Categories: Football

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 39 days

Each day leading up to Iowa State’s season opener against South Dakota State, Cyclone Fanatic will check another day off the calendar with a memorable statistic, player or game as part of our Countdown to Kickoff presented by Tailgate Clothing. 

On Oct. 10, 1987, Iowa State mounted one of its biggest comebacks in school history to give Jim Walden his first victory as the Cyclones’ head coach. The Cyclones recovered from a 38-21 deficit with 10 minutes remaining to complete a 39-38 win over Northern Iowa, which remains tied for the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in program history.

The comeback started with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brett Sadek to Eddie Bridges to pull the Cyclones back within 10 points with 9:06 left to play. Later in the quarter, Sadek, who finished the game 15-of-29 passing for 295 yards and three touchdowns, orchestrated an eight-play 60-yard scoring drive to bring the score to 38-34 then Eddie Jones’ two-point conversion rush pulled the Cyclones within two points.

Following a successful onside kick and a long pass from Sadek to Dennis Ross, Jeff Shudak knocked through a 28-yard field goal with 1:23 left on the clock to put Iowa State in the lead for good.

The win, which included a combined 957 yards of total offense, was Iowa State’s first of three in Walden’s debut season.

Jared Stansbury

Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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