That was an ugly 60 minutes, but Iowa State got a big 24-20 road win in East Hartford, Conn., over the reigning Big East champs, Connecticut.

Some instant analysis for you:

How the game was won: Iowa State trailed 10-0 early on, just as it did against Iowa last week. The Cyclones took a third-quarter lead and earned it back in the fourth quarter with their third consecutive fourth-quarter comeback and a 24-20 win. Quarterback Steele Jantz threw three interceptions on his first four pass attempts, and suffered what looked like an ugly lower leg injury just before halftime, but bounced back for a strong second half.

Turning point: Iowa State gave up a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kashif Moore in the fourth quarter that gave the Huskies a 20-17 lead on a pass that should have been intercepted by Jeremy Reeves. Iowa State answered with an eight-play, 65-yard drive to take a 24-20 lead, capped by an acrobatic catch on the sideline by an outstretched Josh Lenz followed by a catch, run and hurdle over two defenders for a 20-yard touchdown catch by Darius Reynolds.

Stat of the game: Steele Jantz started the game 0-of-4 with three interceptions, and suffered an injury just before half. He bounced back from both to finish 18-of-29 for 200 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers in the game's final three quarters. The Cyclones forced three turnovers and took care of the ball after the rough start.

Player of the game: Iowa State receiver Darius Reynolds. Every pass he caught was huge. He hauled in a 48-yard catch in the second quarter to get Iowa State's offense going on the first touchdown drive. Then he caught a 40-yard pass from fellow receiver Josh Lenz for a touchdown before scoring the game winner in the fourth. He also extended a fourth-quarter drive with a 20-yard catch on a third down. He finished with four catches for 128 yards and two scores.

Best call: Needing a jolt early in the third quarter, Iowa State ran a reverse pass from Lenz to Reynolds to take a 14-10 lead.

What Iowa State learned: Once again, early struggles and fourth-quarter deficits won't be enough to keep the Cyclones down. In all three wins this year, the Cyclones have trailed early and erased a fourth-quarter deficit to win. The word of the night, as always with Iowa State: Resiliency.

What it means: Iowa State starts 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and will take next week off before Texas visits on Oct. 1. Iowa State had a difficult nonconference schedule, but it beat the Huskies and rival Iowa to maintain perfection. Can the Cyclones reach a bowl game? We'll find out soon, but a 3-0 start is exactly what had to happen if ISU was going to reach the postseason as it did in 2009, when it beat Minnesota in the Insight Bowl.