Iowa State’s homecoming game now has a kickoff time, and the Oct. 3 matchup in Ames is shaping up as a tougher test than it looked before the season.
The Cyclones are coming off their most complete showing so far, a 55-7 win over Bowling Green that pushed them to a second victory of the year. That game checked just about every box. Iowa State leaned on its rushing attack, Aiden Flora delivered a breakout performance, and both Flora and Cameron Pettaway found the end zone on special teams with a punt return and a kick return touchdown.
Defensively, Iowa State has looked like the team’s strength through three games, and the Cyclones handled Bowling Green well on that side of the ball too. That will matter in the coming weeks, because the attention first turns to Utah in Week 4, but West Virginia is already waiting on the other side of that.
The homecoming game will come against a Mountaineers team that has started to turn heads. West Virginia just picked up a signature win over Virginia, beating the 25th-ranked Cavaliers on the road by two scores. That result gave the Mountaineers an early statement win and made this homecoming matchup in Ames look more difficult than it might have seemed at the start of the season.
A big reason is quarterback Michael Hawkins. He’s been a true dual-threat threat early on, throwing for 477 yards and five touchdowns while also piling up 322 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. That kind of production gives West Virginia a dangerous balance, and it creates a real challenge for an Iowa State defense that has been strong but will now have to deal with a quarterback who can hurt teams in multiple ways.
How the Cyclones handle Utah should offer a better read on what to expect when West Virginia comes to town. But with Hawkins playing the way he has, homecoming in Ames is already set up to be a serious test.
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Aiden Flora Gives Iowa State A Needed Boost Before Big 12 Play
A solid nonconference win over Bowling Green gave Iowa State a useful tune-up before the schedule gets much sharper, and it also delivered the kind of individual spark the Cyclones have been waiting to see. Running back Aiden Flora was the biggest story of the day, putting together a breakout performance that helped steady an offense looking to find its rhythm heading into league play.
Flora piled up 194 rushing yards, scored twice on the ground and added a punt return touchdown, giving Iowa State a lift in every phase he touched. With the Big 12 opener against Utah up next, the Cyclones have reason to feel better about their depth and playmaking, even if the real test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]