The biggest edge in Iowa State’s Week 11 matchup with Cincinnati starts and ends with Aiden Flora.
The Cyclones head into the weekend at 4-5, a respectable mark given the preseason expectations around the program. Their wins have come against Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Bowling Green and SEMO, while their losses have been handed down by Utah, BYU, Iowa, Arizona and Baylor.
Now they get a Cincinnati team that sits at 5-4 and has shown it can be dangerous, especially with a home win over Texas Tech. But the Bearcats haven’t done enough to separate themselves from the pack, and this matchup puts a spotlight on the one player Iowa State can lean on most.
Flora has been the difference-maker all season, and he enters this game as the best football player on the field. His 1,119 rushing yards rank fifth nationally, and he’s stacked four games of 180-plus yards on top of that. Two of those monster outings have come in the last two weeks, which is exactly why Iowa State’s plan feels so clear.
He’s been scorching lately. Against Oklahoma State, Flora carried 29 times for 221 yards and two touchdowns, powering Iowa State to the win with “Heisman-like” moments and multiple breakout scoring runs.
He followed that up with another massive day against Baylor on the road, finishing with 26 carries for 182 yards and a touchdown. Iowa State didn’t come away with the victory, but Flora kept the game alive with repeated chunk gains.
His best work hasn’t been limited to those two games, either. Against Bowling Green, Flora needed just 12 carries to pile up 194 yards and two touchdowns, and he also broke off an electric punt return touchdown. Against West Virginia, he was even more explosive, rushing for 212 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing two touchdown passes.
Cincinnati’s run defense gives him another opening. The Bearcats allowed 126 rushing yards and a touchdown to Houston’s Re’Shaun Sanford last week in a loss, and they rank 98th in the country in rush defense by yards allowed per game.
That’s the kind of setup Iowa State wants right now: Flora rolling, the ground game humming, and a Cincinnati defense that hasn’t been sturdy enough to shut that down.
In Other News...
Iowa State Freshman Just Gave Cyclones Fans A Real Reason For Excitement
Iowa States 77-55 win over Howard offered an early look at what could become a useful formula for the Cyclones this season: balanced scoring, active rebounding and a freshman who looked ready for a bigger role right away. Tjaa Turnek led the way with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, giving Iowa State a steady presence on both ends while Mya Babbitt and Alex-Anne Bessette added 16 and 15 points to keep the offense moving.
For a team still sorting out its identity, that kind of production from a newcomer matters. Turnek did more than fill the box score, and the way she fit alongside Babbitt and Bessette gave Iowa State a glimpse of a rotation that can stretch defenses and create problems in different ways. The bigger question now is how quickly that early promise turns into something the Cyclones can count on once the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State's New-Look Roster Is Starting To Feel Very Real
A fresh Iowa State roster is beginning to look a lot more settled, and the latest glimpse came in a convincing 77-55 win over Howard. Freshman forward Tjasa Turnsek delivered the kind of inside presence the Cyclones have been looking for, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, while the lineup around her kept showing signs of becoming a real rotation rather than a collection of new faces.
Bill Fennellys final season has put a spotlight on how quickly this group can come together, and the early returns are encouraging. Transfers Alex-Anne Bessette, Sienna Harvey and Mya Babbitt all helped shape a strong team effort, and Iowa States discipline showed up at the defensive end, where Howard was held to 28.1 percent shooting. The pieces are there now, and the bigger question is how far this new-look group can go once the schedule stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Suddenly Has A New Offensive Pressure Point Against Cincinnati
Injuries have pushed Iowa State into a different look at receiver, and the results have given the offense a needed jolt. Cameron Pettaway and Jamal Polite Jr. have stepped into bigger roles in recent games, helping a group that has had to adjust on the fly while quarterback Jaylen Raynor has started to settle in more comfortably.
Raynors improved play over the past two games has come with more dependable help around him, and that has changed the feel of the passing game heading into Cincinnati. The Cyclones will try to carry that momentum forward, but the real test is whether this reshuffled receiver room can keep creating the same pressure point when defenses have more time to prepare for it. [Read more 🡒]