The Iowa State Cyclones are entering Week 2 of the college football season with an immensely tough test. And that’s on the road against the No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Cy-Hawk game.Going into the matchup, both teams are 1-0, picking up dominant wins against much lesser opponents. Iowa State took down the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, an FCS program, 38-10 in the first game of the Jimmy Rogers era. Iowa dominated the Northern Illinois Huskies 40-0, fueled by a fantastic first half where they scored 33 points.The Hawkeyes come into the game as a two-touchdown favorite, looking like the much better team. But the Cyclones can get the win if they are able to stop explosive running back Kamari Moulton.Coming into the season, everyone knew who Moulton was. The returning running back came off an 878-yard, five-touchdown season with the program, where he proved to be one of the best running backs in the entire country. Now coming back another year, Moulton has already blasted off to begin the season.Iowa State will have hands full trying to slow Kamari MoultonSep 5, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kamari Moulton (28) runs for a 37 yard touchdown against the Northern Illinois Huskies during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectMoulton put up 183 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Northern Illinois. By himself, he accounted for 36.1% of Iowa's offensive yards in the game.The reality is, the Hawkeyes are a good football team, but almost their entire offense revolves around the run game, especially Moulton. With a quarterback problem in the sense that there are two battling it out for the role in Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, neither of whom is proven.In a game where Iowa has to play a tough defense, they aren’t going to sling the rock in the way they could against the Huskies in Week 1.But the run game isn’t going to be easy to complete. Iowa State allowed just 67 yards the entire game, stopping both Braylen Ragland at quarterback and Khyair Spain at running back. The Cyclones' identity on the roster is the defensive line and the linebackers, who caused immense havoc in the backfield against SEMO.— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 5, 2026It’s not going to be easy to stop Moulton; it’s definitely not. He’s a fantastic runner, one who’s immensely efficient, and someone who has clearly taken a big jump. In addition, he’s someone who is a veteran with the program and knows how to perform in a big game.But if Iowa State finds a way to stop him or at least hold him to a below-average performance, they certainly have a chance to not only compete on the road, but could steal one of the biggest wins in program history.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow