K-State Wildcats vs. KU Jayhawks: Five things to know about this week’s rivalry game
The Kansas State Wildcats will try to continue their football dominance in the Sunflower Showdown when they host the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Here is everything you need to know to prepare for the game.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas
TV: FS1
Radio: KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City
The line: K-State by 17 1/2
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
This rivalry has been as one-sided as they come in recent years. You have to go back to a time before iPads to find the last example of KU beating K-State in the Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats have owned this series of late, winning 11 straight over the Jayhawks. Chris Klieman won his first meeting against KU last season 38-10. The Governor’s Cup has resided in Manhattan since 2009.
Les Miles will be back on the sidelines for this game. The KU football coach missed the Jayhawks’ last game, a 38-17 loss at West Virginia, after he tested positive for COVID-19. But he returned to work this week and said he was excited to be back with his team. Miles said he experienced a headache at times while he recovered from COVID-19, but otherwise felt fine.
Deuce Vaughn and Pooka Williams would have been to fun to watch. This game was supposed to feature two of the best running backs in the Big 12. But Williams opted out of the remainder of the season on Monday, leaving the Jayhawks without their most explosive playmaker, who has twice earned all-conference honors. KU will turn to Velton Gardner, a former K-State commit, in his absence. Vaughn is one of the nation’s top freshmen and the frontrunner to win Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, with 517 all-purpose yards in his first four games.
Will Howard will try to continue his development on Saturday. The freshman K-State quarterback has helped the Wildcats win both of their last two games after senior starter Skylar Thompson suffered a season-ending injury. But he hasn’t lit up the stat sheet yet. Perhaps that will change against the Jayhawks, as he is coming off an open week that gave him an opportunity to work on his craft. The Jayhawks also allowed 318 passing yards last weekend at West Virginia.
Has KU found stability at quarterback? The Jayhawks have played musical chairs all season at quarterback, but they stuck with one passer against the Mountaineers. Miles Kendrick completed 14 of 23 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in that game. Maybe that will give him an advantage over Jalon Daniels and Thomas MacVittie in this game.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 11:31 AM.