K-State 5-5 (4-3)
Kansas State is coming off a win against Oklahoma State, but it wasn’t pretty for the Wildcats. The Wildcats lacked offensive consistency and severely suffered in both run and pass blocking situations. The defense, however, was great and a big reason behind the Wildcats’ win. The ‘Cats defense forced five turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown at all last week.
Defensive end Cody Stufflebean forced a fumble last week against Oklahoma State and has been a solid pass rusher for K-State this year. Stufflebean’s career at K-State is winding down, and his play has increased to try and make the most of this final season. Utah has two great offensive tackles, so Stufflebean winning against them will be important for the K-State defense.
K-State tackle Andrew Leingang has played a lot at right tackle this year on an offensive line that has rotated for most of the season. The Wildcats’ offensive line play was not good last Saturday against Oklahoma State, and they will now face a much tougher test against Utah. If Leingang can hold up at tackle, K-State should be a lot more effective this week on offense.
No. 13 Utah 8-2 (5-2)
Utah won last week on the road against Baylor, scoring 55 points. Utah combines an explosive run game from its backfield with a dominant offensive line. In every game Utah has won this year, it has beaten the other team by at least 27 points. K-State will need to control the waves of momentum of Utah to avoid that happening to them.
Offensive tackle Spencer Fano is as good as they come at the college level for offensive linemen. Fano is seen as a future NFL first-round pick when he enters the draft after this season. Fano is good in run situations and a brick wall in pass protection. If the ‘Cats want to pressure the quarterback on defense, they may need to hope to find pass rush in other places.
Defensive end John Henry Daley is one of the top sack men in the Big 12, recording 9.5 sacks so far this season. Despite being just a sophomore, he has a bright future ahead of him at both Utah and the NFL. Daley has two forced fumbles this year, so when he gets to the quarterback, he is looking to take the ball away.
Who to Watch:
KSU: DE Cody Stufflebean, OT Andrew Leingang
Utah: OT Spencer Fano, DE John Henry Daley
Nov. 22 @ 3 p.m. on ESPN2
Prediction: Utah 41-17
Betting: K-State +16.5 (+550 ML) O/U 52.5
K-State:
Yds per carry (YPC): 4.3 yards
Sacks: 22
Turnover Ratio: +10
Average margin of victory(Avg. MOV): 12.6
Utah:
Yds per carry (YPC): 6.2 yards
Sacks: 27
Turnover Ratio: +3
Average margin of victory (Avg. MOV): 35.25
