K-State Q&A: Surprise players, Big 12 predictions and a rare defensive battle at OSU
I have covered some low-scoring Kansas State football games before. Not many, but definitely a few.
The Big 12 has been known for high-octane offenses since its inception, and the Wildcats have always been able to put up points in conference play. You rarely see them light up the scoreboard like Texas Tech and West Virginia used to, but you also rarely see them try to win games 6-3 like a plodding Big Ten team. Some notable recent exceptions — TCU 14, K-State 13 in 2018 ... Vanderbilt 14, K-State 7 in 2017 ... K-State 10, Eastern Kentucky 7 in 2011 ... K-State 17, UCF 13 in 2010 (now a classic Big 12 game!).
I bring those scores up because there’s a chance Saturday’s game at Oklahoma State could join the pantheon of low-scoring games in recent K-State history.
Defensive battles are rare in this conference, but I could see one breaking out in Stillwater.
Neither team is throwing it well right now. Both teams are stingy against the run and off to a 3-0 start mostly because of what they’re doing on defense.
The Cowboys haven’t scored more than 28 points in a game this season and currently rank 105th nationally in total offense, averaging 336.7 yards per game. Spencer Sanders seems to be getting worse with each year he starts and is only averaging 127.5 passing yards per game right now. But they’re undefeated because they can run the ball and are only allowing 328.7 yards per game.
The Wildcats have been better on offense, but they have also struggled to move the ball at times without Skylar Thompson. Sophomore Will Howard is 15 of 27 for 199 yards and one touchdown this season. But they’re undefeated because they can run the ball and are only allowing 280 yards per game.
This quote from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy really sums up the type of game we can expect at Boone Pickens Stadium.
“We’ll be in a fourth-quarter game,” Gundy said. “We’re going to be in fourth-quarter games from here on out. We lost some pretty good firepower for the year on offense, and so you’re trying to do the best you can to manage and work together as a team, and rush the football and use the clock and keep the defense off the field, play good special teams. You try to find a way to win the game, other than just saying, ‘You know, we have guys injured, I don’t know what we can do.’ So, you know it’s just like what happened Saturday, we rushed the football effectively enough. We had the ball 21 and a half minutes in the second half, so they only had it nine game minutes. We were really good at target punting in special teams, and that’s what won the game for us.”
You know who else loves fourth-quarter games? Chris Klieman.
Sometimes a matchup like this produces a wacky score no one sees coming. So maybe this game will end up being a shootout. But I doubt it. I’m cheering for a truly ugly final score, something like 9-7. We so rarely get to see defensive brawls in the Big 12 that we might as well embrace this one.
Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Give me Josh Rivas on offense.
I knew the senior offensive lineman from Hutchinson was good, but I didn’t know he was this freaking good. K-State’s front five has been playing at an incredibly high level this season, and Rivas is a big reason why. Cooper Beebe is right there with him, and it’s hard to find anything critical to say about Deuce Vaughn right now. But I expected both of them to be dynamite. So Rivas gets my vote.
I can’t pick just one player on defense. Give me Felix Anudike and Daniel Green.
Anudike has improbably filled the shoes of Wyatt Hubert at defensive end. He’s already made seven tackles, including three sacks. And he’s forced two fumbles. I can honestly say I didn’t see anything close to that coming. But I also have to give kudos to Green. The former four-star linebacker has been playing at an elite level. Did you know that K-State’s defense has only surrendered 17 points while he’s been on the field this year?
While we’re at it, can I make no selection for special teams?
I know you didn’t ask for a surprise player in that area, but I feel like it’s worth pointing out the Wildcats have received practically nothing of note on special teams this season. They usually thrive in that part of the game.
The only thing I can say with confidence about the Big 12 right now is that the conference race looks wide open.
Oklahoma is still the favorite to hoist a trophy in Arlington this December, but Spencer Rattler and the Sooners have looked far from impressive in too-close-for-comfort victories over Nebraska and Tulane.
At the least, I doubt they go undefeated in Big 12 play.
Iowa State, Texas and West Virginia have already lost. So they’re clearly mortal.
Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech are all undefeated. That’s unexpected.
Kansas is Kansas.
My current Big 12 rankings look like this:
1. Oklahoma.
2. Iowa State, K-State, Oklahoma State, TCU.
6. Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia.
10. Kansas.
It’s a total cop out to have so many teams tied at the same spots, but I honestly don’t know what to think just yet.
I will give you one semi-bold prediction, though. Preseason favorites Iowa State and Oklahoma won’t both play in the conference championship game. Here’s guessing a surprise team like K-State or TCU makes it there and gets to try and play spoiler.
Byron Pringle.
You may remember that he had the game of his college career the last time K-State won at Oklahoma State. That’s when he amassed 280 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns.
The Wildcats could really use another performance like that this weekend. Too bad he’s busy playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.
I don’t see any K-State receivers having a big game without Skylar Thompson in the lineup.
If the Wildcats beat the Cowboys, I predict it will be because of Deuce Vaughn and their defense. Not anything that happens in the passing game.
But if anyone can hurt Oklahoma State with Will Howard slinging the ball, it’s probably Phillip Brooks. He was targeted six times against Nevada. Both Jaren Lewis and Howard seem to like what he can do out of the slot.
Maybe Malik Knowles could also be a factor out of the backfield. I don’t see him beating defenders over the top for bombs in this matchup, but he has been successful shifting around the line of scrimmage and running wheel routes or taking handoffs on jet sweeps. I could see him gaining yards on a few gadget plays.
My Magic 8 Ball says “Don’t count on it.”
K-State has only thrown for one touchdown this season, and it was a 68-yard pass to tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe.
I don’t see things changing this week. K-State will try to keep it on the ground whenever it is in the red zone.
No clue.
When Kansas State hired Chris Klieman from North Dakota State, Gene Taylor marveled at how good Klieman was at making halftime adjustments. I then attended the Bison’s final two FCS playoff games while Taylor was still coaching in Fargo and agreed with that sentiment.
Klieman’s teams looked great in the third quarter of those games.
At K-State? Not so much.
The Wildcats have scored three points in the third quarter this season ... total.
Last season, they scored 59 points in the third quarter over 10 games. Believe it or not, though, the Wildcats were worse in the first quarter, scoring just 54 points.
In 2019, the Wildcats only scored 64 points over 13 games.
I’m not sure what to tell you, other than it appears opposing coaches are making better adjustments at halftime. For reasons that are behind my comprehension, K-State hasn’t been good in the third quarter under Klieman.
Nothing, unfortunately.
I just think they are both good football teams.
TCU looked like one of the best teams in the Big 12 late last season when it won five of its final six games. It returned a lot of talent and then won its first two games this season. So I have the Horned Frogs ranked 16th.
Oklahoma State won eight games last year and returned one of the best defenses in the Big 12. Granted, it is hard to judge the Cowboys right now because they are dealing with myriad injuries. But they are 3-0 with a road win over Boise State. So I have the Cowboys ranked 19th.
Fortunately, conference play is now upon us and we’re going to find out which teams across the country are contenders and which teams are pretenders. Ranking college football teams will become much easier as the season marches forward and we have a bigger body of work to judge.
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 10:17 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Surprise players, Big 12 predictions and a rare defensive battle at OSU."