AMES — Iowa State took on the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday night in a crucial game to each team’s schedules. Both teams were coming off disappointing losses and looked to get back on the right track in this game.

The Cyclones ran away with a win, as they took down the Horned Frogs 27-14 and picked up their second win in Big 12 play.

Here are the three takeaways from Iowa State’s second win at the Jack Trice Legacy Game.

Cyclones defense smothers Horned Frog’s offense

Iowa State’s defense was reeling off of a disappointing performance against Oklahoma when they gave up over 500 yards of offense. The team had only forced Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel to throw one interception and only sacked him once throughout the entire game.

But coming into this game against TCU where they were playing for more than just themselves in the Jack Trice legacy game, they definitely showed out and made plays all over the field to keep the Horned Frogs offense in check.

Iowa State forced TCU’s quarterbacks to throw three interceptions, as they did not miss on their opportunities to make big plays when they could. They also got another interception off of a late-game failed trick play pass from TCU wide receiver JP Richardson.

Head coach Matt Campbell praised his defense’s performance on their special day by winning the turnover battle.

“We were able to put the game back in our hands,” Campbell said. “It was great to make some plays and get that turnover piece was huge.”

Defensive back Beau Freyler collected two of the four total interceptions thrown Saturday, but he didn’t just accredit his success to himself, he preached how this was all a part of the gameplan and how it ended up being successful for the team.

“It’s big for the team,” Freyler said. “Going into this game, we knew that if we were to win this game, we had to control the turnover margin.”

The last time that the Cyclones defense forced the opposing team to throw four interceptions, was on Sept. 24, 2016, against San Jose State when Iowa State forced Spartans quarterback Josh Love to throw four picks in that game.

The other interceptions came from linebacker Will McLaughlin and defensive back Malik Verdon who both got their first collegiate interceptions.

TCU’s lead back runs all over Iowa State’s defense

While there seemed to be many positive things to take away from this game from the defense, one problem seemed to be stopping the Horned Frogs’ leading running back.

TCU’s Emani Bailey ran aggressively all day Saturday, breaking multiple tackles and making many Cyclone defenders miss.

He finished his game with 21 carries for 152 yards as he found holes in the defense and did not miss the opportunity to make big plays.

“The run game was not in our favor going into halftime,” Campbell said. “We had to figure out how to support the run by changing some things up front.”

Iowa State’s run defense has struggled to keep running backs from getting those big plays, as Bailey continues to show his skills off for the Horned Frogs in this game.

“There were some big plays we gave up for sure,” Freyler said. “Especially in the run game which is something we need to work on urgently.”

If the Cyclones want to continue their success for the rest of the season, it starts with keeping the opposing running backs contained.

After an underwhelming first half, Cyclone’s offense explodes in second half

The first half of this game was a rough start for the Cyclone’s offense which was given many opportunities to pounce on TCU’s mistakes early on.

But they could not as they went into halftime with a 10-7 lead as what could have been a huge lead going into the half, did not come together.

Entering the second half, it seemed that much had not changed as they had to punt the ball back to the Horned Frogs on their first drive coming out of the half.

But then something seemed to change, as Iowa State’s offense burst from the flames, with three straight scoring drives to put them up by 20. The running back room was a key part of their success, as they made their presence felt by scoring two out of the three total touchdowns made by Iowa State.

Running back Eli Sanders was the lead back for the Cyclones, who cashed in with a four-yard touchdown run that highlighted his 16-carry, 99-yard performance.

Running back Abu Sama III scored his first collegiate touchdown with a breakout 55-yard run that ended up starting this hot streak of scoring.

Quarterback Rocco Becht talked about how they stuck to their game plan and have success that eventually got them this big win.

“It was just coming back to the run game,” Becht said. “We really just stuck to our gameplan and it ended up working out for us.”

Becht also talks about how this win meant something more to the team, as the last time these two teams faced each other, was in Fort Worth it did not go in the Cyclone’s favor.

“It means a lot,” Becht said. “A win like this builds up a lot of confidence and it was personal to us since we went into their place nine months ago and didn’t play so well, so getting this win was awesome.”

This game was meant to honor the legacy that Jack Trice left for this program, and it seemed like the team wanted to make it happen for Jack.

“It’s extremely important to us,” Freyler said. “We care so much about honoring his legacy. What he’s provided to so many people and the legacy he left this program has been incredible.”