GAME DAY
13
Kansas State (5-4)
OFFENSE
The Wildcats are definitely a team that uses
the run to set up the pass. Junior college transfer running back Daniel Thomas is averaging 100 yards per game on the ground and has 10 touchdowns on the season. Sixth-year senior Grant Gregory will probably start at quarterback and is a
Thomas
game manager rather than a playmaker.
DEFENSE
Kansas State's opponents have gashed the
Wildcat secondary through the air. Opponents average 234 yards passing per game. However, the secondary, led by sophomore free safety Emmanuel Lamur, is capable of making big plays. Lamur leads the team in tackles with 46. Sophomore cornerback Tysyn Hartman has four interceptions.
Hartman has four interceptions and the Wildcats have forced nine fumbles.
Lamur
SPECIAL TEAMS
Watch out for senior kick returner Brandon
Banks. He has four kickoff return touchdowns on the season and five for his career. He is just 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, but if he finds a gap, he will burst through it and find the end zone. Junior kicker Josh Cherry missed five of his first six
field goals this season, but coach Bill Snyder has limited his range in Big 12 play and he hasn't missed since.
Cherry
COACHING
Snyder returned from retirement to coach the Wildcats again and is getting a lot of attention for taking Kansas State to the top of the Big 12 North. He owns a 13-4 record against Kansas. Snyder is 69 years old but has been lauded for his ability to connect
with his much younger players. He is mostly responsible for the revival of Kansas State football in the mid-'90s.
Snyder
MOMENTUM
No one knew what to expect from the Wildcats, but through Big 12 play they have been very impressive. Sure, Iowa State was an extra point from going into overtime with Kansas State and the Wildcats were rolled in Lubbock, Texas, but they also shelled Texas A&M and hung with a talented Oklahoma team. A victory in this rivalry game would be huge.
Clark Goble
Mark Mangino
y will cheer if...
offensive line continues to be disruptive. Usy rotation, the defensive front consistently Texas Tech's quarterbacks while limiting raiders' rushing attack for three quarters. The run will be even more important againstomas, K-State's talented running back.
Jay will weep if...
awks allow the Wildcats to take an early lead me. Sure, that's an important aspect of any it'even more important this week, K-State's Family Football Stadium will be packed and morrow afternoon. To limit the crowd's effect, ust take control of the game early.
Prediction:
Kansas 24, Kansas State 23
Offense
WILDCATS STARTING LINEUP
Pos. Name Number Year
QB Grant Gregory 6 Sr.
RB Daniel Thomas 8 Jr.
FB Braden Wilson 37 Fr.
WR Lamark Brown 7 Jr.
WR Brandon Banks 83 Sr.
TE Jeron Mastrud 85 Sr.
LT Nick Stringer 64 Sr.
LG Zach Kendall 59 Jr.
C Wade Weibert 74 Jr.
RG Kenneth Mayfield 67 Jr.
RT Clyde Aufner 75 So.
P Ryan Doerr 9 Fr.
Defense
Pos. Name Number Year
DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald 95 Sr.
DT Prizell Brown 46 Jr.
DT Daniel Calvin 99 Sr.
DE Antonio Felder 40 Jr.
LB John Houlik 39 Sr.
LB Ulla Pomele 51 Sr.
LB Troy Butler 21 Jr.
CB Joshua Moore 4 Jr.
SS Tysyn Hartman 2 So.
FS Emmanuel Lamur 23 So.
CB Stephen Harrison 8 Jr.
PK Josh Cherry 19 Jr.
AT A GLANCE
Kansas State is at the top of the Big 12 North standings with only North opponents remaining on its schedule. Two victories will probably give them the North title, so getting a victory against a Kansas team on a three-game losing streak would be a big push in the right direction.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Banks
Banks has NFL talent stuck in an eight grader's body. At just 150 pounds, he can't
his quickness helps him avoid tacklers. The Wildcats don't often take shots down the field, but Banks keeps defenses honest. He will make at least one big play; Kansas must limit Banks to just that.
Banks
QUESTION MARKS
Will Snyder try to slow this game down?
While the Jayhawks like to throw the ball, the Wildcats love to pound the football on the ground. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing has been shaky in the past three weeks, but the Jayhawks offense can still explode at any moment. Snyder might take a chance and try to throw with the Jayhawks, but if Reesing gets going, he will bring the pace to a screeching halt.
Will the Wildcats get a nonoffensive touchdown?
Since 1999, Kansas State is second in the country in non-offensive touchdowns with 73 behind Virginia Tech's 76. They already have five this year, four from kick returner Brandon Banks and one on an interception return. There could be a 14-point swing like Kansas saw against Oklahoma when Reesing's pass deep in Oklahoma territory was intercepted for a touchdown.
BY THE NUMBERS
Number of votes for Kansas State in the USA Today Coaches' Poll
8
Bill Snyder's winning streak against Kansas
9 Drives of ten or more plays for K-State this season
34:17 Average time of possession for the Wildcats, third in the nation
107
Number of football games between Kansas and Kansas State
NSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 6,2009