The thought of traveling down to Waco, Texas, this week has brought back memories for some ISU coaches and players, but none are recalled with much fondness.

Baylor dominated Iowa State in 2013 — the last time the Cyclones played the Bears on the road — beating them with a score of 71-7. The 2013 loss to the Bears remains the worst loss in school history.

And, while the Cyclones will aim for a much better result this Saturday when they take on the country’s No. 2 team on the road, the loss two years ago still stings.

“For me, I’ve never been put on a field like that and embarrassed like I was,” said quarterback Sam Richardson. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel that way again, where you feel like you have no say. It’s just a bad place to be in.”

The game two seasons ago went from bad to worse in a matter of minutes, and Baylor never let up. After jumping to a 37-0 lead at halftime, the then-No. 12 Bears continued to roll in the second thirty minutes. 

By the time the beatdown was over, Baylor had finished with more than 700 yards of total offense and held the Cyclones to just a lone, fourth-quarter touchdown.

“It was an embarrassing loss,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “They scored a lot of points, and we didn’t. We looked really bad.”

This time around, though, Baylor might actually be better than it was in 2013. So far, Baylor has averaged nearly 64 points and 719.7 yards of offense per game, the highest numbers in the country.

To even contemplate an upset win, Rhoads knows it will take some extra motivation. But, with a team as good as Baylor, finding that motivation isn’t as difficult as it may seem, he said.

“Statistically speaking, they’re the best right now,” Rhoads said. “Part of recruiting is, ‘You want to play against the best there is in college football, come to the Big 12 Conference, and we’re going to give you that opportunity.’

“They’re going to get that opportunity Saturday, the chance to go out and compete against a team like this and a personnel like this, I think it’s something that our kids are excited about.”

Success against the Bears starts with the ISU defense limiting easy touchdowns. 

“They’re going to have big plays,” said linebacker Jordan Harris. “They’re going to have touchdowns, but we can’t get down just because they scored on their last drive.”

But regardless of the doubt that surrounds the Cyclones this week, the players aren’t getting down on themselves.

“It will be fun,” Richardson said. “It’s a new stadium. It’s a fun atmosphere and definitely a great challenge ahead of us, so it’ll be fun to take on that challenge.”