Three-minute preview: K-State football at Baylor
When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas
TV/radio: ESPN2; WHB (810 AM)
The series: K-State leads 7-6
The line: K-State by 2
What’s at stake
K-State is trying to achieve bowl eligibility with a sixth win. Baylor is trying to salvage a once promising season.
Cheers if …
The Wildcats make Baylor quarterback Zach Smith look like a first-time starter.
Jeers if …
Baylor takes an early lead. The last thing K-State wants to do is give the Bears hope for the first time in weeks.
Kellis Robinett’s pick: K-State, 34-28
K-State gets Baylor at the perfect time. The Bears are in a tailspin, having lost three in a row, and it seems unlikely a freshman quarterback can right the ship. This is a game the Wildcats should win.
Three things about Baylor
1 Baylor has two of the Big 12’s best running backs in Terence Williams and Shock Linwood. They have combined for 1,302 yards and 10 touchdowns. Linwood missed Baylor’s last game at Oklahoma following a sideline altercation with a graduate assistant, but he will suit up on Saturday.
2 Freshman quarterback Zach Smith will make his first start against K-State following Seth Russell’s season-ending ankle injury. Smith has completed 16 of 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns this season.
3 The Bears have been difficult to beat in their new stadium. Baylor has gone 14-3 at McLane Stadium, a $266 million structure built in 2014, with an average margin of victory of 23.1 points.
Key matchup
K-State’s front seven vs. Baylor’s running backs: The defensive game plan should be simple for the Wildcats: Stop the run and dare Baylor’s freshman quarterback to beat them with his arm. K-State has given up massive passing yardage in recent weeks, but the Bears use a run-based offense. They will try to lean on their ground game with an unproven quarterback. The Wildcats can’t allow Baylor to rush for big yardage.
Kellis Robinett: @KellisRobinett
This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: K-State football at Baylor."