Introduction
Texas Tech enters Saturday’s road game against Kansas State eager to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite. It’s ironic that the first Big 12 game was played between these two teams in 1996, a game Kansas State won 21-14. This time, however, Texas Tech is undoubtedly the superior team.
Mike Leach and his staff have worked tirelessly over the last eight years to prove that Texas Tech is more than just a fun team to watch. The talent level at Texas Tech has increased each year, and expectations have risen even more rapidly.
Manhattan, Kan., is a tough place to play, and the Tech coaching staff realizes that. Tech’s only win at K-State came in 2004 when Danny Amendola returned a punt for a score and DE Adell Duckett intercepted a screen pass for another score. 35-25 was the final in that game.
Kansas State Passing
Kansas State will lean heavily upon the arm and athletic ability of starting QB Josh Freeman. For the season Freeman has completed 77-of-115 passes (67 percent) for 1,105 yards with 11 TDs and 2 INTs.
In addition, Freeman has not been sacked this season. Sophomore Carson Coffman is the backup and has completed 10-of-20 passes on the year for 90 yards and one INT.
Freeman can also give defensive coordinators nightmares with his running ability. He has run 22 times for 113 yards and his six rushing TDs easily leads the Wildcats, since no other runner has more than a single trip to the end zone on the season.
Kansas State Rushing
In fact, Kansas State’s running game has been so unimpressive that they trotted out former WR Lamark Brown at RB last week. The results were good—Brown finished the game with 30 carries for 125 yards (4.2 per carry) and one score.
The bad news is that those rushing totals came against Louisiana-Lafayette, a team not exactly known for its imposing rush defense. Look for Brown to get the bulk of carries at RB this week.
Keithen Valentine has tallied 31 carries on the season for 118 yards (3.8 per carry) with one score, and Logan Dold has 18 rushes for 82 yards (4.6 per carry) and one score also.
Justin Woods’ 19 carries for 63 yards (3.3 per carry) and one TD finish K-State’s scoring on the ground. However, WR Deon Murphy had one rush for 44 yards. The Texas Tech defense will have to keep their eyes on him.
Kansas State Receiving
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