Greatest win/Worst loss in ISU history

[Bluffers]

Best: Nebraska 92. ok; any win over UN. or UI for that matter
Worst: KU at home about 94 or so. Up like 35-0 at half and lose in second half like 48-35; or Drake, yeah that was bad.

 

[San Francisco Cy]

I say 1992 vs Nebraska for the greatest win. That was my first year at ISU and it was Dad's day at our house. Great game - Seiler's run was awesome.

2002 vs Iowa was a close 2nd just because I wasn't there in person. I had to go to a friggin wedding that day. I still feel bad that half the people ditched the reception and were in the parking lot listening to the game.

Worst loss - Mizzou '04 (I think) or UCONN. Both sucked.

Both games make a lot of sense, from a historical perspective. That was Tommy Frazier's only career loss as a starter. And that was the only regular season game iowa lost that season. The nebraska win this past year was nice, to shake off old demons, but really wasn't that big from the perspective of beating a great team...

 

[balken]

Best win: Scoring 10 cent draws during the summer
Worst loss: People's/Lumpys, RIP

 

[CyCloned]

Greatest win: The comeback win against Iowa in '02, which was Iowa's only loss of the year until the bowl game or Nebraska in 91.

Worst loss: I have to give this to the Toledo game in Chizik's 1st year on principle. We managed to blow an 11 point lead with 5 minutes left in the game without the opposing team's offense even taking the field! That is almost impossible. Kick return for TD (where a couple of Chiz's true Freshman who should not have been on the field whiffed on tackles), then the snap between the punters leg for another Toledo TD, then we drive down for winning field goal and its blocked! Most pathetic thing I have ever seen. (This team was not well coached and this game proved it.)

I agree on the win. While that loss was amazingly bad, I remember ISU loosing to Pacific in the 70's. Who the heck is Pacific?

 

[cyclones500]

For the oldtimers, I think maybe the most devastating loss in Iowa State history in terms of what happened after the loss might be San Diego State in '80/'81? We were undefeated, and that loss ruined the rest of the season. Bad deal.

Oh, man, that was ugly. 52-31. I remember staying up late to listen on the radio (game was in SD) ... yeek.

We went into the game 3-0-1, after the tie at OU that should have been a win (Giffords missed something like a 20-yard FG).

That was probably Duncan's best team at ISU, but those two games didn't help at all, even if the late-season collapse had still happened.

 

[mr89ia]

I was in school in the 80's and we got beat by Drake, Oct. 5, 1985, 20-17. To me that is our worst loss. Drake went to non-scholarship football the next season.

ya i have heard of this. i also got told a story from my uncle about when we played pacific u. they came into jack trice with mismatch uniforms, sometime in the 70's and beat iowa state. then announced later they were dropping down to non-scholarship as well. and im not positive but didnt we lose to uni one time in recent history?
as for the ones i witnessed was the baylor rd losing streak snapper or uconn

 

[cyclones500]

I could make numerous lists (and varied order) based on different criteria, but I tried to take into account historical significance, “thrillâ€￾ factor, opponent rivalries, and what it meant in context of the specific season. (I limited it to mid-70s onward, within my true memory span)
Greatest wins:
1 ISU 37, Pittsburgh 29, Insight Bowl 2000
2 ISU 37, @Kansas State 23, 2005. A D-Mac team scores 28 points in the fourth quarter! Not only did a demoralizing skid end, the TV shots of shocked KSU fans alone was priceless.
3 ISU 36, @Iowa 31, 2002.
4 @ISU 37, Nebraska 28, 1976
5 ISU 42, @Texas A&M 14, 2005.
Honorable mention: ISU 9, @Nebraska 7 (2009); ISU 27, @Iowa 9 (1998); @Iowa State 23, Iowa 12 (1981); @Iowa State 36, Nebraska 14 (2002); @Iowa State 69, Colorado State 0 (1980) (mainly cuz a Duncan team scoring 69 points — well, no explanation needed).

Worst losses:
1 @Oklahoma 49, ISU 3, 2002.
2 (tie) Missouri 17, @ISU 14 OT, 2004; @Kansas 24, ISU 21 OT 2005. I need not elaborate.
3 Nebraska 77, ISU 14, 1997.
4 Iowa 12, ISU 10, 1977.
5 UConn 37, @ISU 20, 2002. Can you say, “Microcosm Collapse?â€￾
Honorable dis-mention: @Colorado 17, ISU 9 (1980); KSU 58, ISU 7 (2002) (the Evil Twin to No. 1 above); @KSU 10, ISU 7 (1981); that Drake game from ’85 that got numerous mentions; Iowa 57, ISU 3 (1985); Pacific 24, ISU 7 (1979); any loss to UNI.

 

[CRcyclone6]

Greatest wins: 1992 vs Neb, 2002 vs iowa
Loses, vs Mizz in "04 and KU in "05

these are 4 games that I witnessed, I know there are some other great wins, and maybe some other bad loses.

 

[isufan1000]

It's called the "Birth of Iowa State Football":

Sept 12, 1998.
Iowa City, Iowa

ISU 27, IU 9

I honestly thought they had the score mixed around. My wife and I were staying at the Holiday Inn accoss from the Trans World Dome in St. Louis, getting ready for the Vikings vs Rams the next day.

I will also accept "Colorado 2005 - the Tornado Game". 1st place in the North and the '02 Iowa Win.


Worst Loss - UCONN "2002", with out a doubt.

Who's IU, is that Indiana?.....perhaps you meant UofI:wink:

 

[DrClone]

There are alot that I would consider greatest wins - Pitt at the Insigt bowl, Nebraska '92, Iowa 2002. Also think Nebraska 2009 could go down as the greatest for what it might mean to the program.

Worst loss - U Conn was bad as we needed to win to go bowling and just played a lousy game - should not have happened.
Worst game ever - the loss to Drake. I have never felt like we were at rock bottom as I did that day. Will never forget that feeling - again should never have happened.

 

[Racer68]

Best: Nebraska 92. ok; any win over UN. or UI for that matter
Worst: KU at home about 94 or so. Up like 35-0 at half and lose in second half like 48-35; or Drake, yeah that was bad.

Gotta agree on all counts here. Was a student and sitting in the student section for the '92 Nebraska game. Went over the wall to rush the field and one of my friends fell and get trampled...not that alcohol was a factor or anything! The '02 game at Iowa was also a blast...taking crap from Sqwakeye fans the whole 1st half about how good they were and how bad we were, then to just turn and smile to them as te team made the incredible comeback and ruined Iowa's chances for the perfect season!

KU at home in '93 was the year. Was at my GF's house listening to the game, heard we were up by a ton so we went for the 2nd half to party with my dorm mates...man was that tough to watch them crush us.

 

[Cyclonefarmer]

Uconn-because it was the first game i had been to in over 10 years and seemed like when I made travel plan "It should be a win." The 2001 Independance bowl cause we lost, then found out that night that Dad had cancer and lost him the end of the week during surgery.

 

[Bigguns]

Under worst loss, I'll submit 1999's game against #15 Kansas State in Ames. Up 28-0 at half and receiving the ball, we ran three times into the line and punted. Game over - KSU 35 - ISU 28

I've left Cyclone Stadium frustrated many times, but this one ranked up there with the worst of them...

I still remember how good I felt in the first half and how sick I felt after the game. The only 2 losses that were worse in my mind were the UNI losses of 92 and 94, those hurt to the core because I was in school in 92 and on the team in 94. The KSU win of 93 was the best for me. For ISU the 1st bowl win or the win to end Iowas streak had to be 2 of the most important in recent history.

 

[WalkingCY]

Best win: Scoring 10 cent draws during the summer
Worst loss: People's/Lumpys, RIP

This.

 

[Rural]

The worst loss in IS

 

[Rural]

The worst loss in ISU history was a tie.

 

[MilehighClone]

A lot of good choices and memories. I'll throw a couple out that I remeber. 85 win over a very good Okie St. team. Probably the coldest game I've ever attended. I also remeber getting pretty much dominated by Pacific in the late 70's, or maybe early 80's. Pretty sure DD was coaching.