Five storylines for Kansas State’s important Big 12 football game against Texas
Kansas State’s final trip to Austin for a conference game against Texas will have Big 12 championship implications.
The winner of Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will become one of the favorites in the league title race.
The Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) can validate their current winning streak by beating a top 10 team on the road. The Longhorns (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) can cement their status as a league heavyweight by holding serve at home.
It’s even possible that this game will serve as a preview for the Big 12 championship, with both teams meeting again in December at AT&T Stadium.
If you like high stakes, this matchup has them in spades.
Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.
Kansas State at Texas: Game details
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
TV: FOX
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: Texas by 4 with an O/U of 51.5
Five things to know
1. K-State will play yet another backup quarterback on Saturday. Much like TCU last season, K-State will face many more backup quarterbacks than usual during Big 12 play this year. The Wildcats have already avoided John Rhys Plumlee (UCF), Tyler Shough (Texas Tech) and Chandler Morris (TCU). Now they most likely get to defend Maalik Murphy instead of Quinn Ewers, who is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury. Murphy should still provide a strong test for the Wildcats, though. He is more talented than most quarterbacks. He also threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns during a win over BYU last week.
2. Will Howard has quieted the quarterback debate at K-State. Two weeks ago, some fans were ready to hand the keys to the K-State offense over to freshman Avery Johnson after he ran for a school record five touchdowns against Texas Tech. But Howard has brought stability to the huddle since then by playing two excellent games. The veteran passer threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns against TCU, then he threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns against Houston. Best of all, he hasn’t thrown an interception in three straight games. Expect Johnson to play here and there, but Howard will be the main quarterback moving forward.
3. Texas has owned K-State lately. No one has beaten the Wildcats more consistently than the Longhorns in recent years. Texas has won six straight in this series and has not lost to K-State since 2016. For whatever reason, Texas and its roster of highly touted recruits has been a bad matchup for K-State and head coach Chris Klieman.
4. The Longhorns have the best run defense in the Big 12. Texas is only allowing 3.2 yards per rush this season, which is by far the best number in the conference. That will make for an interesting matchup against K-State, which leads the league in rushing at 5.6 yards per attempt behind the legs of DJ Giddens and Treshaun Ward. The K-State defense has also been on fire of late, as it held both TCU and Houston without a touchdown over the past two weeks.
5. K-State will need to keep an eye on two key Texas players. The Longhorns usually turn to one of two players when they need a big gain on offense. Running back Jonathon Brooks ranks second in the Big 12 with 923 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. And though his statistics aren’t overly impressive (44 catches for 572 yards and four touchdowns) Xavier Worthy is one of the most talented receivers in the country. He returned a punt for a touchdown against BYU.
