Thankfully, it wasn’t the one pictured right, but Iowa State stormed across the field at Jack Trice Stadium to reclaim the Cy-Hawk trophy from in-state rival Iowa after winning a thriller in triple overtime, 44-41.
Instead, Paul Rhoads’ team hoisted a trophy featuring a football with the names and logos of the two schools. It wasn’t as interesting (or as corny) as its short-lived predecessor, but it probably felt good in the hands of Iowa State players after a three-year absence.
The world was also introduced to Cyclones quarterback Steele Jantz, who in addition to having one of the greatest names in college sports, had an even better performance in clutch situations to give Iowa State an early-season win that was, far and away, one of the best games of the day.
As for Rhoads, it marked his third major win in as many years. In 2009, Iowa State defeated Nebraska 10-9 in a turnover-plagued game in Lincoln. Last year, the Cyclones went to Austin and took advantage of a down Texas team by a score of 28-21.
Ames, Iowa can be a tough place to sell to recruits, but Rhoads has done about as great of a job as anybody at Iowa State since Dan McCarney and is truly one of the more underrated coaches in the country.
The guy just continues to get big wins.