The 2001 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the Big 12 Conference during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by head coach Dan McCarney, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and five losses (7–5 overall, 4–4 in the Big 12) and with a loss to Alabama in the Independence Bowl.
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The annual battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy was scheduled originally for September 15, but due to the September 11 attacks, it was postponed or canceled like all sporting events planned for that weekend. The game was rescheduled for November 24, which turned out to be a natural fit since many other major rivalries were played that weekend.
Iowa State scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters to head into halftime with a 14–0 lead. Iowa finally responded in the third quarter with two touchdowns to tie the score.
The final scoring play of the game came early in the fourth quarter, with Tony Yelk kicking a 32-yard field goal to put the Cyclones up 17–14. An interception by Adam Runk with 1:37 remaining sealed the game for the Cyclones.
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