This Saturday’s football game against No. 14 Oklahoma will be a battle of the best.

Iowa State tailback Troy Davis is leading the nation in rushing with an average of 6.9 yards for every attempt. The Sooners lead the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 1.6 yards per carry.

At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Head Football Coach Dan McCarney said Davis and the rest of ISU’s running backs won’t come to Cyclone Stadium hiding.

“We have to be able to try and establish a running game,” McCarney said. “It’s going to be very, very hard to do because they get off the blocks as good as anybody I’ve coached against.”

The leader of that potent Sooner defense is senior defensive end Cedric Jones. Jones has nine sacks already this year and has accumulated just under 30 in his career.

Cyclone offensive tackle Tim Kohn will be lined up against Jones on Saturday, but the Sooners will probably send Jones from many different spots on the defensive line, McCarney said.

“Tim’s going to have a real heavy responsibility trying to slow him down Saturday,” McCarney said.

Kohn said he is ready for the challenge of protecting Cyclone quarterback Todd Doxzon from Jones.

“I just want to keep him off Doxzon,” Kohn said. “I don’t want him to hurt Doxzon; I don’t want him to hurt Troy [Davis]; I don’t want him to get in there at all.”

McCarney said Doxzon will be able to play against the Sooners, but he is not at 100 percent. Doxzon reinjured his sprained ankle during the Cyclones’ last game against UNLV.

“He’s probably had more treatments than anybody in the history of college football since the UNLV game,” McCarney said. “We feel good about getting him back for the game this week, and he’s ready to go.”

Doxzon has been in for treatments on his ankle at least four times a day for the last two weeks.

“It’s been hell,” Doxzon said. “I’m looking forward to the day when I don’t have to see that room again.”

The Cyclones have a chance to make the record books against the Sooners. Davis needs only 88 yards on Saturday to be the first sophomore in collegiate history to break the 1,000 yard mark in the first five games.

But McCarney said Davis isn’t thinking about records — he wants to win the game.

“Everyday I see Troy and I talk to him a lot, and the most important thing to him is to win this football game,” McCarney said. “That’s not me coaching Troy Davis, that’s coming from Troy.”

The offensive line sees the possibility of Davis’ record as a challenge for them on Saturday.

“We’re going to try to get Troy at least his 88 yards — that’s a big goal for us,” Kohn said.