Texas vs. Kansas State Complete Game Preview

The Texas Longhorns will hit the road to face No. 11 Kansas State in a stadium that has not been good to the Longhorns in recent history.

Manhattan, Kansas, is Kryptonite to Texas football. The Longhorns have not won a game in Manhattan since 2002. Kansas State is the only Big 12 team to hold a winning series record over Texas, and the Longhorns have only won one game in Manhattan in program history.

Can Texas end its losing streak in Manhattan? Let's take a look.

When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 12 p.m. ET

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas

TV: ESPN

Austin radio: KVET 98.1/1300

SiriusXM satellite radio: XM 202; Sirius 117; Internet 969; Spanish 550

Last meeting: Sept. 21, 2013, Austin, Texas

Last meeting outcome: Texas 31, Kansas State 21

Opening spread: Kansas State (-13), via OddsShark.com

Texas Keys to Victory

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Defense: Bounce Back from Iowa State Performance

Texas may have beaten Iowa State, but it was not all positive for the Longhorns. The defense took a step back in the win and gave up more than 500 yards of total offense and 45 points.

But head coach Charlie Strong believes the issues the defense showed against the Cyclones are very correctable.

"It was nothing they did that is not correctable. It's all about fundamentals, technique and alignment. It's all about gap integrity and them making throws that never should have been made but guys were dropping in the right spots," Strong said Monday. "But what we did is very correctable."

The Longhorns have to have a short memory and be prepared to take on the Wildcats' potent offense.

Offense: Keep Up the Momentum

Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and the Texas offense have showed significant progress over the previous two weeks and need to continue the progress against Kansas State.

The Longhorns put up a season-high 48 points last week against Iowa State. Swoopes led the team to a late fourth-quarter victory to give Texas its third win of the year.

But Swoopes and the Longhorns have a tough challenge ahead. Kansas State ranks No. 39 in total defense and No. 10 in rushing defense. Texas will need to get off to a fast start and put up early points to continue to build momentum on offense.

Kansas State Keys to Victory

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Offense: Utilize Jake Waters' dual-threat talent

The Longhorns have not faced many dual-threat quarterbacks this season, but the last one they saw was BYU's Taysom Hill, who finished the game with 99 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Waters currently leads the Wildcats with 371 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. But running the ball is not his only strength. 

Waters ranks No. 23 in individual total offense and poses a threat with his arm and his legs. 

Defense: Hit Tyrone Swoopes Early and Often

Swoopes is coming off two of his best performances of his career. The sophomore looks to be taking steps forward in each game and can cause disruption to opposing defenses.

But he's still very inexperienced and makes some mistakes that remind Texas fans of that inexperience.

The Wildcats defense needs to rattle Swoopes early. Following the Longhorns' loss to Baylor, Swoopes admitted he was off his game because he got hit a little bit. He's showed progress against the next two opponents, but his admittance needs to be remembered by Kansas State.

Hitting him early doesn't guarantee a win, but it also wouldn't hurt the Wildcats.

Texas Players to Watch

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Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes

It's too early to say Swoopes has the "it" factor the Longhorns have been missing since Colt McCoy in 2009, but the sophomore has absolutely showed signs of "it" over the last two weeks.

Swoopes has a cannon for an arm, and his accuracy appears to be increasing with each start. He's not the fastest guy on the team, but he is a load to tackle.

If Swoopes can continue to develop into a dual-threat quarterback, the future looks bright for the Longhorns offense.

Wide Receiver John Harris

Fifth-year senior John Harris has developed into one of the most clutch wideouts for the Longhorns in his final season. Harris spent his first four seasons either injured or overlooked for younger players, which caused him to contemplate not returning to the team for his final year of eligibility.

But wide receivers coach Les Koenning convinced Harris to give the new staff a chance, and it has worked out well for both parties.

Harris leads the receivers with six touchdowns and 607 yards. He has slowly turned into Swoopes' go-to guy and is a player to watch each week.

Kansas State Players to Watch

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Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett

K-State wide receiver Tyler Lockett is one of the most lethal weapons on the Wildcats offense. The senior is averaging 80 yards per game and leads the receivers with four touchdowns.

Lockett is one of the more consistent players on the offense and poses a threat to opponents' defenses every week.

Quarterback Jake Waters

Waters is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the Big 12. He has completed 65 percent of his passes and knows how to gain yards on the ground. 

But one of the most important facts about Waters is he does not make many mental mistakes. He has only thrown three interceptions all season.

When Waters has the ball, it's almost always followed by a positive play. 

What They're Saying

LM Otero/Associated Press

Texas Head Coach Charlie Strong on Bill Snyder

"I have always had tremendous respect for him. When he went to Kansas State, I think they had only been to one bowl game before he had gotten there, and not they've been to like 15, but that's the job he's done. When I took over the program at Louisville I called him because that's the type of program I wanted to run. It's a balanced attack, it's nothing fancy, they just line up and play with good fundamentals and technique. ... It's a disciplined team that plays within themselves, and that's what you really like about them and respect them so much."

Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder on Texas' Offense and Defense

"Defensively, they've played extremely well against good offensive football teams. They held the University of Oklahoma to 28 yards or something and eight yards rushing in the first half of the game. You've got to be pretty good to do something like that. The offense has the capacity to be rather prolific. The quarterback is playing extremely well and I think everybody is impressed with the improvement he's made. Against two pretty good defensive football teams they've garnered over 1,000 yards in the last two ball games. There aren't any doubts that they have the capacity to move the ball. They're a pretty complete team."

Texas Defensive Back Quandre Diggs on Jake Waters

"Right now he's playing like he's one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. We have a number of great quarterbacks in this conference, and he's doing some great things. He has two tremendous weapons out there with Lockett and (Curry) Sexton and those guys, they go out and compete each and every game. That'll be fun, and it's just another opportunity to go out and play against a great quarterback that you usually see in the Big 12 each and every week."

Prediction

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Texas has not won a game in Manhattan, Kansas, in 11 years. And the losing streak will more than likely continue after Saturday.

The Wildcats have showed the ability to be a Top 10 team. There's a good chance Kansas State would be undefeated if it weren't for a few special teams mistakes against Auburn.

Texas has struggled to put together a complete game plan so far this season. When the defense has played well, the offense has struggled to score points. When the offense stepped up to the challenge against Iowa State, the defense allowed 45 points.

The only way the Longhorns will beat the Wildcats is if the team can put together a complete game. But since that task has yet to be done all year, it's difficult to believe Texas can do it on the road against No. 11 Kansas State.

Kansas State 31, Texas 21

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. All quotes were obtained firsthand. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.