Kansas vs Oklahoma State Football Preview

The Cowboys head to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks after a humiliating defeat the week before.

It’s been a month since Kansas has been able to play in the friendly confines of The Booth, and coming off the bye week, the Jayhawks may be getting healthy again.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State is ranked and was recently near the front of the Big 12 race, but confidence around the Cowboys is waning a bit heading into this matchup.

Opponent Overview

Team: Oklahoma State

Record: 6-2

Line: OSU -2 (opened OSU -5.5)

Team Form

The Cowboys have spent most of the year in the top half of the AP Top 25 poll and have been in the top 10 for more than a month, but a handful of other Big 12 teams have had arguably more shine at various points. OSU started 5-0 before losing in overtime to TCU on the road but then bounced back with a win over Texas. But the Cowboys’ stock is falling fast. And that’s because Oklahoma State got dismantled last week against Kansas State 48-0 in a game in which OSU was outgained 495 to 217.

That loss dropped OSU 10 spots in the polls, and with Kansas potentially getting healthier this week (more to come), the public is no longer looking at the Cowboys the same way (for right or wrong).

Players to Watch

Spencer Sanders has been under center for the Cowboys for four years now but his status is somewhat up in the air after leaving the KSU game with what is being speculated is a shoulder injury. If he can’t go, it would be Mike Gundy’s son Gunnar taking the snaps. Gundy came in for Sanders last Saturday and went 2-7 for 16 yards and an interception.

What makes Sanders a threat is his ability to run as well as stand in the pocket. He’s the second-leading rusher on the team behind Dominic Richardson (who missed the KSU game with a concussion) and each of them have rushed for eight touchdowns so far this season. The Cowboys’ favorite receiver target is Brennan Presley, who has 38 receptions, seven more than any teammate, but he and Bryson Green, John Paul Richardson, and Braydon Johnson (he also missed the KSU game due to injury) have all racked up more than 300 yards receiving so far this year.

OSU has also dealt with quite a few injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well. Brock Martin and Jason Taylor II missed or left the Texas game with injuries but were back against KSU. Taylor is second on the team in tackles and leads the squad in interceptions, while Martin has three sacks and six tackles for loss on the season.

Matchups to Watch

Jalon Daniels has been practicing this week, and that’s big because this is not the shut-down Cowboys defense we’ve come to expect in recent years. OSU is giving up an average of 302.6 yards passing through the air per game, up nearly 100 yards from its average last year. The Cowboys haven’t given up more than 270 yards per game through the air since 2012 and this would be the first time averaging more than 300 yards against through the air this millennium. Basically, what is taking place this year does not happen with Oklahoma State.

If Daniels plays and doesn’t have too much rust from being out, he and the offense could feast.

Prediction

This isn’t the first time Kansas is playing a team coming off being shut out while losing by more than 40 points. This was the situation headed into the Oklahoma game. But in that case, it was a road game where KU was missing its starting quarterback and OU was getting its back.

Now you potentially have the Jayhawks getting Daniels back — not to mention potentially Cobee Bryant — while Sanders is banged up. The fear for Kansas is that the Cowboys just had their pride taken and will be looking to prove themselves again. It’s just tough to guess how this will go with so many questions in key spots.

But if Daniels is back and you factor in the Jayhawks being back at home and coming off a bye week, I like Kansas in a close one to become bowl eligible.

Kansas 38, Oklahoma State 34

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