AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State finally broke into the win column in 2018, relying on defense and its kicker to carry an underwhelming and, at times, uninspired offense. Zeb Noland threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, David Montgomery had 107 yards rushing and a score and Iowa State held off Akron 26-13 on Saturday for its first win of the season. Montgomery had all 16 of Iowa State’s carries in the first half. He was substituted out more than once in the second half, but Campbell didn’t sound too concerned after the game. “I think he’s fine. Just got dinged up a little bit. Just trying to be smart with it,” Campbell said. “I didn’t want to put ourselves in a situation where maybe he has a long term injury.” Montgomery finished with his first 100-yard game of 2018. Connor Assalley added four field goals for the Cyclones (1-2), but all of those kicks came inside the red zone ahead of a brutal stretch in the Big 12. Iowa State plays at No. 17 TCU next week, at Oklahoma State on Oct. 6 and hosts No. 12 West Virginia on Oct. 13.

The Cyclones offense struggled to turn yards into touchdowns — and it’s starting to become fair to wonder if not having a designated offensive coordinator is hurting them. Iowa State’s defense kept Akron out of the end zone after an early score following a fumble. It didn’t end up costing them against the Zips, but TCU will roll the Cyclones if they play like this next week in Fort Worth. Iowa State got off to a sleepy start, falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter after losing a fumble deep in its own territory. But Kene Nwangwu ripped off a 47-yard kickoff return, Montgomery kept his balance after a pass rusher nearly brought him down in the backfield and Noland found Hakeem Butler for a 24-yard TD to tie the game at 7-all. It was a sequence that proved to be crucial as Iowa State’s offense got largely bogged down after that.

The Cyclone Defense, which gave up 37 in a loss to a dynamic Oklahoma team last week, continues to be the program’s strong point. JaQuan Bailey had 3.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble, and Lawrence White and Greg Eisworth each finished with nine overall tackles.