Kansas State @ Texas Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2018 ) Texas Tech 6, Kansas State 21

Kansas State has dropped two in a row to tumble from the national rankings, and a home loss to a sub-.500 team last weekend hurt. The Wildcats will try to stop the slide and clinch a winning record in head coach Chris Klieman's first season when they visit Texas Tech on Saturday night.

After winning three straight - including an upset of Oklahoma - to rise as high as 20th in the country, Kansas State first dropped a close one at Texas before a painful 24-20 setback against a West Virginia team that had lost five in a row. "Obviously a disappointing loss - a game West Virginia deserved," Klieman told reporters after the game. "They outplayed us and, that being said, we had an opportunity late in the game to almost steal a victory. Disappointed in a number of things but obviously you have to move on." The Red Raiders trounced the Mountaineers 38-17 two weekends ago at West Virginia before falling to TCU 33-31 at home. Texas Tech will need to win Saturday and the following Friday at Texas to gain bowl eligibility in coach Matt Wells' first season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Texas Tech -2.5

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (6-4, 3-4 Big 12): Junior quarterback Skylar Thompson threw a pair of interceptions against West Virginia - including one near the goal line in the closing seconds - after tossing only one pick through the first nine games. "The one guy I'm not worried about is Skylar Thompson," Klieman told the media this week. "He comes to battle every day in practice, on game day. (He's a) great leader. We've got the right guy under center, that's for sure." Thompson, who threw for 213 yards and a touchdown in last season's 21-6 win over Texas Tech, is tied for third in the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns with 10.

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (4-6, 2-5): The Red Raiders' last four losses have come by an average of 4.5 points and they took pride in rallying from an early 21-point deficit against TCU to take the lead before a late field goal did them in. "It's another fourth-quarter loss," Wells told reporters. "And I promise you, we're gonna keep knocking on that door. We're going to keep knocking on that door and we're going to knock it in. And when we get to that point where you learn how to finish a game, this program's going to win a lot of games." Junior quarterback Jett Duffey tied his career high with four touchdown passes while running for a team-high 42 yards in the loss.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Duffey is averaging 330.5 passing yards over his last six games and he has 14 TD passes with three interceptions in that span.

2. Wildcats senior WR Dalton Schoen had a season-high 84 receiving yards last week, his highest total since he recorded 103 at Texas Tech on Nov. 4, 2017.

3. Kansas State took seven of the last eight meetings.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 31, Kansas State 28