This Area Continues To Be Top Strength for Iowa State Cyclones

What area was key for the Iowa State Cyclones in Week 14?

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell celebrates after an interception by defenders against Kansas during the fourth quarter in the senior day on Nov. 22, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to secure their eighth win of the season with a victory against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. 

Coming into the game, the Cyclones were a heavy favorite and were expected to cruise to a win. Even though it was a comfortable victory, Iowa State by no means blew the Cowboys out of this game. That might come as a bit of a disappointment, but it never felt like they were in much danger of losing this game, and they kept it relatively simple. 

Defensively, the team was pretty strong against the poor Oklahoma State offense. The Cowboys were held to just 13 points. Oklahoma State has not been known for its offense this year, and they struggled quite a bit in this one, especially on the ground. 

A lot of credit should go to the Cyclones for their ability to completely shut down the Cowboys on the ground. Oklahoma State totaled just 27 yards on the ground, which generally isn’t a recipe for success. 

Iowa State Controls the Game

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With the Cowboys struggling to do anything productive on the ground, it was the Cyclones who were able to win the time of possession and the battle in the trenches for the most part. Running the football has become a clear strength for the program, and even when they weren’t winning games, they were able to find a lot of success on the ground. 

One of the main reasons for that success has been the play of running back Carson Hansen. The junior back has been on fire of late, and he was able to keep his streak of rushing for over 100 yards alive. It wasn’t an easy game for the talented back on the ground, but he was able to record a game-high 109 rushing yards on 24 carries. 

In addition to Hansen having a strong game on the ground, so did Abu Sama III. The other talented back for the Cyclones totaled 87 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on just 12 carries. Sama was highly efficient for the team on the ground and continued to showcase some explosive ability. 

Overall, the rushing attack was a key reason why the team was able to win this one. The duo of running backs for Iowa State has been a major strength all year, and they should have one more opportunity to impress in a bowl game together this campaign.