quarterbacks looking the other way during many of the snaps he’s made on the field.

Peavy said he’s felt an improvement in his game from last season.

“I’m able to lead a team in ways that I wasn’t able to last year,” Peavy said. “Kinda more mental than physical.”

Kansas, though, went at the cornerback frequently through Peyton Bender. Peavy allowed a completion in the second quarter, but made up for it on the same play by stripping the ball from the Jayhawk receiver.

Redshirt senior defensive back D’Andre Payne said he’s not sure why other teams throw in Peavy’s direction.

“I don’t see why they would,” Payne said. “It’s the Big 12, they gonna try you regardless of who you are, but he’s done a phenomenal job the past couple weeks.”

Peavy is getting the attention as of late, but the entire Cyclones’ secondary has been a strength of what has been, statistically, the best defense in the Big 12.

Coming into the 2018 season, the secondary was — despite the returns of Payne and Peavy — spoken about as possibly the relative weakness of the unit, due to the lack of returning starts at the safety position and not much in the way of experience behind the two corners.

However, throughout the year a number of players have stepped up and made unexpected contributions, none more than redshirt junior walk-on safety Braxton Lewis.

Lewis began the season on the depth chart as the backup to redshirt senior De’Monte Ruth at the ‘star’ position, but when Ruth was suspended from the canceled season-opener against South Dakota State, Lewis got his chance, however brief it was.

From there, Lewis latched onto the job and proved to be capable of being an every-down player for the Cyclones. In a three-game stretch from the Akron game through the Oklahoma State game, Lewis had an interception in each contest and was mentioned as a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the game against the Cowboys.

The Cyclones have also had contributions from redshirt freshmen cornerback Datrone Young, who is questionable for the Baylor game with a shoulder injury, and freshman cornerback Anthony Johnson. The two have progressively played more snaps in each game, leading to rest at times for Peavy, Payne and the safety group.

Lewis said the backfield has to keep the same approach it’s had all season in the coming weeks.

“Stay consistent, keep pounding the stone and do the things we need to be successful,” Lewis said of his goals for the group.

The larger amount of bodies capable of making plays has also led to players like Payne playing in different positions. In recent weeks, Payne has spent a chunk of his time at the ‘star’ position when safety Lawrence White wasn’t in the game.

Campbell said a couple of weeks ago how impressed he was with the depth the Cyclones have at the back end. It’s turned out to be critical in a surprising unit’s success so far.

Now, as the season winds down, the Cyclones will need every last person in the secondary to do their part against the Bears and beyond if the team wants to reach its first-ever Big 12 Championship game.