Peterson: Who did a FOX-TV analyst mention when talking about Iowa State's Abu Sama?

Spencer Tillman, the FOX Sports analyst with a resume that includes carrying footballs very well for Oklahoma and in the NFL, was impressed.

Sitting in the press box near Tillman at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, I sensed his enthusiasm each time Iowa State’s Abu Sama touched the ball during Saturday night’s 42-35 victory against Kansas State. Not until returning Sunday after the late-night game and re-watching what I’d seen in person did I actually know what he said about the Cyclones’ true freshman.

Especially grabbing my attention was what he threw out as Sama sprinted into the end zone during his 60-yard romp through the snow – his third touchdown during his classic performance.

More: Peterson: Iowa State's Matt Campbell has his running back of the present and future: Abu Sama

“This kid reminds me of Walter Payton,” Tillman told the national viewing audience, and then he added: “He’s like a pinball wizard.”

Payton rushed for nearly 17,000 yards for the Chicago Bears. His nickname, Sweetness, certainly fit the former Southeast Polk superstar's performance in Iowa State's seventh win.

Sama also scored on runs of 71 and 77 yards en route to an amazing 276 rushing yards, the fourth-best single-game performance in Cyclones history, and of course you know the top four are owned by former Heisman Trophy runner-up Troy Davis.

Let’s break down Abu’s long touchdown runs before going to the Register’s Iowa State text group for their takes.

71 yards on the game’s first play: Tight end Stevo Klotz blocks a linebacker out of the way, and the rest is history. Sama up the middle, then runs away from the Kansas State defense with lightning-quick breakaway speed, even through snow.

77 yards on the first play of the second quarter: After another nice kickout block by Klotz, Sama showed instinct and balance again while hugging the right sideline during his sprint to the end zone.

60 yards in the third quarter: By now, Kansas State’s defense was so frustrated that cornerback Will Lee elected to push Sama rather than tackle him.

That’s how Sama became the Big 12’s first player with two 70-yard touchdown runs in a game since the great Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma in 2005.

Now for the text group.

What’s Iowa State doing to keep Matt Campbell and his staff happy?

I don’t understand why people automatically think contract extension after big victories. Is Campbell a very good coach? Absolutely. Have other schools offered him jobs since he became the Cyclones’ coach in 2016? Sure, but remember the 2019 story in a respected newspaper outside the state of Iowa that said Campbell told his players he was headed to Florida State. Well, Campbell is still here and he’ll be coaching Iowa State in the Whichever Bowl in a few weeks.

Campbell’s last contract re-work was in February 2021 when he agreed to an eight-year contract through 2028 after leading the Cyclones to the Big 12 Championship Game and a New Year's Six bowl victory against Oregon. He’s making $4 million this season.

The Cyclone Gridiron Club recently announced a donation of $300,000 in support of Iowa State football − $200,000 to the We Will Collective earmarked for football, and $100,000 in support of Campbell, his coaches, players and staff.

More: Mailbag: What's Iowa State football's running back situation?

Does he deserve more? Another extension wouldn’t shock me.

Abu Sama looked like the Abu Sama that went nuts in the 2022 state high school championship game against Valley

I’ll bet Southeast Polk coach Brad Zelenovich thought that, too, if he watched Saturday night’s Cyclones game. Sama rushed 24 times for 372 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Rams in that game. Against Kansas State, he carried 16 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

His longer TD runs in the Class 5A state title game were of 73, 67, 65 and 63 yards. He averaged 15.5 yards a carry. Against Kansas State, Sama’s longer runs were 77, 71 and 60 yards en route to averaging an eye-popping 17.2 yards a carry.

And let’s not forget this: The championship game was played in the UNI-Dome on the fast turf. Saturday night’s performance came in four quarters of snow.

Saturday night’s statistics were unbelievable

Zero Iowa State plays in the red zone, just 35 plays (to Kansas State’s 102) – and still win the game? How about 32 first downs for the Wildcats, and 10 for Iowa State? No Cyclones scoring drive longer than four plays. And the Wildcats having the ball 25 more minutes?

I’d say that’s pretty off-the-charts.

Is Matt Campbell in demand again after this season?

Demand is relative. Whose demand are we talking about − fans or administrators of schools seeking high-quality football coaches?

Houston is open, but that’s not a CMC fit. Same with Mississippi State, Oregon State, Indiana and Syracuse. Throw Texas A&M and Duke in that group, too.

He’s said thanks but no thanks to interest from Florida State and Michigan State. Interest is not to be confused with offers.

I wrote soon after he became the Cyclones coach that the only college jobs I felt Campbell would seriously consider were Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame. Has there been flirtation? Maybe, but there’s a difference between flirting and dating.

You’ll see his name pop up. High-end coaches’ names are click-bait. Social media will link him to multiple jobs during the next month or so. Often, the same alleged expert will have him going somewhere one day, and another place another day.

Potential candidate lists that you see online and in the papers are for entertainment purposes only. Unfortunately some people confuse them with actual lists belonging to athletics directors and the search firms that assist. Never have I seen ADs publicly release their top fives during the process.

This is routine stuff for Campbell. He’s done a good job keeping it from being a distraction. Cyclone fans over the years have learned not to believe everything they read, when something starts with the words “sources are saying ..."

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Peterson: FOX loved Abu Sama's Saturday show for Iowa State football