If the ISU football team goes 13-0 in the 2002 regular season, wins the Big 12 Championship game and is victorious at a bowl, go ahead and give the Heisman Trophy to Seneca Wallace.

“He’d have a real good shot,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said at Tuesday’s annual spring press conference.

Until that happens, McCarney would rather not talk about it, even though Wallace, who had 2,519 yards of total offense last season, is appearing on Heisman lists around the country.

“I don’t even want to get into it to be honest with you,” he said. “We’ve already been through that here. We went through it and had all kinds of heartache and felt horrible for Troy Davis.”

Davis, a former Cyclone tailback, was invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York twice, in 1995 and 1996. He never won, finishing fifth and second, despite being the first in NCAA Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

“My focus is winning football games,” McCarney said. “All that other stuff will come at the end of the year.”

Wallace, too, shies away from the Heisman glare whenever possible. Still, a slight grin reached his lips when he was confronted with the question: `What about this Heisman stuff?’

“It’s nothing, you still have to go out there and play and win games,” Wallace said, quickly recoiling his smile. “It’s fun to mention it, you know, but when it’s game time, I’ll put it behind me.”

It’s behind Wallace, in the ISU backfield, where the hottest battle of the spring is taking place – All-Big 12 first-teamer Ennis Haywood’s replacement at tailback.

When the depth chart was released, junior Hiawatha Rutland held the first spot. Fellow juniors Michael Wagner and JaMaine Billups rounded out the other two spots.

While McCarney says that Rutland has only “a slight edge” now, whoever ends up in the position will be under the spotlight.

Iowa State has had a runner rush for 1,000 yards in each of the last seven seasons. Only Wisconsin (8) has a longer streak.

“I don’t look at it as pressure, I look at it as an opportunity,” Rutland said. “Sure whoever gets the job wants to go out and rush for 1,000 yards or they wouldn’t get the job.

“I’d like to think that whoever we put back there should feel like they have a 1,000 yards in him.”

Wagner, who set a Cyclone freshman record with 170 yards in a victory at Oklahoma State in 2000, will be there to put the pressure on.

“Out of any other running backs, I’m the only one that has played,” Wagner said when asked what advantages he could bring to the team. “If there was any type of edge, that would be it. But it’s only one game and not 13 games.”

All of the backs involved have made sure to keep this a friendly rivalry.

“We’re good friends. I think the competition is friendly and that helps. You don’t have to feel like `This guy isn’t going to like me because I’m in front of him’ or `This guy’s going to hate me because he’s behind me,'” Rutland said.

And of course they can always rely on the swift-footed Wallace to gain some rushing yards.

“If I don’t get 1,000 Seneca will get 1,000 or 2,000,” Rutland said with a laugh.

Wallace won’t be able to help the kicking game which has been another tight race in spring practice.

Tony Yelk who was field goal kicker and punter last season, will be punting only for the first (red) team in Saturday’s spring game.

Junior Adam Benike will pick-up the first team field goal kicking duties.

“He’s just been more consistent,” McCarney said of Benike. “When we tried to put him into game situations in practice, he wasn’t very consistent last year and that’s why Tony was our guy.”

Yelk, who was a freshman All-American as a punter, struggled as a place kicker, hitting only eight of his 18 attempts.

“[Benike’s] really emerged and his leg’s a little stronger,” McCarney said. “Tony’s still got a stronger leg and if we need a real long field goal to win a game tomorrow, I’d still kick Tony.”

McCarney will have a lot of tough decisions ahead as many positions have multiple stars.

Matt Word and Chris Whitaker are battling for a single linebacker spot.

Atif Austin, who has seen action all three of his seasons at Iowa State is on the outside looking in as far as the secondary goes.

That is a group that McCarney is especially proud of. Cornerbacks Harold Clewis and Ellis Hobbs combine with free safety Marc Timmons and strong safety Anthony Forrest to make up what might be the best secondary in ISU history.

Both Austin and Word are injured and will miss the spring game scheduled to start Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Linebacker Jeremy Loyd will also miss the game but all will be ready for action come the regular season.

With Florida State waiting for the Aug. 24 season opener, the team will have to be ready.

Then again, so will Florida State.

Seminole head coach Bobby Bowden took notice of Wallace and the Cyclones in their 14-13 loss to Alabama in the MainStay Independence Bowl.

Bowden told McCarney at a banquet that he was a little bit worried about the Cyclones’ versatile quarterback.

“He said `Thanks a lot I won’t sleep very good this summer,’ ” McCarney said. “I don’t know if I believe all that. I think coach Bowden will sleep OK.”

Then McCarney quickly went back to trying to put down the hype, avoiding the preseason award talk. Instead, his message to his team was simple: “Win games and there’s enough honors for everybody.”