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Star Running Back Abu Sama III Accomplishes Shocking First for Iowa State Cyclones

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones had a lot of players step up and contribute during their victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

What was expected to be a lopsided affair, with spreads on the game reaching three touchdowns, turned into a highly competitive matchup. The Cyclones escaped the heat at Centennial Bank Stadium with a 24-16 win. They are now 4-0 on the season heading into their bye week, right in the mix for early College Football Playoff projections.

One of the reasons that Iowa State was able to come away victorious against its Sun Belt foes was the success the team had on the ground. Getting their rushing attack going was imperative this week against a defense that has struggled to slow down opponents all season. The Cyclones entered the game struggling to establish things on the ground, but found little resistance on Saturday.

Iowa State Run Game Gets Going Against Arkansas State

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Overall, Iowa State churned out 187 yards on the ground. Quarterback Rocco Becht scored the team’s first touchdown of the day on a 10-yard scamper near the end of the first quarter. Leading the way, yardage-wise, was Carson Hansen.

After gaining only 136 yards through three games, he piled up 116 alone against the Red Wolves on 18 carries. It was encouraging to see him get on track and help wear down the Arkansas State defense. While Hansen tired them out, Abu Sama III would come in as the change of pace back and rip off the big run.

Abu Sama III Provides Big Play Ability to Iowa State Offense

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He added 69 yards on nine carries. That includes a huge 44-yard run, showcasing the explosive playmaking ability that he possesses. It was Sama who scored the game-winning touchdown with 8:34 remaining in the game to put the Cyclones ahead 24-16.

That touchdown is a whacky first for the Lakeville, Minnesota product. It was a four-yard run, which included him trucking over an opponent on his way to the end zone. That is the shortest touchdown score in Sama’s career with Iowa State, producing big plays on all 11 of his other scoring plays.

Trucked him.@AB3_sama

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/13hQr7zTe2
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) September 13, 2025

As shared by no context college football on X, a screengrab was taken during the game on Saturday showing just how explosive Sama is. He has five touchdowns that were between 11 and 30 yards gained on the play. Six of them have gone for 50+ yards.

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— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 13, 2025

That kind of explosiveness out of the backfield makes him the perfect complement to Hansen’s power running game. Some thunder and lightning out of the backfield provides this offense with a lot of versatility. The more success they find, the easier things will be for Becht and the passing game, which is still trying to iron out a few things with Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, both in the NFL now with the Houston Texans.