Among the many firsts in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in the Cyclones’ 48-42 win over the Cowboys, there was one overshadowed by the indelible performance of true freshman quarterback Brock Purdy.

With 6:09 left in the game, redshirt freshman wideout Tarique Milton corralled his first career touchdown pass with a 60-yard grab. Milton broke past his corner through the seam, giving a slight wave to Purdy to let him know he was open. Purdy found him, and Milton had two things on his mind: securing the ball and getting to the end zone.

“I was just waiting on my opportunity and being patient,” Milton said. “I had to capitalize and just do my job.”

Milton has been working his way into the rotation at wide receiver often this season, placing fourth on the team in receptions and averaging 11.6 yards per catch.

The former three-star recruit out of Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida, got a lot of buzz from wide receivers coach Bryan Gasser as well as his teammates during spring practices.

His touchdown Saturday was an example of the potential Milton has.

“Once I break, I saw him cut to the outside, so I kept it skinny,” Milton said.

Milton is also the Cyclones’ starting punt returner, averaging 10.4 return yards per game with a career-high 37-yard return in the first half of the Akron game.

In his weekly presser on Tuesday, coach Matt Campbell had praise to heap on Milton’s performance against the Cowboys.

“He’s a guy that’s continued to flash,” Campbell said. “One of the pieces that he flashes with is his speed. It certainly is something that, as a component, we haven’t had that elite speed here yet, and he’s a guy that gives us some of those things.”

A short, slot receiver at 5-foot-10 and 176-pounds, Milton splits time with junior wideout Deshaunte Jones. Much of his workload this year has come on quick crossing routes or swing passes to the boundary, but against Oklahoma State, Milton showed why the Cyclones value his speed so much.

Starting center Colin Newell gushed about Milton’s speed.

“He’s a fast kid; he’s a really fast kid,” Newell said. “I remember when he came in, just seeing what he was able to do was something that was really special.”

The Cyclones had been struggling mightily on the offensive side of the hall through four games. The addition of Brock Purdy — albeit against a weak Oklahoma State secondary — opened up a new dimension of the field to the Cyclones, and allowed Milton to take advantage.

His role may fluctuate depending on the opponent and gameplan (Campbell said the Cowboys’ defense had open spaces for Jones and Milton to exploit), but Tarique Milton is one of many Iowa State freshmen making their presence known.

Defending Will Grier

How to do it? The senior Mountaineers quarterback has worked his way into the Heisman conversation with his performances this year, throwing 21 touchdown passes and accruing 1840 yards through five games.

Campbell seems to understand how tough it will be for the Cyclones to keep Grier under wraps.

“I think a lot of people are trying to figure that out right now,” Campbell said.

Possible scholarship for Braxton Lewis

Braxton Lewis, a redshirt junior walk-on safety, started the season second on the depth chart at the Star position, but he has three straight games with an interception (the first Cyclone to do so since A.J. Klein). He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the week following his performance against Oklahoma State.

Campbell said that, when a scholarship opens up, Lewis is first in line to receive one.