Last week’s 36-30 loss to Texas puts Oklahoma State’s backs firmly against the wall in the conference championship race. Another loss would make it extremely difficult to make it to Arlington in early December. Enter the undefeated Kansas State Wildcats who found themselves ranked inside the AP Top 25 this week.
Each of the past six games played between OSU and K-State, in Stillwater, have been one-possession games, with the Cowboys finding a way to win five of them. Here are ten things you may not know about Saturday’s game.
10. The Series
Saturday’s game marks the 66th meeting between Oklahoma State and Kansas State. OSU holds a 39-26 all-time advantage in the series, including a 21-10 edge on games played in Stillwater. The Cowboys have won six of the past 10 meetings in the series, as well as five of the past six matchups in Stillwater. Coach Mike Gundy is 6-5 in his career against K-State, while KSU coach Chris Klieman is facing the Cowboys for the first time in his career.
9. What’s On The Line
A win for the Wildcats would make K-State 4-0 for the 18th time in school history, the 12th time since 1993 and the first time since 2012.
8. Among The Nation’s Best
The Cowboys rank No. 11 nationally in total offense, No. 10 in rushing offense, No. 12 in scoring offense and No. 6 in third down conversion percentage.
7. Out Of Nowhere!
Kansas State went from unranked and not receiving votes in either the Amway Coaches Poll or AP Top 25 the fi rst three weeks of 2019 to being ranked No. 22 in the Coaches poll and 24th in the AP poll this week.
6. Dynamic Duo
OSU has two of the most explosive offensive players in the nation: running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace. Hubbard is the FBS leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and rushing yards per game. Wallace is the Big 12 leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards per game, ranking among the top six nationally in each of those categories as well.
5. Grinding It Out
Thanks to grad transfers James Gilbert and Jordon Brown, Kansas State’s offense has been propelled by a rushing attack that has averaged 280.0 yards per game to rank seventh in the nation. The Wildcats also have 12 rushing touchdowns to tie for seventh nationally in rushing scores after tallying only 20 rushing scores a year ago.
4. Young Gun
Oklahoma State freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders ranks No. 2 among FBS quarterbacks with 328 rushing yards and No. 2 among Power Five freshmen with 14.35 yards per completion.
3. A Challenging Defense
The K-State defense has been one of the nation’s best through four weeks as the Wildcats rank second in third down defense (16.1%), second in passing defense (118.7 yds/gm), ninth in total defense (256.0 yds/gm) and 13th in scoring defense (12.7 points/gm).
2. Getting It Done!
OSU linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez and Amen Ogbongbemiga stand out, leading the team with 38 and 36 total tackles, respectively. Rodriguez ranks No. 31 in the FBS with 9.5 tackles per game while Ogbongbemiga ranks No. 24 with 5.8 solo tackles per game.
1. Perhaps The Most Overlooked Stat
Through four weeks of play, Kansas State is the only team in the nation that has not lost a turnover on offense. Of the Wildcats’ four lost fumbles this year, three are on punt returns and one is on an interception return.
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