Tag: kansas state football

By the numbers: How No. 7 Texas compares to No. 23 Kansas State

Can the Longhorns hold off the Wildcats at home this week?

On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff committee released their first rankings of the season, placing Texas at No. 7 and Kansas State at No. 23.

The Longhorns will need help from other teams if they want to make the College Football Playoff, but most importantly, they must take it one game at a time.

What stands in Texas’ way is the Kansas State Wildcats. They are an excellent rushing team, averaging 226 yards per game.

Their rushing attack is led by DJ Giddens and Treshaun Ward, combining for nearly 1,200 yards. Quarterbacks Will Howard and Avery Johnson also have accounted for over 530 rushing yards on the year.

The Wildcat’s defense isn’t a pushover, either. KSU allows 16 points per game and 340 yards per game.

As the No. 7 Texas Longhorns prepare to host the No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, here are the numbers comparing the two teams for the tough conference matchup.

What Texas can learn from Oklahoma State in defending K-State offense

You have to take away the short and intermediate game.

Oklahoma State does not do Texas many favors. It did earlier this season in a matchup against the Longhorns’ next opponent. The Cowboys stunned Kansas State to hand the Wildcats their second loss of the year. In doing so, they provided a blueprint to beating Kansas State.

The Pokes gave the Longhorns some critical schematic clues on how to upend the K-State offense. The most emphatic statement Oklahoma State made comes from its pass defense.

The Cowboys made Kansas State quarterback Will Howard look lost. Howard put up 256 total yards on the day, but 104 of those yards came on the ground. Through the air, the veteran quarterback was ineffective.

Howard completed 15 of 34 passing attempts from 152 yards. He added a touchdown and three interceptions to finish with a QBR of 44.6.

What did Oklahoma State do? Quite simply, they conceded little to nothing within fifteen yards downfield. Oklahoma State flooded potential close range throws with defenders. It clamped down on the short and intermediate game and made Howard beat them. As the stat sheet would indicate, he didn’t win downfield.

The blueprint is clear for Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski: concede nothing up close and make Kansas State beat you through the air. That doesn’t mean you ignore K-State tight end Ben Sinnott and let him free upfield. It does mean you take away easy pitch and catch throws within fifteen yards of the line of scrimmage.

We already noted the Wildcats’ dominant running game. The team ranks No. 5 in the country in rushing yards per contest with an average of 226 yards. Quarterbacks Will Howard and Avery Johnson have combined for over 500 yards rushing this season. It’s a game where Texas can and should play closer to the line of scrimmage and clamp down on the short passing game as well as the run.

There’s an apparent solution to slowing this Kansas State squad. The question is whether or not Pete Kwiatkowski will move from his comfort zone to a more aggressive approach. If he does, we believe Texas can win.

Texas can make the most of its statement opportunity on Saturday when it takes on Kansas State at 11 a.m. CT on Fox.

Everything Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said to the media on Monday

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy is expected to make his second career start against Kansas State this week.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke with the media on Monday following Texas’ 29-point win over BYU. Continue reading “Everything Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said to the media on Monday”

Texas defense gets set to take on the No. 5 rush offense in the nation

Kansas State’s rushing attack could put a strain on the Texas defense.

Buckle up for a tough battle. The Texas defense will have a different than usual test this week. Continue reading “Texas defense gets set to take on the No. 5 rush offense in the nation”

Beat Kansas State: Looking at Texas’ next matchup on the schedule

Can Texas escape Week 10 with a win?

The Kansas State Wildcats are on a tear over the last three weeks. This team is not the same squad that started the season 3-2 with losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State. Continue reading “Beat Kansas State: Looking at Texas’ next matchup on the schedule”

Stopping K-State QB Avery Johnson among keys for Texas this week

Can Texas finally stop the quarterback running game this week?

Avery Johnson is a problem. The Kansas State backup quarterback poses a unique challenge to the Texas defense this week. Continue reading “Stopping K-State QB Avery Johnson among keys for Texas this week”

Contender Edition: Longhorns Wire’s Big 12 Power Rankings for Week 10

We have a new No. 1 this week.

The Big 12 pecking order underwent a seismic shift on Saturday. Several teams updated how they should be perceived this season.

Kansas State had the most dominant performance of the week. Their 41-0 win over Houston should indicate how high their ceiling is as the season closes. That they face Texas as they are peaking this week should be reason for caution for the Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ Week 10 opponent is playing its best football as well. The Oklahoma State Cowboys enter the week red-hot with recent wins over Kansas State and Kansas.

The two matchups could sort out our power rankings moving forward, but will have a greater effect on the conference standings. Five teams in the league have just one conference loss.

Let’s rank power rank legitimate conference contenders.

College Football News predicts the rest of the Texas Longhorns season

College Football News is still high on the Texas Longhorns.

College Football News is still high on the Longhorns. As of Monday, the publication had the Texas Longhorns finishing 11-1 and reaching the Big 12 title game.

Given what is ahead for the Longhorns, the prediction is certainly bold. Texas will be without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers indefinitely after he sustained a shoulder injury against the Houston Cougars. That said, the team still has a chance to win out given what will surround the Longhorns’ backup quarterback.

College Football News predicts the Longhorns avenge their loss to the Oklahoma Sooners to finish 12-1 and win the Big 12 title.

Interestingly enough, the publication had Oklahoma finishing the regular season tied with Texas for the No. 1 spot in the Big 12. According to this prediction, the Sooners would lose to the Kansas Jayhawks and finish 11-1. It’s uncertain how the site expects Kansas to defend Oklahoma this week, but it shows respect to what the Jayhawks have accomplished on offense this year.

Other notable record predictions see Texas Tech going 4-8 and Baylor and TCU finishing 6-6 among teams from the Lone Star State. The standings prediction has Kansas State finishing third at 9-3 with Oklahoma State fourth at 8-4 on the year.

Texas given six-day selection on Kansas State kickoff time

We won’t know the time of the K-State kickoff until after BYU.

The Texas Longhorns (6-1) take on the BYU Cougars (5-2) this week. We know the time for that game. We don’t know the time for next week’s game.

Texas and Kansas State, along with four other Big 12 games, were given a six-day selection for the announced kickoff time. The University of Texas issued the following announcement.

“Kickoff for Texas Football’s Saturday, Nov. 4 home game against Kansas State was announced as a six-day selection by the Big 12 Conference on Monday. The official announcement for network and game time will be made after this weekend’s games have been completed.”

Several games will vie for a premier time slot. One would imagine the final Bedlam game of the foreseeable future between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would receive preferential treatment. It’s unclear where that preferential treatment would slot the two teams.

Texas could see a night game selection, but will have to wait for that to be revealed. The Longhorns take on BYU this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Safety decommits from class of 2024 to join Kansas State

A safety out of Topeka, Kansas, has decommitted from Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class to join Kansas State.

A safety out of Topeka, Kansas, has decommitted from Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class to join Kansas State. Callen Barta is a 6-2 180-pound defensive back who initially committed to the Cornhuskers back in June.

When he making his original announcement to Nebraska, he talked about the program’s culture as the main reason for his commitment.

But what I was really looking for on this visit — they preach culture and brotherhood and family and relationships — and when I went down there, I wanted to see how it was. Let me tell you, it’s full of that. They weren’t lying. I was hanging out with guys and they treat each other like more than football teammates. They treat each other like family and I like that.

Barta’s flip was a quick one as he had only received an offer from Kansas State as late as Oct. 16. His announcement now leaves Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class with 26 recruits.

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