K-State tries to break a devastating late-season skid.
The last two games? Horrible. Embarrassing, even.
Can K-State reverse that trend and get to ten wins? We don’t know, but tonight will be the first step.
The Game
The no longer ranked Kansas State Wildcats (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) host the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-5, 3-4 Big 12).
Although there’s a long and storied history between the two schools on the hardwood, this is only the seventh meeting between the two schools in football. Cincinnati won the first four tussles, two pairs of home-and-homes in 1951-52 and 1965-66. But the Cats swept another home-and-home in 1995-96; the first of those being the thrilling last-second touchdown pass by the late Matt Miller to Kevin Lockett which secured a 23-21 win in Cincinnati, the other a 31-0 blowout in Manhattan.
The Bearcats have had a frustrating season. Three of their five losses have been within a touchdown, including an agonizing one-point loss to Pitt in week two and a three-point loss to Texas Tech in October. Their wins have included K-State’s last two opponents: a hard-fought victory over Arizona State in their best outing of the year, as well a blowout win over Houston.
Scott Satterfield is in his second year at the helm in Cincinnati, having replaced Luke Fickell when he pranced off to Wisconsin. Satterfield’s record in Cincinnati is only 8-14; he began his head coaching career with a 51-24 run at Appalachian State before heading to Louisville and basically being a .500 coach.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2,453 yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions) could present problems for the Wildcats, although he’s not as dangerous a threat to run as the last two signal-callers K-State has faced, so pressure might be more effective. That said, he’s a bull at the goal line, having run for eight scores. Sorsby has two strong targets in wideout Xzavier Henderson (52 catches for 632 yards) and tight end Joe Royer (42 for 477). Running back Corey Kiner has 903 yards at a 5.4 per carry clip; he’s adequately spelled by Evan Pryor, who’s rolling up over eight yards a carry, 381 yards overall.
The Bearcats are putting 27.4 points on the board per game, giving up 24.4; they’re gaining 430 yards a game while giving up 386.
If K-State were playing well, this game would be a lock. But they’re not, and it’s not. There’s a real danger of sliding to a third straight loss if the mistakes of the last two outings continue.
Kickoff
Saturday, November 23, 7:00pm CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000) in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tickets
Again, the game is officially a sellout, though there are still some standing room tickets available. There are a lot of third-party tickets out there, and they’re cheap — as low as $5, and it’s not just a handful. The top end is “only” $129, and the median is only $20.
Weather
You don’t want to head to an early morning tailgate. It’s still under 40°F as of 8am. But temps will climb into the 50s by 11am, and the afternoon will be in the low 60s. Expect 50° and cloudy at kickoff, and it won’t get too much colder before you head home. Windchill will be in the high 40s.
Odds
K-State opened as -7.5 point favorites, and according to our friends at DraftKings it’s now -8.5 with the over at 54. Math says that’s a 31-23 win for K-State. The money line is -298 for K-State, +240 for the Bearcats. Oddshark’s computer doesn’t disagree much, projecting a bit more scoring in a 34-26 win for the Wildcats.
Television
ESPN2, with Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler on the call.
Radio
As always, Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Walters will be on hand on the K-State Sports Network as well as via satellite on SiriusXM 160 or 198.
Internet Streaming
The game will stream on the ESPN app (cable/satellite subscription required). Audio available via kstatesports.com. Live stats provided by StatBroadcast.
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