MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In Iowa State’s quest to find a new running back, the Cyclones have used Kene Nwangwu, Johnnie Lang and Sheldon Croney Jr., as starters. They even rotated a pair of true freshmen, Jirehl Brock and Breece Hall, in and out. But so far this season, Iowa State’s best ground game hasn’t even come from the running back spot.

It’s come from quarterback Brock Purdy.

“Obviously he’s a part of our running game because he’s got the ability to run the football,” said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. “He gives us another option in terms of making teams defend the entire field. I think that’s something that you saw him do at times. He’s certainly been able to do that at times for us and it allows us to take advantage of some mismatches in the running game.”

Iowa State will likely need to lean on Purdy’s running abilities again on Saturday when the Cyclones play at West Virginia at 3 p.m., at Milan Puskar Stadium.

“Whatever it takes to win,” Purdy said.

When it comes to Purdy, that means doing a lot with his arm and his legs. The sophomore quarterback has been the catalyst behind the Iowa State offense. Purdy has tallied four-straight games of 300 yards of total offense, ranking fifth nationally in total offense at 356.2 yards per game. Purdy is also just one of four FBS players this season with multiple games of at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. The other three: Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Louisiana-Monroe’s Caleb Evans.

The most impressive part of what Purdy has done is that he’s not only carried Iowa State’s passing game but it’s running game. Iowa State has struggled massively to get its running game going without David Montgomery, who, after back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, departed for the NFL. They’ve used three different starters so far this season and rotated between five different players at the position. None of them have been able to stand out.

Lang, who has come on strong lately, has rushed for 182 yards on 39 carries. Nwangwu, who has been dinged up, has tallied 119 yards on 15 carries. Croney, who has been used mostly in blocking situations, has rushed for 88 yards on 28 carries. Meanwhile, Hall and Brock have played sparingly. The most explosive runner for the Cyclones this season? Purdy, who has rushed for a team-high 203 yards and five touchdowns.

“We’ve been fortunate that there have been some times this year where he’s been able to get us some yards by running,” said Iowa State offensive coordinator Tom Manning.

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None more than Iowa State’s 49-24 win over Texas Christian last week. During the victory, Purdy rushed for a game-high 102 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. The bulk of them came on designed runs. Purdy, who was fielding questions after Iowa State's first game of the season about whether or not he'd even run it anymore, has now become the focal point of the running game. Even he said he's surprised by how much the Cyclones have used his legs.

“We still have a lot more games to play so it’s not like I’m going to be doing that every single game,” Purdy said. “But if I have to, that’s fine with me.”

Even with Lang starting to emerge as Iowa State’s best running back, the Cyclones will likely continue to lean on Purdy. Running has always been a part of Purdy’s game. It’s one of the biggest reasons why he won the starting job last season. Purdy, who grew up a fan of former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, has tried to model his game off the running and throwing quarterback.

“Tebow was a competitor and I feel like so am I in all that I do,” Purdy said. “So, when it comes to running the ball, I just try to get every single yard. Watching that dude growing up, he would lower his shoulder and do whatever it takes. And then running the ball, he always made something out of nothing. So, I feel like I try to do that too.”

Tebow isn’t the only quarterback that Purdy has watched from afar. During the offseason, he watched video of two other Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield. Purdy chose those two so he could pick up some helpful hints on when to slide more, something Iowa State coaches have been urging him to do. Along the way, Purdy also learned a few other things from watching the two.

“They’re just smart,” Purdy said. “They follow their blockers and they don’t just throw their bodies out and take unnecessary hits. So, that’s the biggest thing. And then they know when to tuck the ball and run. They know when to hit a check down. Things like that. I still need to get better at hitting check downs and getting down when I need to.”

IOWA STATE (3-2, 1-1) at WEST VIRGINIA (3-2,1-1)

When: 3 p.m., Saturday

Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, W. Va.

TV: ESPN (Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek and Olivia Dekker)

Line: Iowa State by 10.5.

Weather: Cloudy. 55 degrees. Winds west, southwest at 7 mph.

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