Iowa State Football's Aiden Flora Made His Mark Against Oklahoma State

The Jimmy Rogers era of Iowa State football is officially underway, and following the Cyclones' biggest win of the Rogers era against No. 24 Oklahoma State on Saturday, there's a new identity taking shape in the run game.

Aiden Flora, Cyclone run game made all the difference against the Cowboys

Iowa State walked away with its second 40+ point performance inside Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, taking down No. 24 Oklahoma State 51-49 before fans poured onto the field in Ames late Saturday night. But while Kyle Konrardy delivered the game-winning 34-yard field goal, it was Aiden Flora who helped put the Cyclones in position to walk away with the victory.

The common denominator in Iowa State's recent offensive success is the ground game, Flora in particular. Against the Cowboys, Flora rushed for a career-high 221 yards and two touchdowns, marking his second 200+ yard performance of the season and topping his previous season-high 212-yard breakthrough against West Virginia just three games prior.  

At first glance, the box score tells the story that Iowa State fans have become accustomed: Konrardy comes through in the clutch, and the Cyclones escape with a narrow victory. But look beneath the surface, and there's a much bigger story brewing. 

Last season under now-Penn State head coach Matt Campbell, Iowa State averaged just 114 rushing yards per game. Now eight games into the season, Flora has nearly doubled that mark on three separate occasions. That kind of production is more than just noteworthy; it's borderline groundbreaking. 

Flora's consistency is hard to explain, but most importantly: it's there.

It's not everyday that you see running backs rush for 200 yards on multiple occasions. So far this season, Flora is one of only three backs to reach that mark, alongside Navy's Jackson Gutierrez and Texas State's Torrance Burgess Jr. 

Compare that to Hansen's production with the Cyclones last season, and the difference is night and day. Hansen's season-high came against then-No. 11 BYU, logging 16 carries for 152 yards. 

Flora's level of consistency is one that's become increasingly rare in Ames. The last time an Iowa State running back recorded multiple 200-yard rushing performances in a season dates back to 1999, when Darren Davis ran the Cyclones' backfield. 

Iowa State went a mere 4-7 that season under head coach former head coach Dan McCarney, a mark the Cyclones are more than capable of topping if Flora's current production continues.

It's only up from here for Flora, Iowa State

Leaning into the run game with a weapon like Flora is a no-brainer for the Cyclones as they enter the later stages of conference play. With matchups against Baylor and Cincinnati on the horizon, Iowa State has an opportunity to make its ground attack an emphasis of the offense. If Flora continues building on his recent performances, the sky is the limit.

Through the first part of the season, opponents have rushed for an average of 104.1 yards against the Bears, and 116.3 yards per game against the Bearcats. Neither defense has been particularly dominant against the run, something that gives the Cyclones more than an edge heading into their next few matchups.