(Photo: Clutchpoints)
Campus Clash
(25) Kansas State Wildcats at (7) Texas LonghornsÂ
Kansas State: When both Oklahoma and Texas are both having such strong seasons, it’s understandable as to why this group would be very under the radar. The two programs I mentioned are bigger and well known institutions and that’s where people tend to gravitate. What people tend to forget about this team here is they were able to get to the Big-12 title game last December and hand the TCU Horned Frogs a loss on Championship Saturday. That was something nobody saw coming, but it happened which leads me to the next point that I always throw out there. Anyone can be beat on any given Thursday night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. Chris Kileman is a good football coach that gets the best out of his young men on a weekly basis. There is nothing fancy about these Kansas State teams and what you see is who they truly are. They never jump out of their box and I wish more teams did that because when you stay in your lane and don’t try to be something you know you aren’t or don’t have, success will come to you. I still remember when Chris decided to make that Quarterback switch from Adrian Martinez to Will Howard. There are times when you must trust the thought process of the Head Coach and this ended up being the best decision for the betterment of the football team. Adrian wasn’t able to consistently create any opportunities with his arm. That’s exactly where Will came in and flourished. A week ten showdown for the Wildcats will take them to Austin and awaiting them will be Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns.
Texas: Quinn Ewers can’t catch a break it appears. It was announced that he was going to miss between 2-4 weeks with a shoulder injury. After hearing this, you automatically thought what I did, right? It’s Arch Manning time. Not necessarily. Sark decided to go with Maalik Murphy in the game against the BYU Cougars and the first thing I noticed was the arm strength. At 6’5 and 230 pounds, Maalik is a special Quarterback with all the attributes to help lead a team. He scans the entire field, makes all the reads and throws top notch passes. In his first start, he completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 170 yards and two touchdown passes and the one interception. Ever since the loss to Oklahoma a few weeks back, the Longhorns have been able to bounce back nicely in their last two games. The other day, I heard Coach Sark say that his team has the best win of any other team in the country. What he’s referring to is the week two victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Now, when you heard him say that, you probably said to yourself, “of course you think that, it’s your team”. But he isn’t wrong in my eyes. If you think there’s a better win than that in the nation, please let me know because I’m just as curious as the next person would be. They’ve played good football in their final year in the Big-12 before they become members of the SEC next fall which is still weird to type. A crucial month of November is here for them and they will welcome the defending conference champions to Austin for a big showdown on Saturday afternoon.
Kansas State X-Factor: DJ Giddens– Deuce Vaughn was a beloved player for this football team. It’s tough to replace a guy like that. DJ however has made a nice name for himself this season. He’s become one of the best Running Backs in the Big-12 this year averaging 6.2 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. DJ has also been a key piece in the passing game as well so he can display the versatility which is key in today’s day and age of football. He’s a powerful runner with speed to complement his skillset.
Texas X-Factor: Jaylan Ford– Not only is Jaylan one of the best players in the Big-12, he’s also one of the best players in college football. He’s a key piece on this Longhorns defense and he leads the team in tackles with 57 on the year. Jaylan is also a versatile ball-hawking defender who has also recorded two interceptions as well and he also has a forced fumble and a sack. One of the best ground attacks is coming to town and having your key defensive weapons ready is always essential.
Final Thoughts: Here’s an interesting fact for you. Chris Kileman has defeated all but one team in the Big-12 and that’s these Texas Longhorns. What an opportunity he has in front of him to get a huge win on the road and get that first victory over the Longhorns. Look for Texas to establish Jonathan Brooks early on to help the young Quarterback, Murphy. Kansas State has one of the best rushing defenses in the country so I expect them to bottle up Brooks and put this game in the hands of the young Quarterback. Texas also has a strong run defense of their own. In fact, they have the best run defense in the Big-12. I need to see some more from Murphy because this is a much better defense he will be facing here on Saturday. Also for Texas, get Kansas State out of their comfort zone meaning force them into long yardage and passing situations. This is a team that wants to ground and pound. They also use QB sneaks a bit and I want to see how Texas gameplays for that. This Wildcats defense will have their hands full dealing with the weapons of the Longhorns, I’m talking about Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Ja’Tavion Sanders and they’ve shown that they struggle against multiple playmakers. This will come down to who can consistently control the Line of Scrimmage and this is where Texas will shine because they want to run it right at you and they don’t care who’s in front of them. I like the Longhorns to keep winning.
Prediction: Texas 28, Kansas State 17
