K-State football at No. 8 Stanford: Three-minute preview
When/where: 8 p.m. Friday at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.
TV/radio: Fox Sports 1; WHB (810 AM)
The series: First meeting
The line: Stanford by 14 1/2
What’s at stake
K-State can prove last year’s 6-7 record was a fluke, and that it can surpass low preseason expectations, with an early win over a top 10 team. Stanford is looking to build off last season’s success at home.
Cheers if ...
The Wildcats create turnovers and turn them into points. K-State will have a chance to pull an upset if it gets some cheap scores.
Jeers if ...
Jesse Ertz gets off to a slow start. K-State’s quarterback needs to build confidence in his first road start, not lose it.
Kellis Robinett’s pick: Stanford 31-17
K-State has never won a nonconference game on the road against a top-25 team. Hard to see that changing against a team as good as Stanford. Expect a competitive effort from the Wildcats, but the Cardinal pulls away late.
KANSAS STATE (0-0)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Friday | at Stanford | 8 p.m. |
Sept. 17 | Florida Atlantic | 1:30 p.m. |
Sept. 24 | Missouri State | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 1 | at West Virginia | TBA |
Oct. 8 | Texas Tech | TBA |
Oct. 15 | at Oklahoma | TBA |
Oct. 22 | Texas | TBA |
Oct. 29 | at Iowa State | TBA |
Nov. 5 | Oklahoma State | TBA |
Nov. 19 | at Baylor | TBA |
Nov. 26 | Kansas | TBA |
Dec. 3 | at TCU | TBA |
STANFORD (0-0)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Friday | Kansas State | 8 p.m. |
Sept. 17 | Southern Cal | 7 p.m. |
Sept. 24 | at UCLA | TBA |
Sept. 30 | at Washington | 8 p.m. |
Oct. 8 | Washington State | TBA |
Oct. 15 | at Notre Dame | 6:30 p.m. |
Oct. 22 | Colorado | TBA |
Oct. 29 | at Arizona | TBA |
Nov. 5 | Oregon State | TBA |
Nov. 12 | at Oregon | TBA |
Nov. 19 | at California | TBA |
Nov. 26 | Rice | TBA |
Three things about Stanford
1 The Cardinal will go as far as running back Christian McCaffrey can take them this season. McCaffrey finished second in Heisman voting a year ago after amassing 3,864 all-purpose yards and is now considered the front-runner for the award.
2 Quarterback Ryan Burns will make his first start for Stanford on Friday. He won a close position battle over Keller Chryst. Stanford coach David Shaw has said both could play against K-State.
3 Stanford may be without one of its top playmakers. Shaw said running back/receiver Bryce Love is unlikely to play against K-State. He averaged 10.8 yards per touch last season.
Key matchup
K-State linebackers vs. Christian McCaffrey: Stanford’s star running back is going to make big plays, but Elijah Lee, Charmeachealle Moore and Will Davis can limit them with solid play in the middle of K-State’s defense.
Kellis Robinett: @KellisRobinett
This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "K-State football at No. 8 Stanford: Three-minute preview."