The Wildcats (+8.5) are gearing up to welcome their conference foe No. 18 Texas Longhorns (-8.5) to Kansas State. FS1 has the TV rights and this critical afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview
Kansas State is a big underdog in this Big 12 game and is currently being given 8.5 points. The Longhorns are also receiving -350 moneyline odds while the Wildcats are +270. Should one side can create a bunch of points early on, it will probably result in a worthy in-game betting opportunity.
The game’s line initially opened at 7 and the public has been hammering the Longhorns.
The Longhorns are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.8 units so far. The team has recorded an Over-Under mark of 2-2. The Wildcats are down 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-2.
The Longhorns have gone 3-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Wildcats are 2-2 SU overall and are also 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Longhorns are coming off a resounding 31-16 win over TCU last week. The Longhorns defense allowed the Horned Frogs to rush for 141 yards on 32 attempts. Offensively, Sam Ehlinger completed 22 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Watson (58 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Ehlinger (11 yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the ground attack. Collin Johnson (seven receptions, 124 yards, one TD) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (four catches, 77 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Kansas State just lost a brutal 35-6 game to West Virginia. As a group, the Wildcats collectively completed 18-of-29 passes for 227 yards. Skylar Thompson went 11-for-17 for 145 yards while Alex Delton was seven-of-12 for 82 yards. Thompson (18 yards on 12 rush attempts) and Alex Barnes (49 yards on 12 carries) spearheaded the running game while Isaiah Zuber (10 receptions, 133 yards) and Dalton Schoen (three catches, 64 yards) led the Kansas State pass-catchers in the loss.
Texas has run the ball on 57.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kansas State has a rush percentage of 62.5 percent. The Longhorns have produced 164 rush yards per game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Wildcats are totaling 156 rushing yards per game and have two total rush TDs.
The Longhorns offensive scheme has averaged 247 yards in the air overall and has eight passing TDs so far. The Wildcats have produced 191 pass yards per outing and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, Texas has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 117 yards and pass for 245 yards per game. The Kansas State defense has allowed 231.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 178.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Longhorns are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.97 to opponents, while the Wildcats have given up a 5.90 ANY/A.
Offensively, Ehlinger is up to 755 passing yards this year, and has completed 64-of-98 attempts with six scores through the air and two interceptions. He’s got a 7.48 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.43 over the last two games.
Collin Johnson (220 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns on the year), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (268 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Tre Watson (184 rush yards, one rush TD, one TD) have each played big roles lately.
On the other sideline, Skylar Thompson has completed 26-of-48 passes for 292 yards, two TDs and one INT. Thompson’s ANY/A stands at 5.06 for the year and 9.71 over his last two outings.
Isaiah Zuber, Alex Barnes and Dalton Schoen have combined for 519 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns as a trio over the last two outings.
When these two squads faced one another a year ago, Texas won by a pair of field goals 40-34.
Free Pick: Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas State Wildcats
SU Winner – Texas, ATS Winner – Texas
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Texas was getting 3 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 50. The under cashed and Texas covered in the 31-16 win over TCU.
As a team, Texas has averaged 3.66428571428571 yards per rush attempt over its last three contests and 2.9 over its last two.
Kansas State has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 3.2 over its last two.
Kansas State has lost five fumbles this season while Texas has lost three.
In its last three contests, Texas is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Kansas State was favored by 15 points in its last match and the O/U was set at 61.5. The under cashed and Kansas State did not cover in the 35-6 defeat to West Virginia.
Over its last three matches, Kansas State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Each team has produced three pass plays of 40+ yards. The Longhorns have have made 11 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Wildcats have accounted for six such plays.
The Texas defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Kansas State has given up two such plays.
The Texas offense has created two rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Kansas State has created six such runs.
The Longhorns defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Wildcats have given up six such runs.
The Texas defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks four times this year. Kansas State has registered three sacks.
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