In a season of remarkable feats for the Iowa State football team, one of the biggest reasons for success has been stability.

That may sound weird, especially since three different players have earned a start at quarterback for the Cyclones, who are currently averaging the second-most points per game of any team in school history.

First, Jacob Park started four games in September. When he took a leave from the program, Kyle Kempt stepped in for the next six starts. After Kempt went down in his sixth game, a 49-42 loss to Oklahoma State, redshirt freshman Zeb Noland took over.

In the between there was Joel Lanning, who took snaps at quarterback in several games and even threw a touchdown two weeks ago.

The one constant for the Iowa State passing game, however, has been senior receiver Allen Lazard.

“He’s very unselfish when it comes to that,” Noland said. “He’ll take a pass from anybody. If coach [Jim Hofher] went out there and threw him a pass in practice [Lazard] would catch it.”

And that won’t change Saturday when the Cyclones (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) take on Kansas State (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) in the regular season finale.

Lazard has been a household name for his entire Cyclone career. He’s caught a pass in every game of his career, has several school records, and is now part of one of the most successful offenses in school history.

“I think that for the receiver group, one of the reasons that I think we are one of the best receiver groups in the country is that we go out there and are very consistent day in and day out,” Lazard said. “That’s part of what has led to our quarterbacks having the success that they’ve had.”

This year No. 5 has caught three touchdowns from Park, four from Kempt, one from Lanning and, last week, one from Noland.

His reliability has been the key for each subsequent Iowa State quarterback. When Noland stepped in during the Oklahoma State game, his first completion was to Lazard. When Lanning threw his deep ball to the end zone, it was to Lazard. When Kempt needed a go-to receiver? Allen Lazard stepped up.

“He does a phenomenal job of getting open,” Noland said. “If you put it in his area he’s going to have a 50/50 chance of catching it. I know that I can have faith in him.”

Kansas State’s defense has allowed 314.5 passing yards per game in 2017, so the connection to Lazard will be huge if Iowa State wants to get its eighth win of the season Saturday.

And for as great as Lazard’s college career has been, he’s never been able to beat Kansas State, which owns a nine-game winning streak in the series against the Cyclones.

But that doesn’t change how dominant Lazard has been this year. Another touchdown grab would be the 10th of his senior campaign. No player in Iowa State history has caught 10 touchdowns in one season. His 10th touchdown would break his current tie for the record with Todd Blythe, one of his role models.

“If he was an idiot I wouldn’t want him to break my records, but he’s a good kid so he can have them” might be my favorite quote. #Cyclones

— Aaron Marner (@A_Mar32) September 6, 2017

“I think just all the hard work and training that I’ve put into this year,” Lazard said. “I just go out there and compete my best and let the quarterbacks have a level of comfortability with me and that they can trust me when they throw the ball to me.”