Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
REALITY CHECK
OKLAHOMA STATE WILL PROVIDE KANSAS STATE FIRST TRUE TEST
Bully Oklahoma State:
Texas wore down Oklahoma State’s defense by establishing an early run game. There’s no secret that Kansas State’s game plan will be similar to the one deployed by the Longhorns. Skylar Thompson is a capable quarterback, but Kansas State can’t win a shootout against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats need to dominate the line of scrimmage, dictate the tempo of the game and take advantage of a tired defense down the stretch.
Force field goals: Oklahoma State is going to move the football. It did it last week in a loss to Texas. Mike Gundy’s squad is too talented on offense to shut down completely. The defensively philosophy in the Big 12 is to bend, but don’t break. Texas
did a great job of that last week against Oklahoma State. Kansas State can pull off the upset win on the road if it repeats the trick against the Cowboys in Stillwater. Red zone defense is the key for the Wildcats.
Establish the run: Running the football is the key to a Cowboys win. Oklahoma State struggled to consistently run the football in the loss last week to Texas. Running back Chuba Hubbard averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 37 rushing attempts. It cost Oklahoma State in the red zone. Quarterback Spencer Sanders is also a threat with his legs. Using him more in the running game could open up holes for Hubbard and deep shots to wide receiver Tylan Wallace.
Stop the run: Oklahoma
State can’t allow Kansas State to win the battle of the line of scrimmage and expect to win this game. Texas beat Oklahoma State, in large part, because of the Cowboys’ inability to win on first and second down. Kansas State’s offense isn’t built to win on third-and-long situations.
Oklahoma State 31,
Kansas State 27: Oklahoma State impressed in a road loss against Texas. Sanders looks like a future star quarterback for Oklahoma State. Give me the Cowboys to outscore Kansas State in a hardfought game. The dynamic offense of the Cowboys led by the trio of Sanders, Hubbard and Wallace can’t be matched by the Wildcats.