AMES, Iowa (AP)�Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads has endeared himself to Cyclones fans with his energy, enthusiasm and passion.
Now the rest of the nation knows why they've made such a fuss over their third-year coach.
Rhoads presided over the biggest victory in school history Friday night, a 37-31 win in two overtimes over a No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State team that seemed on a fast track to the BCS championship game. Even better, it was the first of Rhoads' signature wins to take place at home.
"People try to rank them and try to place them here and place them there and put them on a pedestal," Rhoads said. "But we needed six wins to get a bowl game and this was number six. They were all fantastic. We're happy that Cyclone Nation got to experience it."
Iowa State upset Nebraska two years ago and stunned Texas last season, but both of those victories were on the road.
Rhoads became a YouTube sensation when he led a raucous locker room celebration after the win at Nebraska. This time, he tried to stay calm.
"The approach to this game was even keel," he said. "We talked about a steady rise. Practice should steadily rise and that is the way the preparation needed to be for this game and that was the way the game needed to be played."
Backup running back Jeff Woody powered into the end zone from 4 yards out for the winning touchdown after the Cyclones (6-4, 3-4 Big 12) thwarted Oklahoma State's possession in the second overtime with Ter'Ran Benton's interception of a pass by Brandon Weeden, the Cowboys' fifth turnover of the night.
Woody plowed ahead for 6 and 15 yards before bulling his way into the end zone to give the Cyclones their first victory over a top-5 opponent in school history.
"The only picture I have from it is crossing the end zone, turning around, looking up and seeing Hayworth (Hicks) and knowing exactly what just happened," Woody said, referring to one of his linemen. "Once you get in the end zone, you realize the significance of what happened."
Weeden threw for 476 yards but was intercepted three times. The Cowboys (10-1, 7-1), favored by 27 points, let Iowa State hang around just long enough to beat them�and throw the national title picture into chaos.
Iowa State freshman quarterback Jared Barnett found James White for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of extra time, but Weeden answered with a 6-yard TD pass to Josh Cooper.
Benton's interception then set up a thrilling finish for the Cyclones and Rhoads, who was the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh when it upset No. 2 West Virginia 13-9 in 2007.
Barnett finished with 376 yards passing and three TDs.
"Great effort on both sides of the field," Barnett said. "I would say that we really persevered in this game and it allowed us to be successful."
Oklahoma State opened a 24-7 lead less than 3 minutes into the second half and looked set to break the game open as it usually does. Tracy Moore caught Weeden's pass in traffic and stumbled 30 yards for the touchdown.
That could have been it for Iowa State�but the Cyclones were far from finished.
Iowa State answered with a 32-yard TD run from White and recovered an onside kick with ease. Barnett fumbled it back to Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys fumbled it right back and Zach Guyer's 24-yard field goal made it 24-17 with 4:04 left in the third quarter.
Oklahoma State came in averaging 51.7 points a game, but it couldn't string together the drives that made Weeden a serious Heisman Trophy contender.
"We felt confident with our game plan and we executed," defensive back Jacques Washington said.
Iowa State tied the game 24-all with 5:30 left in regulation as Barnett found a sliding Albert Gary in the end zone for a 7-yard TD catch. Oklahoma State's Alex Elkins intercepted Barnett's pass with 3:17 left, but Quinn Sharp pushed a 37-yard field goal right with 1:17 to go to force overtime.
It was just the third missed field goal in 20 tries for Sharp.
Iowa State knew it would need a lot of breaks to pull off the upset.
The Cyclones caught a few early, recovering Joseph Randle's fumble and intercepting Weeden's pass in the first quarter. But they didn't turn either into points, and the Cowboys' defense made them pay for it.
Linebacker Shaun Lewis jumped Barnett's pass and took it back 70 yards for a touchdown, giving Oklahoma State a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Iowa State pulled to 10-7 on Barnett's 16-yard TD pass to Darius Reynolds. But Blackmon stopped short and went high for Weeden's pass over a pair of defenders on a 27-yard touchdown reception, giving Oklahoma State a 17-7 lead with 5:26 left before halftime.
The Cowboys were playing a day after women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and three others were killed in a plane crash.
Iowa State held a moment of silence before the game to honor Budke, assistant Miranda Serna and two others who were killed Thursday when their single-engine plane crashed during a recruiting trip in Arkansas.
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