Three-minute preview: Kansas State football vs. Florida Atlantic
When/where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
TV/radio: Fox Sports KC; WHB (810 AM)
The series: Kansas State leads 1-0
The line: Kansas State by 23 points
What’s at stake
Both teams need a victory. K-State is trying to win its first game of the season and impress fans in its home opener. Florida Atlantic is trying to beat a power-conference team for the first time under coach Charlie Partridge.
Cheers if ...
Jesse Ertz and Byron Pringle connect for a touchdown pass. Ertz targeted Pringle 10 times against Stanford and failed to connect a single time.
Jeers if ...
The Wildcats fail to produce a 100-yard runner. Florida Atlantic allowed two Miami runners to eclipse the century mark last week.
Kellis Robinett’s pick: K-State 45-14
The Wildcats should have no problem in this one. Expect the offense to look much improved from the Stanford loss. With the defense also flexing its muscles, K-State should win handily.
Three things about Florida Atlantic
1 Kalib Woods is capable of making big plays against K-State’s defense. The junior receiver had 121 yards against Miami last week.
2 The Owls can punt the ball a long way. Dalton Schomp led the nation in yards per punt last season, averaging 48 yards.
3 Florida Atlantic quarterback Jason Driskel, who is averaging 227 passing yards, might sound and look familiar to K-State fans. His brother, Jeff, played quarterback at Louisiana Tech last season. K-State beat the Bulldogs in triple overtime.
Key matchup
K-State’s backfield vs. Florida Atlantic’s front seven: The Wildcats haven’t had a big day on the ground in ages. They need to change that against one of the softest run defenses they will see this season.
2016 K-State football schedule
Note: All times Central. Home games in CAPS at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. TV key: FSKC (Fox Sports Kansas City), KSU (Internet stream at K-StateHD.tv)
| Date | Opponent | Result/time | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2 | at Stanford | L, 26-13 | 0-1 |
| Sept. 17 | FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 1:30 p.m. | FSKC |
| Sept. 24 | MISSOURI STATE | 6:10 p.m. | KSU |
| Oct. 1 | at West Virginia | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 8 | TEXAS TECH | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 15 | at Oklahoma | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 22 | TEXAS | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 29 | at Iowa State | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 5 | OKLAHOMA STATE | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 19 | at Baylor | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 26 | KANSAS | TBA | TBA |
| Dec. 3 | at TCU | TBA | TBA |
Kellis Robinett: @KellisRobinett
This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Kansas State football vs. Florida Atlantic."