The reeling Texas Longhorns will look to snap out of their recent funk when they battle Big 12 rival Kansas State on Saturday in Austin. This weekend's meeting between the Longhorns and Wildcats is scheduled to get underway at 8:00pm ET at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium; it will be broadcast live on ABC. Early NCAA College Football Odds have Mack Brown's squad listed as a -5.5 against the spread home favorite.
Kansas State's season got off to a rocky start as North Dakota State, one of the top FCS teams in the country, stunned the Wildcats 24-21 in Manhattan. Kansas State, one of the better rushing teams in the nation in 2012, finished the night with just 41 yards on the ground.
Bill Snyder's troops regrouped the following weekend to get a win and cover against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Wildcats still saw their vaunted ground game struggle some against the Ragin Cajuns, though.
K-State produced 149 rush yards on 37 carries for a modest four yards per carry average, and those numbers were saved by backup quarterback Daniel Sams, who tallied a team high 63 yards on eight carries.
Texas saw its season start in fine fashion with Mack Brown's squad pounding New Mexico State 56-7, but things turned south quickly for the Longhorns following their shellacking of the Aggies.
Texas got steamrolled 21-40 in a week two meeting with the Cougars of BYU in Provo, and it returned home last weekend only to suffer a similar whipping at the hands of No. 21 Mississippi.
The Longhorns defense, which returned nine starters and 23 lettermen from last year's unit, was the main culprit in those two setbacks as it allowed a staggering 822 rush yards to the Cougars and Rebels on 117 carries (7.0 ypc).
Despite Kansas State's weakened ground game, those numbers have to bring a smile to Snyder's face. While the celebrated coach has elected to start junior college transfer Jake Waters this season, Texas should a expect to see the speedy Sams under center early and often on Saturday.
Series Notes: The Wildcats, who have won five straight against the Longhorns, are 7-2 straight up and 8-1 against the spread in the last nine meetings between these two conference rivals.
NCAA College Football Odds Kansas State vs Texas
Kansas State Wildcats +5.5 (-115)
Texas Longhorns -5.5 (-105)
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