Three-minute preview: Texas at Kansas State football

When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.

TV/radio: ESPN2; WHB (810 AM)

The series: K-State leads 9-7

The line: K-State by 2  1/2

What’s at stake

This is a big game for both teams. Kansas State and Texas both enter with 3-3 records. The winner will be in a good spot to obtain bowl eligibility and a winning season. The loser will be in a hole.

Cheers if ...

K-State’s defense gets back to playing the way it did against West Virginia and its nonconference opponents, stopping the run and making opportune plays against the pass.

Jeers if ...

The Wildcats fail to establish their running game. They failed to rush for 120 or more yards in their three losses. In their wins, rushing production has been much higher.

Kellis Robinett’s pick: K-State 27-24

Kansas State is 3-0 at home. Texas is 0-3 away from home and hasn’t won in Manhattan since 2002. Snyder Family Stadium gives the Wildcats a slight edge in an otherwise even matchup.

Three things about Texas

1 The Longhorns have struggled so badly on defense that Charlie Strong took over defensive coordinator duties after four games. But Texas may have turned a corner last week against Iowa State, holding the Cyclones to six points.

2 Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele is off to a promising start. In six games, he has thrown for 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns.

3 Strong, 14-17 in his third season, might need a strong finish to keep his job.

Key matchup

Jesse Ertz vs. Texas’ secondary: K-State has failed to take advantage of suspect secondaries in its past two games, totaling 329 passing yards against Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The Longhorns are giving up 278.5 yards through the air. The Wildcats have to exploit that weakness this week, which means Ertz will need to connect on some deep throws.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Texas at Kansas State football."