Kansas State’s perfect Big 12 start was ruthlessly ended by TCU last Saturday to leave the Wildcats’ conference championship hopes hanging in the balance. They will look to get their season back on track this coming Thursday against a West Virginia side that is desperate for a pick-me-up win as well after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this campaign.
Can K-State keep in pace with TCU and Baylor in the race for the Big 12 title? Or will the Mountaineers quash their dreams for good? Read on for a preview of this all-important showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of USC vs. UCLA and Wisconsin vs. Iowa.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Kansas State Wildcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Preview
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown
When: Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Kansas State Wildcats (-2) at West Virginia Mountaineers (+2) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State’s Big 12 title hopes took a big hit last Saturday as they were soundly beaten by TCU, 41-20, to snap their five-game unbeaten run. They are now tied with Baylor in second place at 5-1, half a game behind the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 team standings.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]All is still not lost, however, for the Wildcats who are still very much in the Bowl picture, especially if they win out their three remaining ballgames. That quest begins this coming Thursday when they face a suddenly reeling West Virginia side.
In order for them to put their season back on track, the Wildcats need to get their defense in order once again. The Horned Frogs erupted for 41 points in their last game, way above their season average of 21.1 PPG which is good for 21st in the entire FBS.
In fact, prior to that defeat, the Wildcats were allowing just 17 points per contest in the entire Big 12 tournament. So what went wrong against TCU? Well, their rushing defense which was the foundation of their winning run was simply non-existent in the game against the Horned Frogs.
TCU ran riot on the ground last Saturday, rushing for 334 yards and four touchdowns in their blowout victory. Prior to that game, they were allowing just 100.9 rushing yards per contest and a total of five touchdowns through their first eight assignments. K-State’s defensive line in that game were thoroughly outmatched as they allowed 10 rushes that gained 10 yards or more. The Wildcats allowed an average of 3.3 such rushes per game before their clash with TCU.
They will have the going much easier against West Virginia which is only 51st in the FBS in rushing offense with a 184.2 YPG clip. Still, they will need to watch out for Dreamius Smith who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for the Mountaineers, albeit in a losing effort, in their last game against Texas.
Kansas State is 1-2 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia’s once-promising season appears to be falling apart fast as they lost back-to-back games for the first time this year with a 33-16 defeat to Texas last Saturday.
The Mountaineers had no answer for running back Johnathan Gray who rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns to help Texas move closer to a season-ending bowl game. For West Virginia, though, it’s another heart-breaking loss after suffering that gut-wrenching last-second defeat to TCU last November 1 that all but ended their hopes of winning the Big 12 this season.
Still, the opportunity is there for the Mountaineers to make this a highly-successful season, given that they finished last year with a losing record. In order for them to secure a bigger Bowl, though, they will need to win the rest of the way and that starts with a huge performance this coming Thursday against Kansas State.
If they are to end their losing skid, however, they will need to rediscover their passing game once again. West Virginia, which is 12th in the FBS in passing offense this season with a 318.0 YPG clip, has been neutralized the past couple of games as they are averaging just 205.0 passing yards per outing in their last two defeats.
The onus then is on quarterback Clint Trickett and wide receiver Kevin White to carry the scoring cudgels for West Virginia. Trickett has more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (2) in the Mountaineers’ last two assignments and that has slowed down West Virginia’s scoring attack considerably. The Mountaineers averaged just 23 points per contest in those two defeats, way below their season average of 34.1 PPG.
He needs to bring back the form that made him the sixth-best passing quarterback in the nation this season (3,173 yards). He must punish Kansas State’s passing defense that allows an average of 220.0 yards per game . That means more touches for White who is having an exceptional year for the Mountaineers this season. He already has 1,207 receiving yards this year which is the third-best mark in the entire nation.
West Virginia is 4-2 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
K-State nips West Virginia 23-20.
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