Mailbag: What's Iowa State football's running back situation?
MANHATTAN, Kan. − Matt Campbell knew the doubts about his team. He knew them before the season started. He understood them when the Cyclones faltered to 1-2. He grasped them when his top two running backs didn’t make the trip to the regular-season finale.
“I’d love to see,” the Iowa State football coach said Saturday, “what everybody was saying on Twitter before the game.”
It was a whole lot of the doubt the Cyclones had largely proved wrong throughout the season. Just like they did again at Bill Synder Family Stadium.
Iowa State shrugged off those high-profile absences, the falling snow and 19th-ranked Kansas State, 42-35, in one of the most entertaining chapters of the ‘Farmageddon’ rivalry that will certainly not soon be forgotten.
More: Iowa State football wins wild one against Kansas State as Abu Sama stars
“Everybody’s counted us out since May,” Campbell said, alluding to the state gambling probe that cost Iowa State five starters. “Our kids keep responding. Team above self. I would say this 2023 team kind of realigned us the way our football program is meant to be.
“Character, humility and, honestly, love. Those three things, I know it sounds corny, but that’s when we’ve been at our best here.”
True freshman Abu Sama was certainly at his best, taking the first play from scrimmage 71 yards for a score on his way to 276 yards, three touchdowns and legendary status.
“This guy’s pretty special,” Campbell said.
It was a special evening as both Iowa State (7-5, 6-3) and Kansas State (8-4, 6-3) had to deal with the more than 5 inches of snow that fell in central Kansas. What transpired was a bizarre night in which Iowa State scored 42 points without ever running a play in the red zone while Kansas State nearly matched the Cyclones’ explosive offense.
All of it added up to a game that will live in legend for Iowa State and perhaps infamy for Kansas State. Certainly, it felt like a potential springboard for a young Iowa State team that more often than not proved to be better than most thought it could be throughout the season.
“I think the future’s really bright,” Campbell said, “but the reality also is the present is we’ve got a chance to get our eighth win, our fourth bowl victory here in the history of this school.
“A lot of things to play for.”
And a lot to get to in this week’s mailbag.
More: Peterson's Iowa State football thoughts are mostly about true freshman sensation Abu Sama
How special was Abu Sama’s night?
There have been only three performances more productive by an Iowa State running back than Sama’s 276 yards, and all three were by Troy Davis, the Cyclones’ 1996 Heisman runner-up.
“This guy’s pretty good,” Campbell said of Sama. “He’s gotten better every week. That’s the thing. He’s powerful, and he’s special.
“Obviously he was exceptional tonight.”
Sama had touchdowns measuring 77, 71 and 60 yards on the night, showing both explosive speed and the ability to break tackles on a night when running the ball was a must.
The Southeast Polk alum had a breakout performance better than David Montgomery’s 169 yards against Kansas in 2016 and Breece Hall’s 132 against West Virginia. Both players are now collecting NFL paychecks while Hall appears on a star trajectory.
Can Sama be next? It remains to be seen, but being mentioned alongside those two certainly is a good first step.
What’s the running back situation now?
Before the game, it appeared the news of the day would be absences of Eli Sanders and Cartevious Norton, the Cyclones’ leading rushers heading into the game.
Sama’s huge performance and the Cyclones’ win certainly put that story on the back burner, but it’s still a significant situation when a team loses two of its top backs. And Campbell made it sound like Sanders and Norton could eventually be departing when asked if their absences were due to transfer-portal considerations.
“I would imagine,” Campbell said. “Those are things that those guys are going to have to decide what they’re trying to accomplish right now.”
Sama certainly seems to be the future for Iowa State, but make no mistake − potentially losing two quality backs is not something to be dismissed as irrelevant.
“Both of those guys going through some things personally,” Campbell said. “Felt it was their best interest to work through personal situations, and our best interest to continue to make sure the guys that were ready to play in this football game were on the plane to come down here.
“It’s too early to tell right now (if they’ll play in a bowl game). Both those guys going through their own situations that they’ve got to go through, but both those guys have played good football for us. Appreciate both of them.”
How did the weather affect Iowa State’s plans?
The consistently falling snow contributed to the wild nature of the game, making footing and tackling precarious.
“It's just goofy,” Campbell said of the snow’s influence on a game. “Obviously a lot of snow throughout the game.”
For a Florida native such as Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, the day was a wholly new experience.
“That was my first snow game,” Becht after going 8-of-12 for 230 yards and three touchdowns. “It wasn’t really that cold. The snow is just falling in your eyes. That was probably the worst thing about it.
“I had fun out there today.”
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mailbag: Transfer portal for Iowa State football's Norton, Sanders?
