Iowa State turned a brilliant defensive effort, quarterback Marv Seiler's running and four field goals by Ty Stewart into a stunning 19-10 upset of No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday.
The Cyclones (4-6 overall, 2-4 Big Eight) shut down a Nebraska team that led the nation in rushing and scoring. Iowa State ran for 373 yards itself against a defense that had stuffed nationally ranked teams in its two previous games.Iowa State broke a 14-game losing streak to Nebraska (7-2, 4-1) and held the Cornhuskers to 192 yards rushing - 159 below their average. Nebraska had been averaging 43 points a game and was coming off routs of Colorado (52-7) and Kansas (49-7).
Hundreds of Iowa State fans in the crowd of 42,008 swarmed onto the field when the game ended and tore down both goalposts.
Stewart kicked field goals of 37, 32, 45 and 30 yards to give Iowa State a 12-10 halftime lead. It was still 12-10 early in the fourth quarter when Seiler broke a 78-yard run to set up the game-clinching touchdown.
Seiler, a fifth-year senior making his first start, kept the ball on an option play and carried it from the Iowa State 20 to the Nebraska 2. Chris Ulrich scored on the next play with 10:50 left.
Seiler finished with 144 yards in 24 carries to lead all rushers. Ulrich added 105 yards in 17 attempts.
Nebraska drove to the Iowa State 33 later in the fourth quarter but gave the ball up when Abdul Muhammad couldn't hold Tommie Frazier's pass on fourth and nine with 5:14 remaining. Iowa State then ran out the clock with the ball-control offense that had been so effective throughout the game.
Frazier, a freshman, had caused Iowa State problems in the first half with his scrambling but had trouble cutting after twisting a knee early in the third quarter.
Stewart had made only five of 10 field attempts coming in but made four of four in the first half.
His 37-yarder on the opening series of the game marked the first points the Nebraska defense gave up in the first quarter this season. The only first-quarter points against the Cornhuskers previously had been a safety by Washington.
Nebraska settled for Byron Bennett's 33-yard field goal on its first possession, but Stewart countered with a 32-yarder less than a minute into the second quarter for a 6-3 Iowa State lead.