The Kansas State Wildcats and No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers will go at it on the turf at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. ESPN will televise the action and this key afternoon matchup is scheduled to get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Kansas State Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Preview
The Wildcats approach this Saturday Big 12 game as a big dog here and they’re currently getting 17 points. If they are wanting to take the moneyline, bettors would currently need to put down $1,200 in order to win $100 back on the Mountaineers (-1200). The Wildcats are getting +710 moneyline odds. There might be multiple decent live betting opportunities for this game, and oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 60 points.
Early action has swayed in favor of the Mountaineers, as the line opened at -14. The game’s O/U has yet to move after it was set initially at 60.
The Wildcats have gained 0.0 units so far in 2018 and are 1-2 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 1-1. The Mountaineers have gained 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-0 ATS and also have an O/U record of 1-1.
The Wildcats have gone 2-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Big 12 competition yet. The Mountaineers are 2-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Wildcats are coming off a resounding 41-17 win over UTSA last week. Skylar Thompson completed 13 passes on 18 attempts for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson (66 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) also led the running attack in the win and was complemented by Alex Barnes (50 yards on 13 carries, one TD). Isaiah Zuber (seven receptions, 144 yards, two TDs) and Zach Reuter (two catches, 45 yards) shared the receiving duties.
West Virginia just picked up a 52-17 win over Youngstown State two weeks ago. The defense allowed the Penguins to rush for 136 yards on 36 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Zach Farrar was a bright spot in the defeat for Youngstown State, recording 135 yards on six catches. For West Virginia, Will Grier completed 21-of-26 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Leddie Brown (115 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) and Martell Pettaway (77 yards on 12 carries) handled the ground game in the win as Marcus Simms (eight receptions, 119 yards) and Gary Jennings Jr. (six catches, 97 yards, three TDs) led the pass-catching corps.
Kansas State has run the ball on 64.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while West Virginia has an overall rush percentage of 53.7 percent. The Wildcats have rushed for 178 yards/game and have two touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Mountaineers are averaging 204 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then the Mountaineers may hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has generated 5.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.6 to opponents. The Wildcats have recorded 4.2 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 6.1 to opponents.
The Wildcats offense has averaged 179 yards in the air overall and has five passing TDs so far. The Mountaineers have recorded a ridiculous 383 pass yards per game and have nine total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kansas State has allowed 201 rush yards and 189 pass yards per game. The West Virginia defense has allowed 164.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 132.5 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.08 to opponents, while the Mountaineers have given up a 5.94 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thompson is up to 274 passing yards this season, and has connected on 66 percent of his 32 attempts with three passing scores and one interception. He’s got a 7.22 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.68 over the last two games.
Will Grier has completed 21-of-26 passes for 332 yards, four TDs and one INT for West Virginia. His ANY/A stands at 13.44 for the year and 14.10 over his past two games.
When these two schools met a year ago, West Virginia got the victory 28-23.
Free Pick: Kansas State Wildcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
SU Winner – West Virginia, ATS Winner – West Virginia, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The West Virginia D has sacked opposing quarterbacks three times this year. Kansas State has recorded two sacks.
West Virginia has lost one fumble this season while the Kansas State offense has let four get away.
Each team has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Wildcats have have made four pass plays of 30+ yards while the Mountaineers have created eight such plays.
The Kansas State defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 yards or more, while West Virginia has given up two such plays.
The Kansas State offense has created six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while West Virginia has created five such runs.
The Wildcats defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have given up three such runs.
West Virginia was favored by 33 points in its previous match and the O/U was set at 63.5. The over cashed and West Virginia covered in that 52-17 victory over Youngstown State.
Kansas State was favored by 20 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 46.5. The over cashed and Kansas State covered in the 41-17 win over UTSA.
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