Ballcox
11-07-2006, 11:59 AM
Should be a good one coming up this Saturday in Manhattan against K State, one of only two teams in the Big XII that we don't have a winning record against (2-2 against them so far). K state kind of looks like the Oklahoma St. of the North division. They're a team that has recently started playing very well, particularly since Freshman QB Josh Freeman has been starting. Very similar to Reid of Ok State, has a strong arm and can also run the ball when needed. He put up some really impressive numbers against Colorado last week, 22-26 for 251yds and 2 TD's, not bad at all. Their offense has also averaged 378yds per game over their last two games. Running attack lead by tandem of Junior RB James Johnson and Fresh. RB Leon Patton, they combine to average 184.7 yards per game on the ground. Defense is lead by DE Ian Campbell who is 7th nationally in sacks and 14th nationally in TFL. They also have some good LB's, lead by Butkus award candidate Brandon Archer (78 tackles) and Zach Diles (75 tackles). Their defense overall is 7th nationally in sacks and 14th nationally in TFL.
To me, this is definitely not the same K State squad from the beginning of the year, and we sure as hell can't overlook them. It will probably be cold this Saturday and it will be imperative for us to establish our running game (which was spotty against Ok. State) and continue our excellent play in stopping the run. I have a feeling that K State will come after Colt, but he's showing he knows how to handle pressure/blitzes and make the correct reads and audibles. Also, very important after watching Ok. State run one back last week is to play well on speical teams. K State is the #1 kick-off return team in the NATION, we have to be aware of that and cover big time on kick-offs. K State probably starts the game with a lot of emotion being in front of their home crowd, we just need to sit tight and play our game. I think the first half will be a bit of a grind, with our superior depth and athletic talent taking over in the 2nd half.
Texas: 31
K State: 17
To me, this is definitely not the same K State squad from the beginning of the year, and we sure as hell can't overlook them. It will probably be cold this Saturday and it will be imperative for us to establish our running game (which was spotty against Ok. State) and continue our excellent play in stopping the run. I have a feeling that K State will come after Colt, but he's showing he knows how to handle pressure/blitzes and make the correct reads and audibles. Also, very important after watching Ok. State run one back last week is to play well on speical teams. K State is the #1 kick-off return team in the NATION, we have to be aware of that and cover big time on kick-offs. K State probably starts the game with a lot of emotion being in front of their home crowd, we just need to sit tight and play our game. I think the first half will be a bit of a grind, with our superior depth and athletic talent taking over in the 2nd half.
Texas: 31
K State: 17