AMES — Following the thrilling 20-19 win over Iowa in the annual Cy-Hawk matchup, Iowa State had struggled to find ways to implement the running game into the Cyclones offense.

In the first two weeks of the 2024 season, Iowa State could not muster together 200 yards on the ground, as the running backs combined for 50 carries for 175 yards: an average of 3.5 yards per rushing attempt.

Needless to say, this wasn’t the expected outcome of a running back room that was led by sophomore Abu Sama III, whose late-freshman surge got him the starting nod in what would be a crowded running back room.

In those two games, Sama had carried the ball 22 times and only managed to get 94 yards. Granted, he had to face a stout Hawkeyes defense in one of those games and dealt with a minor injury in the other. It was still abnormal to see a player like Sama struggle to start his second year of collegiate football.

Along with Sama, sophomore running back Carson Hansen and Eastern Michigan transfer Jaylon Jackson shared the same struggles of finding success in the rushing attack as well, as they had only 61 yards on 17 carries combined.

But as the Cyclones entered their matchup against Arkansas State to wrap up non-conference play, something clicked for this underachieving running back room.

Led by Hansen, Iowa State exploded for a season-high 237 yards on the ground on 48 attempts. Although some of this feat was achieved by quarterbacks Rocco Becht and Connor Moberly, the running back room still found a way to be an integral part of the Iowa State offense.

Not to mention the five touchdowns that the Cyclones rushing attack had against the Red Wolves, which were the first five touchdowns scored through the ground game at that point of the season.

Hansen, along with freshman running backs Dylan Lee and Aiden Flora, got to experience scoring their first collegiate touchdowns while also having played key snaps for Iowa State.

Following the 52-7 blowout showing by the Cyclones, they traveled to Houston, Texas, to take on the Cougars to start Big 12 play Saturday. Once again, the rushing attack proved to be vital to Iowa State’s 20-0 shutout win over Houston, as the Cyclones totaled 240 yards on the ground over 38 carries.

Unlike the game prior, Iowa State had been led by the long-awaited breakout of Sama who rushed for 101 yards on 11 carries with a 77-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Although Sama stole the show Saturday, Jackson found his way to provide a huge impact as he nearly broke the 100-yard mark with 96 yards on 14 carries, with his longest being a 50-yard rush.

With the recent success of the running back room, Becht has felt confident in knowing that the guys behind him are capable of taking pressure off the passing game, especially when it’ll matter as the conference goes on.

“There’s a lot of depth in that room,” Becht said. “They feed off of each other, so having those guys in there takes a little bit of stress off my end in the passing game.”

Another big reason for the recent breakout of the rushing attack has come from new running backs coach Tyler Roehl. After the sudden career change from former running backs coach Jordan Langs, the position opened up for Roehl to eventually fill.

After being named Tennessee State’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator in January, Roehl decided to leave that opportunity to join the Cyclones as the assistant head coach/running backs coach.

While he didn’t have the success he wanted in the first two weeks of the season, Roehl has been able to turn this room into an effective weapon that head coach Matt Campbell can use as the season continues to roll forward.

“A lot of credit to coach Roehl,” Campbell said. “I think he’s come in and done a great job with a really great group with a lot of potential.”

Now as Iowa State prepares to host its first conference game of the season against Baylor this Saturday, the running back room will look to continue the momentum that it has built through the past two games to help the Cyclones achieve new heights.

“Our goal is to continue to get better every week,” Jackson said. “We haven’t played our best ball yet and we are all just striving to get to that point.”