Matt Campbell had to answer all the tough questions about how his team would respond to adversity after back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Kansas.

But now, after back-to-back wins over Cincinnati and Utah, the Iowa State football team is back where it wants to be.

The Cyclones (9-2, 6-2) found themselves in a four-way tie atop the Big 12 standings with Arizona State, BYU and Colorado with a week of action remaining. A win next week at home against Kansas State sends Iowa State to the Big 12 title game.

Despite their 405-223 victory over Utah, the Cyclones didn’t get the win until a late drive that resulted in a Carson Hansen touchdown run. The defense forced a long field goal and Rocco Becht managed to secure the victory thanks to the winning formation, 31-28.

Here’s what Campbell had to say in his post-match press conference following the win:

“It’s a team sport,” Campbell said. “You play harder and longer and I think that’s what wins. This is what our children have done and continue to show. We’ve had it in our pocket for a while and thought “why not” use it now? Put it into play and see what happens. Carson made a great throw, Gabe (Burkle) made a great catch and we had the ability to finish it. At some point you have to take a risk. Sometimes you have to put it all on the line. Everyone counted us out, but we didn’t flinch, we didn’t hesitate, we just kept fighting.

“His ability to continue to show great determination,” Campbell said. “Your team is going to go like the guy who has the ball in his hands all the time, and that guy has been that guy for us every game for two years. Its special sauce is its resilience to overcome difficult trials. It’s a great defense (in Utah), the best defense in our country. Our kids’ ability to keep fighting (was key). They did a great job in this management, especially Rocco.

“You gain confidence,” Campbell said. “Everyone wants to give false confidence, but you have to earn the right to have confidence. There is no false confidence in this sport. Children have earned the right to trust. We had to win it in Iowa City. We had to earn it against Central Florida. Shoot, we had to earn it against Cincinnati. And you had to deserve it (Saturday evening). One room, one moment, one situation at a time. The kids have bought into it and I appreciate the leadership of our team.

“I hope that at the end of the day, the history that this group can make will be unwavering,” Campbell said. “They have the pen and can continue to write history, and I hope they continue to write it like that. The punt (fumble) and pick-6 are random plays. No one has been better in the country at late comebacks than Jaylin Noel. We have the capacity to be resilient.

More analysis on Iowa State and the Big 12

* Three stars in Iowa State’s win over Utah