Austen Arnaud had a steady running game to rely on during his three years as the quarterback for Ames High School.

The ISU football team however, has lacked a rushing attack this season, and the offense is revolving around the performance of Arnaud — a first-year starter.

The 20-year-old is averaging 35.5 throws per game over the Cyclones’ six-game losing streak. The workload isn’t ideal for a first-year starter, according to offensive coordinator Robert McFarland.

“I think any time you ask the quarterback to throw that much, it puts a lot on that position, and that’s not fair to Austen,” McFarland said. “We have to do a better job of running the football, and getting our tailbacks involved in the running game.”

Arnaud had his best complete game as a starter in a 49-35 loss to Texas A&M last Saturday, completing 26 of 41 passing for 371 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for another touchdown and gained 99 yards on 12 carries, but lost 32 yards on four sacks.

A 13-yard catch on a throwback-pass from receiver Darius Darks contributed to Arnaud’s 438 total yards of offense on the day — the third highest single-game total in ISU history. The only other Cyclones with more yards in a single game are former quarterbacks Bret Oberg (‘89 vs. Oklahoma, 449 yards) and Seneca Wallace (02’ vs. Missouri, 493 yards).

Arnaud said he averaged “15 to 20” throws per game during high school and said he feels more comfortable after weeks of practice and eight games as the starter.

In the estimation of McFarland, the Big 12 Conference features nine of the top 25 quarterbacks in the nation. Arnaud is doing his best to keep up.

“You look at any good team, their quarterback is playing well,” Arnaud said. “That’s what I’m trying to be for this team: A quarterback who can play well and get some wins … that’s just what I’m trying to do.”

Arnaud said his throwing shoulder felt better last Saturday than it had at any time since the Oct. 11 game against Baylor. He struggled against Nebraska the next week, completing 16 of 29 passes for 113 yards in a 35-7 loss.

“He has been very bothered by it,” said coach Gene Chizik. “And you’d never know it. Before we played Nebraska … that week he barely threw a ball at practice. Tough guy, loves to play the game, is going to keep battling back.

“[He] has really, I think, come on. This past game is what we envisioned Austen to be for our football team for an entire game.”

Former-backup quarterback Phillip Bates competed for the starting job and split time with Arnaud earlier this season. Bates quit the team two days before the Baylor game, leaving the backup role to true freshman Jerome Tiller.

Chizik said Arnaud “has got to play every game, every snap,” as the coaching staff wants to preserve Tiller’s redshirt season. But with Arnaud’s health concerns, Chizik said the staff needs to be careful with how much he runs the ball.

“He’s got to be very smart with when he does pull the ball down or, if it is a designed quarterback run, he can’t take the big hits,” Chizik said. “And he’s got to see that. But with him, I’m comfortable doing whatever it takes with him. If he’s got to throw it 40 times, we throw it 40 times. But I’m comfortable doing whatever with him that we have to do to score points.”

Arnaud said he had never slid after a run in his football career before last Saturday.

“In high school, I could outrun people,” he said. “It’s a lot different than now — I’m getting caught by people. That’s just the thing, I’ve got to be more careful with what I do just for this team.”

Arnaud has completed 144 of 239 passes (60.3 percent) for 1571 yards and nine touchdowns with just four interceptions, including two picks in the third game of the season against Iowa.

He has lost three fumbles this season, including one last weekend. After last Saturday’s game, Darks said that when “Arnaud is on, everybody is on.” Tight end Collin Franklin said that when Arnaud is on, “he’s one of the best guys out there.”

“People want to talk about all the different quarterbacks we’ve got in the Big 12, and he doesn’t get mentioned too often,” Franklin said. “But the boy can play.”