The Kansas Wildcats and the #7 Stanford Cardinal will get down and dirty on Friday, September 2nd at 9:00 p.m. ET at Stanford Stadium in sunny California. The game is going to be shown on Fox Sports 1. The Cardinal comes into this game as a -16.5 favorite to capture the victory. Las Vegas also set the over/under at 48, which is up two points up from when it opened.
Kansas State:
The Wildcats suffered through an injury plagued 6-7 campaign. This year, Kansas State will have both of their starting quarterbacks at their disposal. Jesse Ertz and Alex Delton are back. Even though the squad was banged up for most of the 2016 season. they still managed to average 29.9 points per game.
The offensive productivity was good enough for a 58th position in the national rankings. On defense, they digressed and allowed a paltry 31.5 points a game which placed the Wildcats at a disappointing 93rd in the country.
Jesse Ertz hasn’t attempted a single pass in an NCAA college football contest, but coach Bill Snyder said his consistency in camp gave him the starting nod. Joe Hubener and Alex Delton will be waiting in the wings to get their chance to shine against the Wildcats.
Kansas State has plenty of questions involving the inexperienced receiving corps. Junior college transfer Byron Pringle shined in the spring game and will be relied upon to make a difference. Running back Charles Jones will be asked to carry most of the load out of the backfield. Last year he racked almost 700 yards and five scores. He also averaged a respectable 4.9 yards a carry.
The Wildcats might not end up becoming the Big 12’s best defense statistically, but it should be right up there. The Wildcats return some gifted linebackers and a terrific front seven. Linebackers Elijah Lee and Will Davis along with All-Conference safety Dante Barnett, spearhead a defense that’s starting ten upperclassmen.
Stanford:
Ryan Burns is a 6-foot-5 senior who has thrown one college pass in his career. He earned the spot over junior Keller Chryst after both battled to replace four-year starter Kevin Hogan. Burns should have plenty of support at the skilled positions.
Wide receivers Michael Rector and Trenton Irwin return along with Dalton Schultz. Schultz was key in the play-action passing role. He caught 10 balls for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinal put up 37.8 points a game which was good enough for 18th in the nation. In fact, the offense was in the top half of Division I football in every category.
There was little doubt how the Stanford offense preferred to move the rock. The Cardinal ran the ball to the tune of 223 yards a game which ranked them 19th in the country. Once again, all eyes will be on Christian McCaffrey.
Christian McCaffrey was absolutely amazing in 2015. He broke Barry Sanders’ record for all-purpose yards in a season (3,864) and finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy race. There is little doubt that he will receive the lion share of the touches this year. This kid is amazing and can score from anywhere on the field.
Stanford only created 14 turnovers last year, but a physical defense returns six of it’s starters. Junior defensive end Solomon Thomas, who had an impressive 10 1/2 tackles for loss last season is back. On defense, they once again ranked at the top of the nation giving up only 22.6 points a contest. That placed the Cardinal in the 32nd spot nationally. However, there was also a weakness on defense that can’t be overlooked. The Cardinal ranked 67th in the country in average yards per rush at 4.32.
Match-Up Analysis:
If this was last year, this game could go Stanford’s way in a hurry, The depleted Wildcats never got the offensive ball rolling last season due to major injuries in key positions. That’s not going to be the case on Friday.
The Cardinal dominated the gridiron last year and they will be in the race for first place in the Pac-12 South Division. The difference maker in this contest is that Kansas State should also be able to capitalize on the run. That is precisely where the Cardinal’s will be at their weakest.
I like the Cardinal to win and Christian McCaffrey to have his moments, but Kansas State should be able to keep them somewhat one dimensional. With a new quarterback in a more complicated system, Stanford won’t see the end-zone that many times. The Wildcats aren’t going to light up the scoreboard either but can muster enough to grind out a close one. I’m thinking dog here.
The Hun’s Prediction:
Kansas State +16.5
