The Kansas State Wildcats suddenly found themselves as one of the favorites to win the Big 12 championship this season after stunning Oklahoma 31-30 on Saturday. They can further boost their title credentials when they face the struggling Texas Longhorns who snapped their two-game losing streak with a thrilling last-second win over Iowa State.
Read on for a preview of this Big 12 matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Wolverines vs. Spartans game.
Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Kansas
When: Saturday, October 25, 2014, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Longhorns (+10) at Kansas State Wildcats (-10) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Texas Longhorns
Heading into the game against Iowa State on Saturday night, head coach Charlie Strong was definitely feeling the pressure. The Longhorns were in a three-game losing streak and their 2-4 record was their worst start to a college football season in 58 years.
So it was a welcome relief for him that his Texas squad finally found a way to win in the endgame as they edged past Iowa State 48-45. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was the star of the show for the Longhorns as he passed for 321 yards while also rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown.
It was his play at the end, though, that will surely delight Texas fans. With Iowa State tying the game at 45 with 28 seconds remaining, many expected the game to go into overtime. Swoopes had other ideas as he threw two long passes to Jaxon Shipley and Jason Harris to set up Nick Rose’s game-winning field goal with just three seconds left to give the Longhorns the timely win.
It will also be a huge boost for Swoopes who was subjected to intense scrutiny two weeks ago after his capitulation against Baylor where he threw for just 144 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, he has thrown back-to-back 300-yard games and has rushed for at least 50 yards in his last two assignments.
He will need to bring his A-game this coming Saturday, though, as he faces the streaking Kansas State Wildcats who have looked imposing on the defensive end this season. They are 39th in the nation in total defense with opponents averaging 352.0 yards against them.
The Wildcats, however, are only 89th in passing defense with teams averaging 251.2 yards against them. That will be good news for Swoopes as he has already formed an understanding with wide receivers John Harris and Jaxon Shipley.
The duo has posted an average of 118.5 and 103.5 receiving yards respectively in their last two games and will pose a definite threat to the K-State secondary that allowed 335 passing yards in their last game against Oklahoma.
The Longhorns are 4-3 ATS this season.
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Betting on the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State pulled off one of the biggest wins in the Bill Snyder era when they upset Oklahoma 31-30 on Saturday to turn the Big 12 title race on its head.
The breaks went the Wildcats way in this game as Oklahoma’s all-time scoring leader – kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed two chip-shot field goals, including a 19-yard attempt with 5:39 remaining that would have given the Sooners a 33-31 lead at that point.
It was not all luck, though, for the Wildcats as their defense was resolute right before that wayward field goal try. Oklahoma’s running game was beginning to wear out Kansas State in the fourth quarter as they set up a first and goal attempt at the K-State two-yard line.
With the Sooners threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown, the Wildcats buckled down as they stopped running back Samaje Perine three times forcing them to settle for that missed field goal.
Their rushing defense is one of the main reasons why they are ranked first in the Big 12 now with a 5-1 slate. Before the game against Oklahoma, the Wildcats were fourth in the nation in rushing defense with opponents gaining just 81.4 yards per contest against them in their first five games.
Their defensive line struggled against Oklahoma, though, allowing the Sooners to rush for 198 yards, more than double their average. It will not get easier for them next game against Texas as the Longhorns looked impressive with their ground game against Iowa State, rushing for 191 yards and four touchdowns against the Cyclones last Saturday.
With that being said, their bid to win their sixth game this game season will still largely depend on the performance of their starting quarterback Jake Waters. He was solid against Oklahoma, completing 15 of 23 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns that helped the Wildcats negate Oklahoma’s advantages in yardage (533-385) and first downs (30-17).
His exploits has helped steer the Wildcats to the 13th-best scoring attack in the nation with Kansas State averaging 39.2 points per game this season.
The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last four games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Wildcats dominate the Longhorns to improve their record to 6-1.
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