The transformation of Iowa State’s defense has been startling over the last several months.

All ISU coach Paul Rhoads has to do is think back to his first few workouts this spring to remember how much improvement the Cyclones have made this season.

“We’ve come a long ways,” Rhoads said. “We had our first practice in pads during spring ball and our tackling was so bad and our desire to tackle was so far off it left us scared. There were a lot of ghosts in that practice.”

From that point to now, the change is dramatic. The Cyclones finished off a 17-10 victory over Colorado last week where the defense allowed only three points on three possessions inside the Cyclones’ 10-yard line.

That stinginess has helped the Cyclones post a surprising 6-5 record. The turnaround has made them bowl eligible for the first time since 2005 heading into Saturday’s game at Missouri.

“It’s really a great feeling to be part of that kind of turnaround,” senior nose guard Nate Frere said.

If he needs any reminders, Frere just has to go back earlier in spring practice.

Rhoads and his staff were so stunned by the Cyclones’ shoddy fundamentals that they broke down defensive football to its bare essentials.

The first lesson was teaching the team proper form, tackling techniques and how not to shirk from contact.

“They taught us to bend your knees and not being afraid to go out and make a play,” senior linebacker Jesse Smith said. “We went to the basics, but the coaches did a good job of teaching us to learn those fundamentals all over again.”

Some teams might have embarrassed from that kind of remedial attention. But the Cyclones’ defense bonded from that work and was intent on improving from that point forward under veteran coordinator Wally Burnham.

“I think a lot of guys kind of thought we learned that stuff when we were playing in pee-wee leagues,” Frere said. “But when we saw what they were trying to teach us and then bought into it, we learned we weren’t doing some of those small things right. There was a little bit of resistance at the beginning but we grew from there.”

The work obviously has helped, particularly as the unit grew more comfortable after playing several games together.

They have held three Big 12 opponents to 10 points or fewer, including a breakthrough victory at Nebraska. The Cyclones forced eight turnovers en route to a gritty 9-7 victory that snapped a 15-game losing streak at Lincoln.

The Cyclones are allowing 403 yards per game to rank 92nd nationally in total defense and 106th in sacks. But they have a knack of getting stronger playing closer to their end zone that has grown during conference play as head into their .

“I think we're 11th in the conference in total defense, and that's nothing to wave the flag about,” Rhoads said. “But when you turn the ball over in the red zone and you can keep people out of your end zone, you've got a chance to play and win in any football game.”

The Colorado victory added to that. The Buffaloes gashed them for 390 yards, but the Cyclones kept making big plays deep in their own territory to limit Colorado’s scoring.

The defense had a fourth-and-goal stop on the Iowa State 1-yard line, two sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery to spark the victory.

“I think that game speaks to their growth,” Rhoads said. “They have done a fantastic job. We don’t intimidate or scare anybody, but we’ve done a great job of keeping points off the board.”

The Cyclones have reveled in that mentality throughout the season. Smith, a 6-foot, 234-pounder has developed into the Big 12’s leading tackler with an average of 10.6 stops per game.

“If you size up against a bunch of other teams, we might not have the height or speed, but we definitely have the football sense and the heart to play college football,” Smith said. “That’s more important than speed or size and it’s what this team has a lot of.”