ISU defense coordinator Wally Burnham grabbed his television remote and took a seat next to his wife on Monday night.  

Burnham flipped on the TV.

He watched the broadcast from Saturday’s shutout against Texas — something he had never done in his ISU coaching career.

“I just wanted to see not being in the film room watching that tape,” Burnham said. “Or on the sideline, you don’t get to enjoy anything. So I got sit back and and watch it, and I was kind of amazed at times.” 

And, of course, it was a lot easier for Burnham to watch it on TV rather than on the sidelines.

“[My wife and I] didn’t sweat a call,” Burnham said.

In that game, the Cyclones shut out the Longhorns 24-0 in one of the best games in Burnham’s seven-year career at Iowa State.

Afterward, ISU coach Paul Rhoads presented Burnham with the game ball — something he has done for all three of Burnham’s shutouts at Iowa State. Burnham added the ball to his collection on a shelf in his home. 

But Burnham didn’t feel like the ball belonged to him. Just like he has done before, Burnham deflected the praise to his assistant coaches and players.

He said they all deserved it after a big win on the heels of three straight losses against the top-three offenses in the nation.

“My thoughts were that I need to start chipping this ball away and dividing it up between all of the defense,” Burnham said. “I’ve told them that, they know that. There was some great moments by our players to do that. I felt so proud for them. They preserved it, and they came out and did a good job.”

But Rhoads felt otherwise.

In today’s football, not many teams can pull off the shutout. 

Against a perennial powerhouse team in the Longhorns, Burnham was the one leading the defense.

“Today’s age of football to shut out anybody … that’s a feat now,” Rhoads said. “He’s the one that’s leading it.”

Rhoads said Burnham has a natural tendency to create relationships with the players off the field. His special relationships showed in his players’ reactions from Burnham’s post-game gift.

Even though Burnham and his 3-4 defense have received criticism in the past weeks, this shutout against Texas showed what Burnham is capable of.

“I totally believe in [Burnham],” said defensive end J.D. Waggoner, who is listed as a starting defensive end for this weekend. “I think [the game ball] was well deserved. He’s a great mind. I think that every call that he made, made sense. He’s an aggressive play caller. He wants us to go out there and make plays on the line of scrimmage.”

That shutout feat won’t come as easy against Iowa State’s next opponent Saturday.

Oklahoma boasts the eighth best offense in the nation, amassing 532.5 yards per game. The Sooners’ offense is similar to others in the Big 12 like Baylor, Texas Christian and Texas Tech in the style of high-paced, high-energy football.

Whatever the case, the ISU defense is ready for the challenge coming off its best performance of the season and in recent memory.

“In my opinion, [the shutout of Texas] was the turning point of our team as a whole,” said linebacker Jordan Harris. “I think everybody has the confidence that is sky-high right now. We’re going to play with some confidence and swagger on Saturday.”