Kansas State @ North Texas preview
Fouts Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2008 ) North Texas 6, Kansas State 45
Kansas State would like to go to a bowl game for the first time since 2006. North Texas would like to win its first home game of the season and end the Fouts Field era with a victory despite a down year.
All of it will go down Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) travel south to face the Mean Green (3-8, 3-5 Sun Belt) for the first time. The previous five games have all been in Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State goes into the game looking to snap a two-game losing skid after a head-scratching 44-36 loss at Colorado last week.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, only to see it dwindle and eventually become a 23-14 lead for Colorado by halftime. In the second half, K-State never regained the lead.
The Wildcats’ rushing game didn’t fare well, as Daniel Thomas had 58 yards on 14 carries and starting quarterback Collin Klein added 36 yards on 12 carries, including two scoring runs.
Outside of the rushing struggles, Klein also struggled at quarterback. In fact, Carson Coffman replaced Klein midway through the game, and finished 16 of 23 for 270 yards and two touchdowns.
For the North Texas game, Coffman is currently listed ahead of Klein on the depth chart.
Outside of the quarterback controversy, K-State also has issues with its defense. The Wildcats have one of the worst rushing defenses in the country, and it showed against Colorado. The Buffaloes finished the game with 251 yards on the ground, including 195 from Rodney Stewart.
The Wildcats’ defense did have a few bright spots, headlined by defensive back David Garrett, who finished with 16 tackles, including 12 solo tackles. And K-State junior linebacker Alex Hrebec could return to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with an arm injury. He is listed as questionable.
North Texas, meanwhile, might be able to take advantage of K-State’s poor rushing defense. North Texas junior running back Lance Dunbar has rushed for 1,283 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards a carry, this season.
But North Texas isn’t likely to stay in this game very long, as it is a 14-point underdog. And this season will largely be viewed as a disappointment after the Mean Green entered it with high aspirations. In the final year of Fouts Field, North Texas hasn’t won a home game, fired its head coach midway through the season and will finish with another losing season.
However, it’s worth noting that interim head coach Mike Canales has led North Texas to a 2-2 record in his four games since taking over for Todd Dodge.