It’s third down and ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace drops back to pass. The defense recognizes this and blankets the Cyclone receivers.

As the pocket collapses on him, it’s up to Wallace to decide if he needs to run or throw the ball.

When it comes down to it, the Cyclones are in good hands. Wallace is the versatile Cyclone signal-caller who might be the best-kept secret in the nation. And Iowa State knows it, converting third downs 51 percent of the time; that’s 45 out of 88 on average.

Wallace, himself, ups his performance on the third. He completes 66 percent of his passes, 31 of 47, for 379 yards.

When Wallace tucks the ball and runs, of the 19 times he’s done it, he’s averaged 7.0 yards per carry.

Iowa State is 23-47 on third down when Wallace passes and 11-19 when he runs.

“For our system, he’s the perfect quarterback,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said. “For what we want of our quarterbacks and what we ask them to do . he’s exactly what we’re looking for.”

All this, and Wallace has only played six Division I games, leading Iowa State to a 5-1 record over that span and possibly on its way to a second straight bowl bid.

“As far as arm strength, accuracy and being able to beat you with his feet and making good decisions . it’s just a matter of now continuing to do it over time if you want to become one of the best,” McCarney explained. “He’s off to a good start, but we’re measured in time and lots of games, not just a few.”

His overall stats in those games aren’t too bad either: 84 for 133 with four interceptions, five touchdowns, 1,035 yards and 172.5 passing yards per game. He also runs for 62.5 yards per game.

Wallace and the Cyclones are second in the Big 12 Conference on third-down conversion percentage, behind Texas (52 percent).

Wallace’s ability to scramble has been amazing at times. Against Oklahoma State, when the Cyclones racked up over 40 minutes of possession time, Wallace kept drives alive with his feet.

Juke left, run right, a missed tackle here and a missed tackle there, and the speedy Wallace picks up the first down.

ISU lineman Bob Montgomery said the running barely phases Wallace.

“He breathes hard for a couple of seconds,” Montgomery said, then it’s back to normal.

What can a lineman say to a quarterback that helps keep the drive going?

“Good job, thanks,” Montgomery said with a laugh.

What does the quarterback say?

“If I have to run [on third down], I’ll try my best to get [the first down],” Wallace said modestly. “If the play is there and Ennis [Haywood] or one of our receivers get it, even better.”

Even more noticeable in the young quarterback’s repertoire is his ability to learn from his mistakes.

On Oct. 6 against Nebraska, Wallace threw two interceptions in the first half as Nebraska jumped to a 41-0 lead. Wallace turned around in the second half and helped Iowa State at least get on the board in the 48-14 Cornhusker win.

“You learn from your experiences,” Wallace said. “You don’t want to go out and make the same mistakes you did at Nebraska or any other place.”

Opposing Big 12 coaches are started to learn why Wallace can change a game plan.

When asked what he was going to try to do against Iowa State, Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum responded: “That is a hard choice, because they are truly a balanced offensive team. We gave up a lot of rushing yards in the last two weeks so it will be a tough decision how we play [Iowa State] defensively.”

Who does Slocum give a lot of that credit to?

“I saw a stat the other day that said they completed over 50 percent of their third downs and a lot of that goes to (Seneca Wallace).”

Converting on third downs and learning from past mistakes will be a huge factor if the Cyclones hope to upset No. 24 Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday.

It would be another page in Cyclone history and another step toward Wallace becoming one of the best.

“I think we all thought we could have a real special player here.” McCarney said, “He’s done it so fast, but he knows there are just so many great defenses now we’re going to really find out, and A&M is one of those.”