Shutout a point of pride for Iowa State moving forward

AMES - The game was decided. All that was left for Iowa State and Texas in the final five seconds was a chance at preserving pride.

Texas set up shop first and goal at the five yard line, hoping to find the end zone and avoid its first shutout to an unranked opponent. Iowa State was looking to shut out its first opponent since Kansas in 2013 and secure its second-ever win against the Longhorns.

While the play wouldn't affect the outcome, the pressure was on.

'I was hopeful they would execute and be able to deliver it,” said Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads. 'I didn't want anything to detract from what is and what was going to be a tremendous, tremendous victory for our program.”

Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes dropped back and looked toward Marcus Johnson on the left side, but safety Qujuan Floyd stepped in and disrupted the pass. The ball fell harmlessly to the ground, and the Cyclones' 24-0 win became official.

On a night where almost everything seemed to go Iowa State's (3-5, 2-3) way, making a goal line stand in the final seconds to shut out a history rich Longhorns' (3-5, 2-3) program is a feather in the cap.

In the huddle before the final play, ISU defensive coordinator Wally Burnham talked coverages with his unit, but his most important message was simple: keep this zero on the scoreboard.

'That's so important to us,” said linebacker Levi Peters. 'That's a defense's dream to get a shutout against a good team like that. That's going to build our confidence and boost us going into next week.”

Through the last 100 minutes of game time, Iowa State has outscored its opponents 51-10 and allowed just 204 yards against Texas. Offensive success came in the form of time of possession - Iowa State had possession for 37:25 Saturday - but the production while holding the ball is the blueprint moving forward.

Sophomore quarterback Joel Lanning was 19 of 37 passing for 188 yards and one touchdown while rushing 13 times for 82 yards. Mike Warren has 954 yards this season after his 32 carries and 158 yards against the Longhorns.

Floyd had 8 tackles to lead Iowa State while linebacker Jordan Harris had seven stops and an interception, earning him Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The Cyclones travel to No. 14 Oklahoma next weekend with kickoff at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

'We're going to feed off it,” Floyd said. 'So going into the next game, we've got to start off fast again, stop the run first and then stop the pass. Once we stop the run, we should be pretty good.”

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