We all know Iowa State’s junior running back David Montgomery features a special set of skills, but Montgomery can’t shoulder the full load for the Cyclones.

Montgomery possesses fantastic balance, good power and decent speed. In Iowa State’s opening loss to Iowa, Montgomery showed those skills, battling off weak tackles before being swarmed by defenders.

Montgomery averaged 2.6 yards per carry with a long of 11 yards, receiving 17 of the 20 handoffs from the Cyclone offense. Redshirt junior Sheldon Croney Jr. toted the ball three times for three yards.

Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Kene Nwangwu and redshirt freshman Johnnie Lang warmed the bench on offensive drives, only seeing the field for special teams. 

If the duo is trusted enough to handle return duties, they should be trusted to contribute a few carries.

We also saw young talent infused in the Cyclone offense on Saturday, meaning Lang and Nwangwu should be next. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tarique Milton snared three passes for 31 yards.

Cyclone fans may remember Nwangwu as an electrifying returner in 2016 before receiving a medical redshirt in 2017. Nwangwu earned his spot in the return game due to his speed and shiftiness.

On the other hand, Lang received four carries last season for seven yards before electing to use a medical redshirt, as well.

Nwangwu and Lang provide something Montgomery doesn’t: game-changing speed. Montgomery could get drafted in the first few rounds of the NFL Draft if he elects to forgo his senior season, so this isn’t a knock of him.

The Hawkeyes obviously prepared for a heavy dose of Montgomery, but a change of pace would have benefited Iowa State.

The only plays to break 20-yards or more were passes on Iowa State’s first and final drives. In such a tight game, it felt as if one big play would change the momentum.

Nothing worked offensively, so why not shake it up?

I understand the Cyclone offensive line performed poorly, which was on display on the first drive after Iowa State failed to gain two yards for a touchdown and settled for a field goal.

But an option to counteract the lack of offensive line push is to spread out the field and throw quick passes to speedy running backs. Quick swing passes or tosses to challenge Iowa’s untested linebacking corps could’ve swayed the momentum.

Even if Johnnie Lang is tackled for a loss late in the third quarter, I don’t think it’s much worse than what we witnessed throughout the game on Saturday.

Looking forward, Oklahoma’s defensive line isn’t nearly as good as Iowa’s, and the Sooner defense as a whole is relatively young.

The exciting thing for either quarterback Kyle Kempt or Zeb Noland is they should operate with more time. The offensive line holds a game together under its belt and Oklahoma’s defense should have more holes than the Hawkeye defense.

Even if Montgomery turns in a solid game and the passing attack improves, the Cyclones likely will need a few big plays to knock off the No. 5 Sooners.

The remedy to the lack of big plays lies in an explosive running back or two.