The Kansas State Wildcats will host the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for son Big-12 Conference football this weekend. The game is scheduled to get underway on Saturday, November 11th at 3:30 p.m. EST. The intriguing match-up can also be seen on the Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Go networks. As of this write-up, line setters have the Wildcats as a slight -2.5 point favorite with the contest’s total set at 62.5 points.
The Mountaineers went 1-1 in their two home games against the Cowboys and the Cyclones. Last week, they couldn’t score in the second half, but the defense held on for a 20-16 victory. Even still, West Virginia’s offense lit up the Iowa State defense for 524 yards. Furthermore, they did it with a good balance of run and pass.
Just when the college football world thought the Wildcats may be down for the count, Bill Snyder’s Kansas State team bounced back with two consecutive road victories. Their last victim was the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock last Saturday. In that contest, the Wildcats amassed 408 total yards, 24 first downs, and converted 6-of-11 third-downs. As a result, they defeated the Red Raiders 42-35 in overtime.
Last year when these two programs faced-off, the Mountaineers came away with a close 17-16 win over Kansas State. The triumph was the first in four tries since the Big-12 Conference was realigned.
Kansas State Wildcats (5-4)
The Kansas State Wildcats are trying for a third straight win to become bowl eligible for the eighth year in a row. Furthermore, the Wildcats have won eight of their last 11 games in the Little Apple. The victory in Texas last weekend was the culmination of a total team effort from both sides of the ball.
Offensively, the Wildcats’ quarterback duo of Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson combined for 18-of-28 passing completions for 263 yards. They also had two touchdowns but one pick from Delton. Thompson was responsible for one rushing score and one through the air.Starter Jesse Ertz has been sidelined with a knee injury for the last four weeks and it is uncertain if he will guide the offense against West Virginia.
Another problem the Wildcats are facing is they aren’t getting a whole lot of help from their running backs to compliment Jesse Ertz. Alex Barnes and Alex Delton have combined for almost 200 runs for just over 900 yards and 10 scores. That is simply not enough when you are trying to keep up with some of the conference’s high-powered attacks.
Three wideouts do about 80 percent of the damage against opposing secondaries when the Wildcats take to the air. Together, the trio has reeled in just under 80 passes for over 1,200 yards and nine scores. Byron Pringle leads the squad with 511 yards and three scores. Isaiah Zuber leads the group with 38 catches and he also has found the end zone three times.
Overall, the Kansas State defense has done its job and been pretty good keeping teams off of the scoreboard. As of this article, the back half sits 126th in the country allowing almost 295 yards a game. Ouch. The front seven is stout, holding teams to only 126 yards on the ground (25th). The Kansas State defense is surrendering only 24 points a game in 2017.
West Virginia Mountaineers (6-3)
The Mountaineers have already secured a spot for bowl season but a win in Manhatten could push them up the charts in hopes for a nice payday at the end of the year. To do so, they will have to play the same kind of defense they did in the second half against Iowa State. They also will need to keep their offensive juggernaut rolling by taking advantage of one of the weakest secondaries in the country.
Florida transfer quarterback Will Grier has been absolutely outstanding in the Mountaineers offense this season. Grier has thrown for over 3,000 yards passing yards and 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Last week, it more of the same from the hot-handed thrower. Grier completed 80 percent of his passes for 316 yards with two scores and one interception. He should have a field day against the porous Wildcats’ secondary.
Running backs Justin Crawford and Kennedy McCoy are doing the best they can to keep the offense balanced for the Mountaineers. Together, the two tailbacks have rushed for nearly 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns. Crawford has been especially productive, rushing for over 100 yards in five of his last six contests. He also has a team-high seven rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Will Grier isn’t afraid to tuck the ball and run with it either. He also has chipped in 126 yards and two more trips to the end zone.
The Mountaineers are also finding plenty of teamwork from four different wideouts. Gary Jennings and David Sills V are the two that stand out to me. Together, the two have caught 120 passes together and both have found the back of the end zone. Jennings is the possession guy who leads the team with 69 catches. Sills V is Will Grier’s favorite choice in the red zone. The outstanding receiver has been brutal on opposing cornerbacks, catching 16 touchdowns on the year with 793 yards on the year.
The West Virginia defense did a good job stopping the Cyclones’ offense last week. That has to be settling, as they will face a similar offense when they play the Wildcats this weekend on the road. They are very weak against the run, ranking 99th in the nation, surrendering 193 yards per game. The secondary is worse, allowing 254 yards a game which is 101st in the FBS.
Prediction
Las Vegas has set this game’s over/under at 62 and I think that is completely playable. The Kansas State Wildcats love to run the football and the Mountaineers struggle in that department. Also, West Virginia loves to throw the football and the Wildcats couldn’t cover you or I if we were out on the field. The combination of the two makes for a high-scoring affair in the Little Apple this weekend. Take the over 62 and cheer these two offenses on in another Big-12 barnburner. #moneytreesgrow @EriktheHun
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Trends
The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.
The Over is 6-2-1 in the Mountaineers last 9 games overall.
The Wildcats are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win.
The Over is 6-2 in the Wildcats last 8 home games.
Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
