In four previous games against ranked teams, Troy State has yet to win, but despite that, the Trojans are going into Saturday’s game at No. 21 Iowa State ready to prove something.

“I feel like we’re ready to play, and I just hope that we can cope with [Iowa State’s] ability,” Troy State head coach Larry Blakeney said. “I think we’ll have a good scheme, and we’ve got a chance if we go and play great.”

Blakeney said his team is confident they can give Iowa State a tough game and possibly come away with the win.

“Sooner or later, the chemistry, the efficiency, the performance level and the effort all comes together,” he said. “And if it all comes together at one time, when it does come together, you’ve got a chance to beat somebody, no matter who it is.”

Troy State may be hoping to catch Iowa State off guard, following the Cyclones big come-from-behind win over Iowa last weekend.

Iowa State was down 24-7, but came out after halftime and scored 29 unanswered points to come away with a 36-31 win.

“We are sort of the sandwich meat between Iowa, their big-time, in-state rival and Nebraska, who they want to beat probably as much as they want to beat anybody,” Blakeney said.

For Troy State to come away with the win, the Trojans are well aware they’ll have to stop, or at least slow down, ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace.

The Cyclone co-captain has already passed for 1,138 yards this season and leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency at 159.64.

“He is a very elusive quarterback, but we feel as if we have played against some very elusive quarterbacks in the past in Eric Crouch and Jammal Lord,” senior defensive lineman Davern Williams said of Wallace. “I think it is going to be a tough task, but our defense is going to be able to step up and take control of the game.”

Blakeney said it may not be that easy.

“He looks to throw the ball, he looks to execute the play, he doesn’t panic and he doesn’t have nervous feet in the pocket,” he said. “He can play quarterback with anybody in the country, but when things go bad, he’s got tremendous athletic ability to help him get out of trouble and make a good play out of a bad play.”

Troy State defensive coordinator Wayne Bolt agreed.

“He is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he is what they say he is,” Bolt said. “The things we talked about in our staff meetings for the past couple of days are that he has the arm of a Steve McNair, with the quickness of a scatback. He is very hard to defend, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Although Wallace is the main concern of Bolt and his defense, the coach is also concerned with the rest of the Cyclone offense.

“He has three excellent receivers that he will throw it to,” Bolt said. “And they have two excellent running backs that they will run the football with.”

Bolt said the key to the game will be turnovers.

“The most impressive thing to me about [Iowa State] is that in four games, they have had two fumbles and lost only one,” he said. “Seneca has thrown four interceptions, and out of those four, two of them were great plays by the defense. They are very proficient in not turning the ball over.

“We’ve got to create turnovers for our offense and put them in a position where they have a short field.”

Troy State offensive coordinator John Shannon said although the ISU defense doesn’t have a “marquee player like the offense does with the quarterback,” the defense is “real good.”

“Up front they are good,” Shannon said. “Their linebackers are big and strong and they’ve got about three safeties that they rotate, and they are all playmakers. Their corners are good, fast and don’t take many chances.

“They are productive defensively, and we are going to have to work hard to move the ball and score points like we need to.”

And if all that happens and Troy State is able to cause some ISU turnovers, Blakeney said the Trojans should be able to play with the ranked team – although there are a few things that worry him.

“Iowa State is no joke at all. They probably should have beaten Florida State and have won every game since,” he said. “They are very much a proven, explosive, second-half football team. They are obviously in great condition and they are a very, very good football program.

“They have lots of wins in their future, especially with Seneca Wallace as their quarterback.”