Kansas State vs. Texas Complete Game Preview
Texas and Kansas State meet in Austin on Saturday, trying to get the second half of their seasons off to a good start.
Fresh off meetings with Oklahoma, the Longhorns and Wildcats are trending in opposite directions. The former pulled off one of the season's biggest surprises in the Red River Rivalry, knocking off the then-No. 10 Sooners 24-17.
The win sent Charlie Strong's team into its bye week on a high note and with a reason for optimism. The young Longhorns are finally clicking, and the schedule gets much easier over the year's final six games.
Things didn't go so well for Bill Snyder's team the following week. The Wildcats got the full brunt of the Sooners' frustrations, getting housed 55-0 at home.
At home, Texas should hold at slight edge as the more talented team, but we all know better than to count out Snyder.
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: Noon ET
Location: Royal Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
TV: Fox Sports 1
Line: Texas -3.5, according to Odds Shark
Kansas State Keys to Victory
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Keep Heard Contained
Texas has been at its toughest this season when Jerrod Heard has been able to break loose for big gains on the ground. In his three games with 96 yards or more, the Longhorns have averaged almost 37 points and seven yards per play. In his other two starts, those numbers drop to 17 and 4.3, respectively.
Establish the Run
As we saw against Oklahoma, the Wildcats can't expect Joe Hubener to win a shootout. Once this team fell behind big, Hubener had to play outside of himself to try to get Kansas State back into the game, which predictably led to two interceptions. The Wildcats have to establish ground game to keep pressure off him and minimize what he's asked to do. That'll be easier said than done with the way Texas' defensive line is playing of late.
Put Last Week in the Rear View
Talent is certainly lacking in a down year for the Wildcats, but they can't dwell on what happened last week. It was less than two weeks ago that this team hung with TCU by playing smart and keeping the run game in the script. If the Wildcats can stick to the plan, they should be just fine.
Texas Keys to Victory
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Keep Winning in the Trenches
Texas' win over Oklahoma happened for one reason—the Horns completely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Longhorns ran for 313 yards in the game and sacked Baker Mayfield six times. If they continue to be the aggressors at the point of attack, they'll get this much-needed home win.
Get the Ball Downfield
As SB Nation's Wescott Eberts notes, Coach Snyder is not going to let Texas beat him by throwing 12 passes. He's going to stack the box, spy Heard and force Texas to win over the top. However, that Kansas State secondary can be exploited, and the Longhorns have the playmakers to get a couple of deep shots. Freshman receiver John Burt is a guy to watch here.
Come Out Strong
Coming off a huge win and a bye week, Texas can't afford to play flat out of the tunnel. The Longhorns are establishing an identity as a smashmouth football team, and they have to come out like they're the baddest guys on the field. Any departure from that early plays right into Snyder's hands.
Kansas State Players to Watch
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DT Will Geary
Kansas State's redshirt sophomore has developed much faster than anticipated, quickly becoming a force in the middle of the defense. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman has Geary on his "Freaks" list, and his 5.5 tackles for loss speak to that. He has to come to play against a Texas offensive line that's finding its groove.
QB Joe Hubener
Assuming Hubener keeps his job (no guarantee), he has to step up as a playmaker. Texas is absolutely going to bring pressure after what the Sooners did to Hubener last game, and he'll have to do a much better job of making the right decision. Texas has historically been burned by dual-threats, so expect that to be part of the game plan.
RB Justin Silmon
With Oklahoma getting up big in a hurry, Silmon didn't receive his first carry until the second quarter. Simply put, he's one of the few skill players left on this team who can make a difference. Texas is only allowing 4.02 yards per carry, but the Wildcats can't afford to give up on the run. He'll get early chances, and it's up to him to make the most of them.
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Texas Players to Watch
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DT Poona Ford
We know Hassan Ridgeway and Malik Jefferson are going to be disruptive, as they have been throughout Big 12 play. But Ford was the difference-maker against Oklahoma, taking advantage of the double-teams on Ridgeway to the tune of 1.5 sacks. He'll keep seeing those, which gives him the opportunity to be a weekly difference-maker.
RB D'Onta Foreman
With the bye week in the books, let's see if Foreman gets an expanded role in the offense. He's certainly earned it, turning in back-to-back 100-yard efforts, and his bruising style is a perfect fit for the newfound nastiness up front. He needs 15 to 20 carries in this one.
OL Kent Perkins
Perkins has sat out the Horns' last nine-plus quarters of football and now gets to join a group that dominated in the 24-17 win over Oklahoma. He's a drastic upgrade over both Marcus Hutchins and Tristan Nickelson, which means this offensive line could be just scratching the surface. His return has the potential to be the story of the game.
What They're Saying
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Kansas State
Snyder on his quarterback situation:
"Bill Snyder asked about starting Joe Hubener or Kody Cook next week. "I can't answer the question right now."
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Snyder in an email to Kansas State students following the 55-0 loss to Oklahoma, per Kansas City Star's Kellis Robinett:
"First, let me thank you for caring so very much about our football family of which you are a tremendous part. And, please accept my apology for the manner in which we represented you on Saturday. I know you are pained by the outcome, as I am. I hope that you will appreciate our players for never giving up even in the face of such adversity and the loss of so many of their teammates. I am proud of them and must do a better job of preparing them than I did Saturday. Please know you are greatly appreciated and considered a major part of this football family.
"
Texas
Strong on Kansas State's 55-0 loss to Oklahoma in his press conference:
"They were unlucky with that score on Saturday, and I know that's not who that football team is. It's a very well-coached team, a team that doesn't make many mistakes, and I have a lot of respect for Coach Snyder. I told our team yesterday, the same thing happened to us against TCU, we were able to bounce back and beat Oklahoma, so you've got to be ready for a team that's going to be ready to come and play, a team that's mentally and physically tough.
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Defensive tackle Paul Boyette on the Longhorns finding their identity, from the same source:
"It helped us find out what we can do, really, because we worked our behinds off in preseason camp, and moving forward, it's just really a stepping-stone, just letting the nation know that we do have an outstanding front on both sides, just moving forward, and we can go out there and impact the game on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
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Prediction
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This one is going to be close.
Texas is clearly the more talented team in this one. The Horns have identified their quarterback in Jerrod Heard and are coming off one of their most complete performances of the Strong era.
The bye also came at a great time for the Horns. The extra week gives the defensive coaches time to further integrate their star freshmen into the mix, while Jay Norvell and Jeff Traylor got some much-needed time to cultivate their offense.
As for the Wildcats, there's just not a lot to love on paper. There's nothing this offense does particularly well, which is putting a fairly talented defense in terrible spots. If Texas can get it going on the ground again, the Horns will pound the Wildcats into the turf.
But this is also Snyder, who has proved you can never count him out against Texas. He's only lost to the Horns once since 2003, and it's almost unfathomable that he would let his team look bad two weeks in a row.
However, the last time Texas did beat the Wildcats, it was at home in 2013 when it could lean on the run. Right now, you have to like what Texas can do up front, especially with Perkins back in the fold.
Texas 28, Kansas State 24
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com and KStateSports.com.
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