Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State: Three Key Matchups For Friday Night Matchup
As the Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to host the Kansas State Wildcats on Friday, they're up for quite the challenge. The Wildcats have been efficient on both sides of the football.
"This is the best team we've played overall. We'll really need to step up and compete in all three phases," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said during his weekly presser. "But the players are excited about practicing and their attitudes have been great, so that's been encouraging as a coach."
Both the Cowboys and Wildcats are coming off their bye weeks, which could be a good or bad thing for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys needed the bye week, as they're off to a 2-2 start with nothing but flashes to show for it.
The Wildcats, on the other hand, are 3-1 with just a close loss to Missouri, where they've otherwise looked good.
Here are three key matchups for Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State.
Oklahoma State's Weapons vs. Kansas State defense: The Cowboys' best chance in this game might be to just fight fire with fire. The Wildcats rank No. 14 in scoring across the country, averaging 39.5 points per game. They near 500 total yards per game.
It'll be difficult for the Cowboys to match the Wildcats offense, but they'll have to do their best coming into this one. Jadon Nixon, Ollie Gordon and Brennan Presley are three skill players particularly to keep an eye on in this one.
“We need to get [Brennan Presley] the ball more,” Gundy said of Presley. “He needs to be involved more. When you play outside of the box, it’s more difficult to say, ‘We’re going to get this player so many touches,’ compared to a running back. It’s a little different. But I have mentioned to them that he needs more touches, but he always has a good attitude.”
Oklahoma State linebackers vs. Kansas State offense: Again, the Wildcats offense will be no joke heading into this one. They'll find success both in the air and on the ground to force the Cowboys' hand to keep up.
Averaging 283.8 yards per game through the air, the Wildcats add 198.5 yards per game on the ground. With the Cowboys' 3-3-5 defensive scheme, a lot of pressure will be put on linebackers to finish plays and slow down Kansas State's offense.
Will Howard vs. Oklahoma State secondary: The Cowboys haven't gotten but two takeaways this season -- an interception from Lyrik Rawls and a fumble recovery from Kendal Daniels.
Howard has eight touchdowns to his four interceptions this season. If the Cowboys' secondary can come away with a couple of takeaways, this game could look much, much different.
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