Oct 20, 2021

Wildcats look to get back on track in Lubbock

Posted Oct 20, 2021 11:51 PM

MANHATTAN - Kansas State heads back out on the road in Big 12 play for a second time this year, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech this Saturday inside Jones AT&T Stadium.

The game against the Red Raiders, which kicks at 11 a.m., will be televised by FS1 with Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst) on the call.  Fans can also catch the game on SiriusXM (XM: 384; App: 974) in addition to The Varsity Network app.


A LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State looks to get into the win column in Big 12 play after dropping games at Oklahoma State (31-20), and at home to both Oklahoma (37-31) and Iowa State (33-20). The former two reside in the top 8 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, and the latter was there in the preseason.

• The Wildcats’ three 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 returned against the Sooners after missing the previous two games due to injury, and he put together one of the best passing performances of his career by setting highs in completions (29) and attempts (41), and tying his high for touchdown passes (3), while he threw for the second-most yards in his career (320).

• Thompson’s favorite receiver against OU was Deuce Vaughn, who hauled in 10 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was the second 100-yard receiving game of his career and just the seventh in school history by a running back or fullback.

• This year, Vaughn has totaled 777 scrimmage yards (543 rush/234 receive) and seven scores. In his 16 career games, Vaughn has at least 100 scrimmage yards 11 times – including all six games this year – and he ranks fourth nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (124.87).

• Vaughn and Thompson have the luxury of playing behind an experienced line that brought back 100% of its starts from last year.

• Receivers Malik Knowles, Phillip Brooks and Landry Weber have combined for 45 receptions for 614 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 (107.0 yds/gm).

• Linebackers Daniel Green (34) and Cody Fletcher (33) 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 18th nationally with five sacks on the year.

• The Wildcats have five interceptions as safeties Russ Yeast and TJ Smith each recorded a pick against Stanford, defensive tackle Jaylen Pickle had one against Southern Illinois, cornerback Tee Denson picked off Nevada, and Julius Brents had one against Oklahoma.

• Malik Knowles has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in two of the last three games, and he ranks second in the nation with a 36.0-yard return average.


A LOOK AT TEXAS TECH

• Texas Tech enters the game with a 5-2 overall record and 2-2 mark in Big 12 play following a 41-14 win last week at Kansas.

• The Red Raiders are one win away from becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2017 when they played in the Birmingham Bowl vs. South Florida.

• Henry Colombi leads the nation’s 25th-best scoring offense at quarterback with 1,066 passing yards on 79-of-120 aim, and he has thrown four touchdowns and three interceptions.

• Running back SaRodorick Thompson has totaled 314 yards and six touchdowns this season. In his last game against K-State in 2019, he rushed for 84 yards and a score.

• Wide receiver Erik Ezukanma is one of three receivers with at least 15 receptions, as he has 31 for 505 yards and a score.

• The defense is led by Colin Schooler, who has 56 tackles on the year, while six different defenders have recorded interceptions.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES

• K-State leads the all-time series, 12-9, which includes a current five-game winning streak and a 9-1 mark over the last 10 years. K-State’s five-game winning streak is the longest for the Wildcats in the series and tied for the longest by either team in series history.

• The Wildcats also hold a 12-6 advantage since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996. One of those games was the first-ever Big 12 game, as the Cats topped Tech, 21-14, on August 31, 1996.

• Last season in Manhattan, Texas Tech held a 21-17 fourth-quarter lead until K-State scored the final 14 points of the game and shut down the Red Raiders over the final 11 minutes en route to a 31-21 victory.

• Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks early in the game, as K-State’s Will Howard threw for 173 yards on 7-of-12 aim, which included the final touchdown of the game with 2:07 remaining – a 70-yard catch-and-run by Deuce Vaughn.

• Two years ago in Lubbock, K-State scored on four of its first five possessions of the second half, including three touchdowns, and held during a late Texas Tech rally.

• The game last year featured a 48-yard touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson to Chabastin Taylor in the fourth quarter to give K-State a 10-point cushion.

TOUGH ONES VS. TECH

• Kansas State has been tough in close contests against Texas Tech, as the Wildcats hold a five-game winning streak over the Red Raiders with three of those being one-score games.

• The last two games in Lubbock have been especially close with K-State winning by margins of three (30-27 in 2019), seven (42-35 [ot] in 2017).

• K-State’s average margin of victory in the last five games against the Red Raiders has been 8.2 points.

ONE OF THE BIG 12’S BEST

• K-State ranks third in Big 12 wins since the league’s inception in 1996, trailing only Oklahoma and Texas.

• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at 57.0% (53-40), trailing only Oklahoma (82.8%; 77-16) and Oklahoma State (65.6%; 61-32).

-kstatesports.com-