No. 14 Iowa State hopes its running game can help net a win at Arkansas State

AMES — Carson Hansen supplied the rods, reels and lures. Abu Sama helped haul in the catches.

Hansen — who along with Sama shoulders the load at tailback for No. 14 Iowa State — is the more accomplished fisherman. Sama became his pond-side pupil on a bright, sunny day in the offseason at an undisclosed fishing hole.

So what did they net?

“I got me one or two,” said Sama, who hopes to help the Cyclones’ running game thrive in Saturday’s 3 p.m. road game (ESPN2) at Arkansas State. “But he’s really good at fishing. He got a lot.”

Neither of ISU’s lead backs seems to care who gets most of the carries from quarter to quarter or game to game. Sama and Hansen have formed a tight bond that makes them a true tandem — a potent 1-2 combination the Cyclones (3-0) can lean on heading into Saturday’s matchup with the host Red Wolves (1-1) and beyond.

“If one of you guys came into our room and sat in on our meeting, it doesn’t matter who’s out there,” ISU running backs coach Jake Landry said during fall camp. “It’s what’s best for our football team. It’s about us winning games, not individual stats.”

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But those stats prove Landry’s broader point.

Hansen has rushed for a team-leading 136 yards on 36 carries through three games this season. Sama’s not far behind with 113 yards on 29 carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation in the 55-7 win over South Dakota.

None of those numbers jump off the page, but the Cyclones have faced two traditionally stout run defenses in Kansas State and Iowa already — and a breakout game in Jonesboro, Ark., could be on tap for Hansen, Sama and ISU’s other tailbacks.

Why?

Arkansas State ranks 124th nationally in rushing defense, yielding 206.5 yards per game. And the Cyclones rushed for 237 yards and five scores in last season’s 52-7 rout of the Red Wolves, who gave up 321 yards on the ground in a blowout loss at Arkansas last Saturday.

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“We have, like, a brotherhood relationship and it just translates into games,” Sama said of his connectedness with Hansen. “I like to see him making blocks and scoring, and vice versa, he likes to see me making blocks and scoring. So just us feeding off each other, just getting better every day and working on little details and stuff like that (is important).”

ISU, of course, hopes Hansen, Sama and all of their top players are able to watch their younger compatriots shine on the field late in Saturday’s game. That would mean the Cyclones — who are three-touchdown favorites — had created a robust enough margin to confirm Vegas oddsmakers’ projections. But the 10-7 loss at Ohio in 2023 — ISU’s last non-Power Four regular season road game — still resonates deeply with the players.

It’s less cautionary tale and more wake-up call; a reminder that feeling “comfortable” can lead to an upset loss. It’s also unlikely either team will feel much comfort on what’s forecasted to be a 97-degree day in Jonesboro, so there are plenty of tricky variables connected to this on-paper mismatch that must be endured and overcome.

“We’ve been there,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said. “We’ve had this. We’ve prepared for this. The reality of it is, we also know what it takes physically to prepare yourself to do that. I think that’s a thing.”

So is Hansen’s and Sama’s friendship, which has helped them cast a wide net as productive backs the past two seasons. They’ve also been on the field at the same time more frequently this season, which adds another wrinkle to a Cyclone run game that’s eager to light the offense’s path to success this week and beyond.

“It’s awesome, just us being on the same field (at the same time),” Sama said. “Shoot, I get to put somebody on their butt, block for him, see him score and vice versa, he gets to block for me and watch me score. It’s a great feeling to be on the field together.”

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