Primetime College Football: Wildcats vs Huskers
TALENT
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3) are 4-2 in league action and will close out the regular season altogether with a trip to Colorado on November 27th. The team was on the road last weekend and turned that experience into a 31-17 triumph against the Kansas Jayhawks.
As for Kansas State (6-5), it has alternated wins and losses over the last four outings as the 6-5 team approaches the end of the regular season. Last week, KSU was throttled by Missouri in a 38-12 final, as the ‘Cats dropped to 4-3 in conference.
The Huskers hold a significant lead in the all-time series with K-State at 76-15-2 entering play this season.
Quarterback Grant Gregory hit on 21-of-30 passes for 239 yards, adding 32 points on the ground, while Daniel Thomas checked in with 79 yards on 23 attempts against Missouri. KSU ranks last in the conference and 105th in the nation at the moment with only 170.9 ypg passing. As a group the Wildcats have just 7 passing scores and 7 interceptions thus far. Thomas has been the top performer for the squad this season with his 1,166 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Coach Bill Snyder’s Wildcats have trouble tackling for loss as they rank second-to-last in the conference and 99th in the nation with just 4.7 per contest. Sacks are also somewhat of a rarity for the group with just 1.64 per outing, ranking K-State 10th in the Big 12 and 84th nationally this week. Emmanuel Lamur, who leads the program with his 61 tackles, has three interceptions and a pair of blocked kicks to his credit thus far.
Roy Helu finished last week with 28 carries for a game-high 156 yards and 3 touchdowns. The team’s rushing attack accounted for 214 yards on 42 attempts, while Zac Lee converted 13- of-21 passes for another 196 yards as well. Although he didn’t make it into the end zone, Niles Paul had 4 catches for 154 yards and leads the team with his 29 catches for 567 yards, while Helu handles the ground attack for the Huskers with his 962 yards and 9 touchdowns, averaging almost six yards per attempt for a team that is averaging less than four and a half yards per rush and is coming up with only 152.4 ypg.
Coach Bo Pelini’s Huskers currently own the top scoring defense in the conference and the third-best squad in the nation this week, permitting a mere 11 ppg. Five times this squad has given up less than 10 points on the campaign, turning the trick three times in the first four games of the season. Leaders on the unit include Jared Crick 9 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and Ndamukong Suh 5 sacks, 13 tackle for loss, three blocked kicks.
PICK: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers
Primetime College Football: Wildcats vs Sooners
TALENT
The Sooners look to build off a dominating victory while trying for a fourth straight win over visiting Big 12 North leader Kansas State.
The post-Bradford Era begins against Kansas State (5-3, 3-1), the North’s surprise leader which has dropped three straight to Oklahoma since a 35-7 win at Norman on Dec. 6, 2003. Road dates against Nebraska and Texas Tech, plus home games versus Texas A&M and No. 13 Oklahoma State follow on the Sooners’ schedule.
Third in the Big 12 South, Oklahoma (4-3, 2-1) rolled to a 35-13 victory at Kansas, moves on with improving freshman quarterback Landry Jones, who’s thrown for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions in six games. Receiver Ryan Broyles is one of his favorite targets and the team leader with 36 receptions and eight touchdowns.
Jones benefits from a dominating Oklahoma defense, sixth in nation allowing 264.9 yards per contest. Though coach Bob Stoops Sooners allowed 550 yards in a 58-35 win at Kansas State last season, the Wildcats are averaging 15.5 points per game while going 1-3 on the road, compared to 38.0 at home where they’re 4-0.
Offensively, running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray hope for another big game against Kansas State. While the pair has combined for 830 yards this season after each rushed for more than 1,000 yards a year ago, Brown ran for 142 yards and Murray 104 with two TDs versus the Wildcats last season.
Oklahoma has averaged 44.0 points during its three-game winning streak over Kansas State, which begins a rough final stretch that concludes with games against Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Though coach Bill Snyder Wildcats have allowed 44 total points at home this season, it’s giving up an average of 32.3 on the road. Since early losses at Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA, the Wildcats have won three of four. One week after a 62-14 rout of Texas A&M, Kansas State beat Colorado 20-6 last Saturday to take a one-game lead over Iowa State in the North.
After allowing 739 yards in a 66-14 loss at Texas Tech on Oct. 10, Kansas State has dominated the first half the past two weeks, leading Texas A&M and Colorado by a combined 58-6. The Wildcats have forced 10 turnovers and recorded nine sacks in those contests after getting six the first six games.
Kansas State’s running game has been a big part of its recent success. The Wildcats are second in league averaging 186.5 yards on the ground and 218.0 in their last two games. Averaging 101.8 yards per game, junior Daniel Thomas rushed for a career-high 145 yards and a TD on 20 carries against Colorado.
Kansas State, which hasn’t started 4-1 in league play since 1999, has lost four in a row against ranked opponents since winning 41-21 at then-No.7 Texas on Sept. 29, 2007.
PICK: University of Oklahoma Sooners
