Ames, Iowa ? Just moments before the kickoff he had waited a lifetime to see, Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads discovered that his team’s headsets had gone bust.

The Cyclones got their communication issues solved for the second half. After a brief scare, they solved North Dakota State as well.

Austen Arnaud threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, both to Marquis Hamilton, and Iowa State beat the Bison, 34-17, Thursday night to make Rhoads a winner in his debut as a head coach.

Alexander Robinson added 83 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Cyclones (1-0), who snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last September.

“She wasn’t pretty. Most first games aren’t,” said Rhoads, whose staff had to improvise with cell phones until their headsets were fixed. “It’s a lot prettier when you’re on the winning side.”

North Dakota State (0-1) got as close as 24-17 midway through the third quarter before Iowa State pulled away. Grant Mahoney hit a career-long 50-yard field goal and Arnaud found Hamilton for a 42-yard touchdown pass with 9:58 left to make it 34-17.

Pat Paschall rushed for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown for North Dakota State, an FCS program that fell to 3-3 against FBS opponents since 2006.

Perhaps the best news for Iowa State was the crowd, which was the largest for a home opener since 1987 — and that came against rival Iowa. The Cyclones drew 48,831, or about 1,500 more than former coach Gene Chizik had on hand for his much-anticipated debut in 2007.

Rhoads, who grew up in nearby Ankeny, Iowa, spent five seasons as an assistant at Iowa State before returning to replace Chizik last December.

“It’s special. To win a football game as a head coach, and to do it here, yeah. It was a fun night,” Rhoads said as his voice cracked slightly.

Iowa State looked as though it might put away the Bison early in the third quarter. Hamilton raced through the North Dakota State secondary for a 39-yard TD reception off a quick slant route, putting the Cyclones ahead 24-10.

The Bison answered in impressive fashion, driving 73 yards in 10 plays as Nick Mertens found Matt Veldman for a 15-yard TD pass to cut it to 24-17. But that was it for the North Dakota State’s offense, which held the ball for over 33 minutes.

Mertens was 15-of-27 passing for 178 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Though the Cyclones walked away with the win, they clearly have some work to do before next week’s home game against No. 22 Iowa.

Iowa State’s defense missed a number of tackles in the first half, allowing North Dakota State to break off three plays of 35 yards or longer and stay within 17-10 by the break.

“There were a few hiccups there. We gave up too many big plays,” defensive lineman Nate Frere said. “Overall, we’ve come a long way and we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

North Dakota State moved to the Iowa State three-yard line late in the first quarter thanks to a 62-yard run by Paschall. The Bison fumbled it away in the end zone, though, and the Cyclones took advantage. Arnaud’s five-yard touchdown run pushed Iowa State’s lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

North Dakota State got on the board behind a 42-yard run by Mike Sigers immediately after an Arnaud fumble. Paschall followed two plays later with a one-yard TD plunge to make it 14-7 with 4:21 left in the first half.

“I thought that had a huge impact, and we’re really pleased with how our players responded,” North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl said of the early fumble by the Bison. “That’s one of those that’s a punch in the gut.”