The lone Cyclone

QB Wallace is working his magic for Iowa State

In his 1 1/2 seasons at Iowa State, senior quarterback Seneca Wallace has emerged from anonymity into the national spotlight, bringing his teammates along for the ride. Wallace has made plays with his feet that have left opposing players groping for air. He has completed passes on the run that have left opposing coaches groping for adjectives with which to praise him.

Take Iowa State's 36-31 defeat of Iowa on Sept. 14. On third-and-11 from his own 5, Wallace sprinted toward the left sideline, then threw across his body to the middle of the field for a 29-yard completion. "Our man on the receiver let up a little," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said after he watched the game video, "because most mortals couldn't make that throw."

You have to be spectacular when you have your own school-sponsored Web site, gosenecago.com, which also serves as the mouthpiece for your Heisman Trophy campaign. However, what made Wallace's performance in leading Iowa State to a 36-14 rout of Nebraska last Saturday so impressive was the absence of flash. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, all with a minimum of scrambling. He rushed seven times for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Great numbers, yes, but the Cyclones so controlled the line of scrimmage that the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Wallace never had to take over the game. In coach Dan McCarney's previous seven games against the 'Huskers, Iowa State lost by an average -- an average -- of 40 points. "They could have brought their B or C games in past years and buried us," McCarney said. "It was really a mismatch physically. It was never fun. I was embarrassed for myself and my players. It's like the Iowa-Iowa State series before we turned that around [the Cyclones, after losing 15 in a row to the Hawkeyes, have won five straight]. You've got to have a team with courage and resolve."

Wallace turned on the juice only twice Saturday. When Nebraska linebacker Scott Shanle performed his assignment and prevented Wallace from sprinting out to the left, Wallace reversed field, cut up into the line and broke right for a 30-yard gain. He also scored Iowa State's final touchdown on a 7-yard run around right end. One moment, Shanle had an angle to cut Wallace down. The next moment, Shanle was diving through the air and not touching Wallace, who raced through the end zone with his arms above his head. "All you've got to do is look at what they accomplished when he wasn't here," Shanle said. "They designed their offense for their best player. They get him out on the corner where he can run it and he is as good on the run at putting the ball on the money as anybody I've ever seen."

Wallace may not be big enough to play quarterback in the NFL, and he has had to stack one stuntman performance after another just to get into contention for the Heisman. Last Saturday, when he slayed the 'Huskers dragon, the media wrote about the corpse. Wallace and the Cyclones have a gauntlet of tough road games to run in the weeks ahead. As long as Iowa State keeps winning, Wallace will get more publicity than he ever dreamed.

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