Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was the lagging Kansas defense. Either way, Iowa State running back David Montgomery made it into the career 1,000-yard club Saturday as the Cyclones shut out the Jayhawks in a 45-0 win.

The game was delayed for 37 minutes due to lightning, but Iowa State wasted no time getting the ball to Montgomery, who rushed the first three downs of the game and got into the end zone for the first score of the game for the Cyclones.

It wasn’t the last time he’d see the end zone.

He reached the 1,000-plus-yards milestone sometime in the second quarter, finishing the first half with 52 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery finished the game with 68 yards and three touchdowns.

Because of a number of Kansas errors and extra effort from Iowa State’s special teams, the Cyclones had good field position throughout the game and it didn’t require many yards to get to the end zone.

“I’d say special teams and defense played great, miraculously. But you know, us on offense, we’ve just got some things to clean up,” he said.

After the game, Montgomery compared the field conditions to a slip and slide.

“Like when you’re 10-years-old and you go sliding down a hill and your mom say you come in the house with that mud on and she’s going to beat you,” he said.

Those conditions affected the yards he was able to get on the day, as he said he could not cut or be as shifty as he wanted to be.

Not every seat in the stadium was filled, but Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell credited the fans who did come out.

“To be honest with you, the weather as bad as it was, I thought nobody would be here,” Campbell said. “That was really special today, to come out there and see that kind of crowd here with the conditions.”

Kansas had two turnovers on their first two touches of the game — fumbling on the punt and an interception — allowing the Cyclones to go up 14-0 early. It didn’t get better for the Jayhawks, who had 11 drives resulting in 3-and-outs during the game.

The game also came after Iowa State’s upset of No. 3 Oklahoma in Norman, which was one of the biggest wins in school history. During that game, Montgomery rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown. 

Montgomery now has 478 yard rushing this season and 1,041 rushing yards in his career. The sophomore had two 100-plus-yard games this season coming into the game.

Montgomery said the team came back and played harder in practice this week after the upset on the road. 

“The only recipe for success is one day at a time and one game at a time,” Campbell said. “The reality of this conference is anyone can beat anyone.”

Earlier this season, Montgomery said a lot has changed for Iowa State since the previous season. Montgomery said the biggest difference is culture.

“The only way we have a chance to be good is we have to be a team. We’re not good enough on offense. We’re not good enough on defense …. We have to play series to series team football. And, you know, we’re starting to get it.”