MANHATTAN - Coming off a second-half comeback win at Texas Tech, Kansas State returns home on Saturday as it hosts TCU at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The game against the Horned Frogs, which kicks at 2:30 p.m., will be televised by ESPNU with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst) on the call. Fans can also catch the game on SiriusXM (S: 98; XM: 200; App: 954) in addition to The Varsity Network app.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
• It was a tale of two halves last week at Texas Tech, as the Wildcats rallied from deficits of 21-7 and 24-10 to knock off the Red Raiders, 25-24.
• The Wildcats outscored the Red Raiders, 15-0, in the final 30 minutes and held Tech to 103 second-half yards.
• The Wildcats’ four conference opponents, plus its difficult non-conference schedule in which they went 3-0 against, has their strength of schedule ranked second in the nation in the current Sagarin Ratings.
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson has put together one of the best three-game passing stretches of his career against Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas Tech. During that time, Thompson has thrown for 822 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception on 68-of-94 (72.3%) aim.
• Last week against Texas Tech, Thompson threw for 296 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-30 aim to set a new career high in completion percentage (80.0%).
• During the second half last week, Thompson connected on 14-of-15 passes, the best percentage in a half by a K-State quarterback since 2006.
• Thompson’s favorite receiver has been Deuce Vaughn, who leads the team with 30 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
• This year, Vaughn has totaled 897 scrimmage yards (595 rush/302 receive) and 10 scores. In his 17 career games, Vaughn has at least 100 scrimmage yards 12 times – including all seven games this year – and he ranks fourth nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (124.59).
• Receivers Phillip Brooks, Malik Knowles and Landry Weber have combined for 54 receptions for 708 yards and four scores.
• The Wildcats, deploying a new 3-3-5 look and regularly rotating in over 25 players on defense, rank 23rd in the nation against the run (116.0 yds/gm).
• Linebackers Daniel Green (40) and Cody Fletcher (39) lead the team in tackles, and each have at least three stops behind the line.
• Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah is second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with six sacks on the year.
• The Wildcats have six interceptions, including two from safety Russ Yeast to tie for the Big 12 lead.
• Punter Ty Zentner ranks second in the Big 12 with a 47.6-yard average, while his 52.2-yard average in conference play leads the league.
• Malik Knowles has returned two kickoffs for a touchdown, and he ranks third in the nation with a 32.8-yard average.
A LOOK AT TCU
• TCU enters the game with a 3-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big 12 play.
• The Horned Frog offense is led by a trio of weapons in quarterback Max Duggan, running back Zach Evans and wide receiver Quentin Johnston.
• Duggan has thrown for 1,593 yards and 14 touchdowns and four interceptions on 111-of-172 aim.
• He is also a threat on the ground as he ranks second on the team with 258 rushing yards and two scores.
• Evans has rushed for 108.0 yards per game this season and is averaging 7.0 yards per carry, while Johnston has 24 catches and five scores.
• Defensively, Dee Winters leads the way with 47 tackles, while Ochaun Mathis has a team-best 3.0 sacks on the year.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• K-State and TCU are tied in their all-time series, 7-7, which includes the Wildcats holding a 4-3 lead in games played in Manhattan.
• Kansas State also leads the series, 5-4, since TCU joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season.
• The Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings and are looking for their first three-game winning streak in series history.
• Last year in Fort Worth, Kansas State picked up a 21-14 victory. Will Howard became the first K-State freshman quarterback to win his first-career road start as he threw for 117 yards and rushed for 6 yards and a score. The Wildcats held a 21-7 advantage deep into the game thanks to a 37-yard interception return by AJ Parker, and K-State held on at the end as a Horned Frog Hail Mary fell incomplete as time expired.
• Last time in Manhattan, K-State earned a hard-fought 24-17 victory. The Wildcats went on an 11-play, 95-yard drive to score the game-winning touchdown with 2:45 left on a Skylar Thompson 3-yard touchdown run.