The Cyclones picked up their first win of the Big 12 season, and head coach Matt Campbell could finally breathe a sigh of relief going into his weekly press conference.

Iowa State put everything together in its 31-14 win over West Virginia. The offense had been drawing scrutiny in all five losses.

There wasn’t much to nitpick on the offense, as Hunter Dekkers and company had no issues moving the ball down the field. The biggest improvement from week to week was the spark the run game saw.

With running back Jirehl Brock going down early in the contest, the other backs had the task of handling the load. Entering the second half, it was clear that were going to have no issues taking over.

“I thought we really executed as well as we had all year, really, in all honesty, the whole second half of that football game,” Campbell said. “That’s as well as we’ve played from an execution standpoint.”

The Cyclones fired on all cylinders and ended up coming out with a comfortable win. The growing pains the team felt through the Big 12 season were non-existent Saturday.

The team finally showed off the potential that Campbell preached from day one.

“Obviously, I think anytime you’re growing, and so much of that group is all growing, you talk about moments where there’s breakthroughs,” Campbell said.

With the offense finally taking charge, a large weight was lifted off the defense’s shoulders. Until Saturday, Iowa State’s defense did everything in its power to keep the game within shooting range of a win.

Of course, the defense performed well again, but the offense putting everything together gave Campbell his “told you so” moment.

“I think there is some validation of, man, this is what we can do, and this is what we can look like,” Campbell said.

A large reason that the offense performed well Saturday was thanks to the running back tandem of Deon Silas and Cartevious Norton. Big plays seemed second nature for Silas, as the end zone looked like home for Norton.

The Cyclones were finally able to capitalize on the momentum from the big plays and put points on the board.

“Big plays, that’s part of the momentum,” Campbell said.

Another big help in gaining momentum on the offensive side of the ball was the tight end group making plays for Dekkers. DeShawn Hanika got his hands on a couple of elite catches, including one in the end zone.

Other tight ends were also getting in on the passing action, as well as excelling while blocking.

“Those are those moments that we’ve talked about on the other end where you’re saying, ‘Man, we’re almost there; we haven’t made those plays,’” Campbell said. “And we made those plays Saturday.”

Going forward, the Cyclones will have to keep the momentum up on offense if they want to finish the season strong. West Virginia gave them a good win, but the road ahead doesn’t get any easier.

The Cyclones will have another tough game when they travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on Oklahoma State. Although the Cowboys have been struggling in recent games, Campbell still noted how strong the team is thanks to head coach Mike Gundy.

For now, though, the Cyclones are focusing on themselves. The team is still young and, as seen Saturday, is still growing. The team has the potential to make waves in the college football world, and Campbell knows it.

“The key is, man, can we keep growing,” Campbell said. “There’s still things in that game across the board where if we can grow from it and learn from it, then we can transform ourselves into a team that has a chance to have reached its full potential by the end of this football season.”