There’s no better way to start the day than opening up Big 12 play with some tasty matchups. Ranked No. 20 in college football, the Kansas State Wildcats have their first crack at conference play against the Iowa State Cyclones.
Fellow Big 12 team Texas is also in action against BYU. Check out our complete preview of that game here. In the meantime, keep your sights here as the Wildcats and Cyclones open up their campaigns for conference superiority.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview and Prediction
The Kansas State Wildcats opened their 2014 season with a pretty routine 55-16 rout of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on August 30. With that win, the total has gone over in seven of Kansas State’s last 10 games dating back to October 2013.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Quarterback Jake Waters was sharp, completing 19 of 28 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 55 yards on the ground for two TDs. Meanwhile, running back Charles Jones rushed for 55 yards and two TDs on eight carries. Water and Jones will have even more opportunities to flourish in the running game as Iowa State’s defense was horrible defending against the run in their season opener against North Dakota State. They allowed 302 yards for an average of 6.9 yards per carry to an FCS school.
Their defensive unit also put up an excellent effort in limiting their overmatched opponents to 225 yards. They especially hampered their opponent’s running offense to just 69 yards on 21 carries for a measly 3.3 yards per rush. This defensive unit will have a field day against Iowa State, which averaged only 4.4 yards per play in their first game.
Linebacker Elijah Lee shon the most in the defensive unit. Just a freshman, Lee made some noise in his first game of college football blitzing the Lumberjacks’ QB for two sacks and a forced fumble. Against Iowa State, expect Lee to get extended playing time as a pass rusher.
The Wildcats are 3-1 ATS in four road games last season.
The Iowa State Cyclones’ starting quarterback Sam B. Richardson better come prepared for another rough outing. Richardson was repeatedly under pressure in their season opener, a 34-14 upset loss to North Dakota State on August 30. He was sacked four times for a loss of 17 yards and also threw two interceptions. The Cyclones will now have to show some of the resilience they lacked last season. They were 2-7 coming off a loss in 2013.
However, Iowa State’s offense wasn’t bad from the start. They scored two touchdowns, courtesy of running back Aaron Wimberly, to put them ahead 14-0 early into the second quarter. Yet, the scoring stopped there as their offense was repeatedly shut down with the absence of veteran center Tom Farniok from the offensive line and last year’s go-to receiver Quenton Bundrage.
Farniok missed the last three quarters of the game after going down with an injury on his left knee late into the first quarter. Meanwhile, Bundrage suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on the first drive. Left with a shallow offense for the rest of the game, Iowa State only managed to cross midfield once after their first two TDs.
With Bundrage injured, freshman Allen Lazard will start in his stead. Lazard caught his first reception in college football for 48 yards in the loss to North Dakota State. However, his inexperience may play a big role in his first outing against a top-25 team for the first start of his collegiate career.
Still, with a banged-up squad and some inexperienced players on the field, it will be difficult for the Cyclones to recover from their opening weekend loss. Even playing at home won’t figure to be too beneficial for Iowa State. After their opening weekend loss, they are now 0-6 in all games played at Jack Trice Stadium since last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Kansas State Wildcats (-12) cover the spread to record back-to-back wins, while sending Iowa State on course for another losing season.
