K-State Wildcats vs. OSU Cowboys: Five things to know about pivotal Big 12 game
The Kansas State Wildcats and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are both coming off losses, but that won’t dampen the importance of the football game they will play at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State (4-2, 4-1 Big 12) and No. 14 OSU (4-1, 3-1 Big 12) are both vying for a spot in the conference championship game later this season, and the winner of this game will gain a big advantage in the title race.
Here is everything you need to know to prepare for the game.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan
TV: Fox
Radio: KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City
The line: Oklahoma State by 10
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
The winner of this game will control its destiny in the Big 12 title race. The loser can still earn a spot in the championship game, too. But that team will face a much more difficult path to Arlington, Texas than the winner. K-State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State are all looking down on the rest of the league right now with just one conference loss. This is a battle to remain there. Staying atop the conference standings is suddenly of the utmost importance with Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all making mid-season pushes and entering the mix of contenders.
Chuba Hubbard dominated K-State last year. The Oklahoma State running back isn’t having the Heisman Trophy type season some expected, but he still ranks third in the conference with 550 rushing yards. And he is probably expecting to add big numbers to that total against the Wildcats, based on what he did against them last season. If you don’t remember, Hubbard rushed for 296 yards and a touchdown during a 26-13 victory a year ago in Stillwater
Deuce Vaughn will try to bounce back after his first sub-par game. The freshman running back was held to just 23 yards during last week’s 37-10 loss at West Virginia. It was the first time an opponent has held him in check during his young college career. Getting him back on track would seem to be priority No. 1 for offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham this week. Of course, that was far from the Wildcats’ only problem in that game. Quarterback Will Howard also needs to be better after throwing three interceptions.
Oklahoma State has a trio of stars. K-State fans know Hubbard best, but he is not the Cowboys’ lone star on offense. Tylan Wallace is the Big 12’s leading receiver with 35 catches for 588 yards and four touchdowns this season. Defending him will be a challenge for the Wildcats, especially now that he has starting quarterback Spencer Sanders back in the lineup. Oklahoma State churned out 580 yards last week against Texas, but lost the game thanks to four costly turnovers.
Mike Gundy’s team has learned how to play defense. Crazy as it sounds, the Cowboys have been better on defense than they have been on offense this season. Oklahoma State ranks first in the Big 12 in scoring defense (17.8 points per game) and second in yards allowed (299.8 per game). It has been exceptionally good at forcing opponents into negative plays with 20 sacks and 44 tackles for loss this season. Safety Tre Sterling leads the team with 37 tackles and linebacker Calvin Bundage has four sacks.