The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Which team will bounce back?
When:
4 p. m. Saturday
Where:
Take care of the football: Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders set a career- high with 400 passing yards against Texas, but he also threw an interception and fumbled in the overtime loss. The Cowboys are a more talented squad than Kansas State, but an upset is in the cards if the Oklahoma State offense can’t value the football better than it did last weekend when it turned the ball over four times.
Block: Texas whopped a depleted Oklahoma State offensive line, causing pressure throughout the game and limiting running back Chuba Hubbard to 75 yards. Oklahoma State needs more time for
Sanders and more running room for Hubbard against Kansas State. Injuries and inexperience are hampering the Cowboys in the trenches. Oklahoma State’s chances of reaching the Big12 title game hinge on the ability of the offensive line to improve over the second half of the season.
Keys for Kansas State
Fast start: The Wildcatsoffense isn’t built to score points in bunches. Kansas State needs to start fast and keep the game close into the second half. West Virginia built a 24- 10 lead heading into halftime, and that proved too steep for a Kansas State team playing without starting quarterback Skylar
Thompson. Replacement quarterback Will Howard threw three interceptions against the West Virginia defense. Oklahoma State’s defense is also opportunistic.
Establish the run: Kansas State can’t win football games if it asks the backup quarterback to throw the ball 37 times in one game, and that’s exactly what happened in the loss to West Virginia. True freshman running back Deuce Vaughn, a Round Rock native, only received nine carries. That’s not enough, and itwas a by- product of being down multiple possessions at half time. Keeping the score close, or building an early lead, allows the Wildcats to lean on the run game instead of hurrying to score points.