K-State Wildcats vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Five things to know about Big 12 opener
The Kansas State football team will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hits the road and opens Big 12 play against the Oklahoma Sooners at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
K-State (2-1) is coming off a 17-10 loss against Tulane. Oklahoma (3-0) won its last game convincingly 49-14 at Nebraska.
Here is everything else you need to know to start preparing for the game.
The details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma
TV: FOX
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: Oklahoma by 13 with an O/U of 51.5
Five things to know
1. Brent Venables will coach against his alma mater for the first time. Well, that’s not entirely true. Venables, who played linebacker for the Wildcats under former coach Bill Snyder, has gone against K-State before as an assistant coach. But this is the first time he will do so as a head coach. Venables spent the past 10 years as the defensive coordinator at Clemson. Before that he was a linebackers coach at both Oklahoma and K-State.
2. This is a battle of transfer quarterbacks. Dillon Gabriel started his college career at UCF before he transferred to Oklahoma to play for Venables this season. Adrian Martinez was the face of Nebraska football before he switched allegiances to K-State. Gabriel has been a big positive for the Sooners, as he has amassed 824 total yards and scored nine touchdowns this season. Martinez has been underwhelming for the Wildcats. He has only thrown for 304 yards and one touchdown.
3. One reason to hope for a K-State upset. The last time the Wildcats dropped a home game against a nonconference opponent they bounced back quickly by winning their next game on the road ... against Oklahoma. That happened in 2020, when K-State opened the season with a home loss against Arkansas State and then upset the Sooners 38-35. That was Deuce Vaughn’s first big game in a K-State uniform.
4. Two big Oklahoma playmakers to watch. The Sooners like to get the ball to a pair of star players when they are on offense. Running back Eric Gray has rushed for 286 yards and two touchdowns this season. Marvin Mims has caught 14 passes for 310 and two touchdowns.
5. K-State is the Big 12’s worst team on third down. That should come as no surprise after the Wildcats went 2 for 15 on third down against Tulane over the weekend. But the Wildcats have struggled on money downs all season, converting on just 11 of 42 attempts. That will need to change if the hope to pull off an upset against the Sooners.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 11:39 AM with the headline "K-State Wildcats vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Five things to know about Big 12 opener."