Troy football has made quite a bit of history during Jon Sumrall’s short tenure as head coach, but the Trojans will be trying to do something Saturday they’ve never done.

Troy (1-0) is at No. 15 Kansas State (1-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday in a game to be televised live by Fox Sports 1. The Trojans are 3-28 all-time against ranked FBS teams, and have never beaten a Top 20 team on the road.

“The crowd noise will be one part that we haven’t dealt with,” Troy coach Jon Sumrall said. “They’re big, they’re substantially larger than we are and we’ve got to hold up against their size, maybe use some of our athletic ability to help us out because I do think we’re quick.

“And we’ve just got to travel the right way. We’ve got a younger team. I like our talent, but we’re a very young, unproven team. So just getting those guys to travel like pros and handle it with maturity is a big thing.”

As with last week’s 48-30 win over FCS opponent Stephen F. Austin, Troy’s game with Kansas State is a matchup of reigning conference champions. The Wildcats won the Big 12 title a year ago, and started this season with a 45-0 drubbing of Southeast Missouri State (also an FCS program).

Will Howard threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas State in that game, while DJ Giddens ran for 128 yards. The Wildcats limited the Redhawks to just six rushing yards.

“Any time you get a chance to go up against one of the best offenses in the country, it’s always great,” Troy linebacker Jayden McDonald said. “We’re up for the challenge. They’ve got guys over there that can make plays and I think we do as well. When you get a challenge like that, there’s nothing you can do but accept it. I think our guys are ready.”

Defending Sun Belt Conference champion Troy was not nearly as dominant in its game against Stephen F. Austin, jumping out to an early 24-3 lead before back-to-back fumbles allowed the Lumberjacks to get back into the game. The Trojans led just 24-20 before taking control of the game with 17 straight points in the third and fourth quarters.

Kimani Vidal set a school record with 248 rushing yards, including runs of 59, 55 and 43 yards (he also had a 44-yard reception). The junior from Marietta, Ga., is on quite a heater of late, having rushed for 200-plus yards in three of five games dating to last season.

“Kimani is very talented, very gifted,” Sumrall said. “He’s like 5(-foot-)8, but 212, 215 pounds, very compact, well-built, has great top-end speed. And he outworks everybody I’ve ever been around. … His preparation is elite.

“He started last year a little bit limited with an ankle injury the first four or five weeks, so he didn’t really appear like he thought he could be. But you go back to the end of last season and the start of this season, he’s playing at a high level. I’m not surprised by that, because he’s an extremely hard worker and one of the best people on our team.”

Though the win over Stephen F. Austin was sloppy at times, Troy still managed to record its 11th straight victory. The Trojans have not lost since a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass by Appalachian State dealt them a 32-28 defeat last Sept. 17.

Kansas State last year recorded its first double-digit win season since 2012, beating TCU in the Big 12 championship game before falling to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Wildcats lost twice at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan last year, falling to Tulane 17-10 in Week 3 and to Texas 34-27 in early November.

“I played twice at Kansas State, my freshman year and last year,” said Troy center Eli Russ, who transferred in from Oklahoma State prior to this season. “And last year, we didn’t do very good. Hopefully this time’s a little bit different.

“It’s a loud crowd, they sell out almost every game. The student section is right next to you, the band is right next to you. They heckle you the whole game. They’re going to be right on top of us, but I think we’ll be ready.”

All-Sun Belt defensive end T.J. Jackson, who was suspended during the offseason but has been practicing with the team, did not appear on Troy’s publicly released depth chart for the second straight week. Sumrall said Monday that Jackson’s availability for Kansas State would be a game-time decision.

Troy’s all-time wins over ranked teams