K-State Wildcats vs. UCF Knights: Five things to know about important Big 12 opener
There is no downplaying the significance of the next football game on the schedule for Kansas State and UCF.
A new part of the season is about to get underway for the Wildcats. A new era has arrived for the Knights.
K-State (2-1) will try to bounce back from its first loss of the year when it plays host to UCF (3-0) in its first conference game as a member of the Big 12 at 7 p.m. on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.
Game details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: Kansas State by 6.5 with an O/U of 57.5
Five things to know
1. K-State’s offensive line should be healthy for the first time this season. Head coach Chris Klieman expressed optimism following a 30-27 loss at Missouri that right tackle Christian Duffie will be ready to play against the Knights, saying: “It will be good to get Duffie back next week and give us another guy in there, even if he is in a limited role.” Duffie has been recovering from an injury to his ankle/foot. The Wildcats have struggled up front without him. It will be interesting to see how much of an upgrade he can provide on offense.
2. UCF leads the country in total offense. The Knights average more yards per game (629.7) than any other team in all of college football. That is the main reason why they are off to a 3-0 start with victories over Kent State, Boise State and Villanova. Gus Malzahn’s team uses a balanced approach, but the Knights have been at their best on the ground, averaging 299.3 rushing yards per game.
3. The Wildcats have been here before. Trying to bounce back from an unexpected loss is nothing new for Klieman. During his five seasons in Manhattan the Wildcats have surprisingly lost as favorites against West Virginia, Arkansas State, Tulane and now Missouri. Their record following those first three losses: 3-0. You could say they have done a nice job handling “wake-up calls” in recent years.
4. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee won’t play for UCF on Saturday. The Knights will be without their starting QB in this game as he recovers from an injury. That is bad news, considering he threw for 553 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Timmy McClain will lead the offense in his place. The sophomore is a dual-threat passer who threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns last week against Villanova. He also ran for 44 yards in that game.
5. The K-State defense will have its hands full with another talented receiver. A week after the Wildcats surrendered 356 yards and two touchdowns through the air against Missouri, they must now try to contain explosive UCF playmaker Kobe Hudson. The senior receiver has hauled in 15 passes for 325 yards this season. And he has caught a pass of 50 or more yards in back-to-back games.