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Game Week- Kansas State

Wulaw Horn

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Wulaw Horn

Wulaw Horn 18980

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So, Kansas State Week  

oddly enough we couldn’t buy a win against these yokels when we were good, and now that we’ve been circling the drain for a decade plus we’ve stopped having problems with them. 
At any rate- it’s a road game and we are terrible at those, which is awesome, because our season is hanging by a thread. 
I don’t have a ton of confidence after seeing pretty shitty football for the last 2 games but perhaps the bye week will be helpful. 
Post all your game week news, thought and information here. 
I will have another thread for predictions and free money giveaway elsewhere. 

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gmr548

gmr548 16512

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Just a potential Game 7 of the WS starting an hour later 

Don’t feel like that’s going to be necessary. Either the Astros being better or the Phillies being hot is going to end it before then.

As for the football game, there’s no reason to think this won’t be a repeat of pretty much every other time Sark’s gone on the road against a B12 team, so of course Texas will win by 20 or something for the lolz.
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BigOrange1

BigOrange1 6422

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just a massive game for the trajectory of the program.  with a win, we:

  • get a road win over a ranked opponent
  • stay alive in the big 12 championship game race
  • go into next week's home game against (likely still) undefeated, top 10 tcu with some momentum
  • are one step closer to an 8-4, possibly 9-3 season that every single one of us would have taken before the season
  • regain some of the momentum the program had in early-mid october
  • prevent a lot of toxicity that always pops up around here whenever we lose

i think the program is improving overall, but its time to get a meaningful road win to help cement that feeling.  

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Atticus

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Bowl eligibility, road game woes, more wins than last year

Hopefully we see more skill guys ready to contribute on both sides of the ball, Whittington is banged up and Worthy can't be the focal point. KState has some really good linebackers so we gotta have a lot of success up front in this game to run the ball well.

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Hookem2147

Hookem2147 20932

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1 hour ago, Atticus said:

KState has some really good linebackers so we gotta have a lot of success up front in this game to run the ball well.

Their middle linebacker Daniel Green missed the OSU game with an injury. He’s a solid player and if he can’t play again Saturday that is notable.

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Codaxx

Codaxx 5602

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1 hour ago, Atticus said:

Bowl eligibility, road game woes, more wins than last year

Hopefully we see more skill guys ready to contribute on both sides of the ball, Whittington is banged up and Worthy can't be the focal point. KState has some really good linebackers so we gotta have a lot of success up front in this game to run the ball well.

Texas will need a consistent run game to beat KSU. Not the boom and bust that the run game has been. Like to see Sark get Billingsley, Sanders, and Bijan matched up on KSU LBs in the pass game. Dial back the desire for explosive plans and find an efficient short/medium passing game that opens up the deep ball 

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Xcalibur

Xcalibur 546

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I have some thoughts.

The spread is correct.  Texas should be favored, and we will likely win comfortably.  Vegas knows what it's doing, and I expect the public to hammer KSU and lose their ass on the game this week.  I'm going to confidently take Texas and any points we're laying.

Reading too much into KSU's 48-0 win over OkSt is a fool's errand.  For reference, we beat OU 49-0 and then immediately struggled with the same ISU team that OU just dominated.  The transitive property in college football means fuck all.  Carrying KSU's big win over OkSt to draw the conclusion that Texas has no chance this week lacks all foundational support.  There are multiple reasons for this. 

First, Texas is not a bad team.  I know how much some of you shell-shocked fucks love to hate on Sark and self-soothe yourself after a loss by screaming dumpster fire, but the reality is that Texas went on the road last week against a top 15 team playing out of their minds, endured a whole crew of corrupt officiating stacking the deck (14 penalties to 0, LOL right), played its absolute nadir on offense, had a 60-yard qb run that likely results in a game winning 2-point try conveniently negated on a phantom holding call, and still only lost by 7.  We are a very good team, and our quarterback is a true freshman.  Shit happens.

Second, you have to understand how bad OkSt played against KSU. They were as bad against KSU on Saturday as our offense was against OkSt last week.  They lost turnovers 3-0, were 5/15 on 3rd down, and were 1/4 on 4th down.  Against OkSt, we threw 3 interceptions, were 3/17 on 3rd down, and were 0/2 on 4th down.  Both performances were marked by receivers routinely running the wrong routes, inexplicable drops, atypically poor quarterback decision-making, and untimely penalties.  These were seasonal lows, extraordinary outliers, and extremely unlikely to be seen again this year.  This is what variance looks like.  It's not indicative of who we are, and it's not indicative of who they are.  But even with those abysmal numbers, I'll reiterate that we only lost by 7, and OkSt lost by 48.

Third, we are coming off a bye week.  KSU, on the other hand, is coming off their program's biggest win in the past few years.  They're euphoric, and deservedly so.  But we've seen firsthand how difficult it is for a team to deliver the same intensity and performance in the week following a win like that.  It's honestly easier for a team to get up and play really well following a tough and disappointing loss (OkSt lost a heartbreaker to TCU the week before we played them).  We'll have had 2 full weeks to prepare for just KSU, with a lot of motivation, desire, and focus to correct past mistakes (and right the wrongs in Stillwater) fueling us.  We are very much alive to win the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl.  Our coaches and our players know how important and meaningful that would be for our program.  We still have the world to play for, and we will. 

Fourth, we (finally) have KSU's number.  In the early Mack Brown years it was reversed, but in this past decade of wandering the desert, KSU is not the team that has given us fits.  Charlie Strong beat them.  Herman went 4-0 against them.  Even Sark's 5-7 team last year still managed to beat KSU.  These sort of trends have a way of sticking with a program, and I don't see it changing this week.

Finally, while KSU is a decent and well-disciplined team, they are not elite or invulnerable.  They struggle with capable opponents who are not having an off day.  They are not above losing at home (Tulane beat them in Manhattan earlier this year).  They squeaked out a 1-point win against ISU.  There is absolutely no reason to expect that Texas won't compete with them.  Will Texas need to play well to win?  Yes, of course, but that goes without saying.  We need to play well every week.  And for the majority of this season, we've done exactly that.  We didn't play well last week, and to a lesser extent we didn't play well in Lubbock without our starting quarterback.  But I'm highly optimistic, for the reasons stated above, that we will play well this week, and that the final score will reflect it.

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brojangles2

brojangles2 781

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1 hour ago, Xcalibur said:

I have some thoughts.

The spread is correct.  Texas should be favored, and we will likely win comfortably.  Vegas knows what it's doing, and I expect the public to hammer KSU and lose their ass on the game this week.  I'm going to confidently take Texas and any points we're laying.

Reading too much into KSU's 48-0 win over OkSt is a fool's errand.  For reference, we beat OU 49-0 and then immediately struggled with the same ISU team that OU just dominated.  The transitive property in college football means fuck all.  Carrying KSU's big win over OkSt to draw the conclusion that Texas has no chance this week lacks all foundational support.  There are multiple reasons for this. 

First, Texas is not a bad team.  I know how much some of you shell-shocked fucks love to hate on Sark and self-soothe yourself after a loss by screaming dumpster fire, but the reality is that Texas went on the road last week against a top 15 team playing out of their minds, endured a whole crew of corrupt officiating stacking the deck (14 penalties to 0, LOL right), played its absolute nadir on offense, had a 60-yard qb run that likely results in a game winning 2-point try conveniently negated on a phantom holding call, and still only lost by 7.  We are a very good team, and our quarterback is a true freshman.  Shit happens.

Second, you have to understand how bad OkSt played against KSU. They were as bad against KSU on Saturday as our offense was against OkSt last week.  They lost turnovers 3-0, were 5/15 on 3rd down, and were 1/4 on 4th down.  Against OkSt, we threw 3 interceptions, were 3/17 on 3rd down, and were 0/2 on 4th down.  Both performances were marked by receivers routinely running the wrong routes, inexplicable drops, atypically poor quarterback decision-making, and untimely penalties.  These were seasonal lows, extraordinary outliers, and extremely unlikely to be seen again this year.  This is what variance looks like.  It's not indicative of who we are, and it's not indicative of who they are.  But even with those abysmal numbers, I'll reiterate that we only lost by 7, and OkSt lost by 48.

Third, we are coming off a bye week.  KSU, on the other hand, is coming off their program's biggest win in the past few years.  They're euphoric, and deservedly so.  But we've seen firsthand how difficult it is for a team to deliver the same intensity and performance in the week following a win like that.  It's honestly easier for a team to get up and play really well following a tough and disappointing loss (OkSt lost a heartbreaker to TCU the week before we played them).  We'll have had 2 full weeks to prepare for just KSU, with a lot of motivation, desire, and focus to correct past mistakes (and right the wrongs in Stillwater) fueling us.  We are very much alive to win the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl.  Our coaches and our players know how important and meaningful that would be for our program.  We still have the world to play for, and we will. 

Fourth, we (finally) have KSU's number.  In the early Mack Brown years it was reversed, but in this past decade of wandering the desert, KSU is not the team that has given us fits.  Charlie Strong beat them.  Herman went 4-0 against them.  Even Sark's 5-7 team last year still managed to beat KSU.  These sort of trends have a way of sticking with a program, and I don't see it changing this week.

Finally, while KSU is a decent and well-disciplined team, they are not elite or invulnerable.  They struggle with capable opponents who are not having an off day.  They are not above losing at home (Tulane beat them in Manhattan earlier this year).  They squeaked out a 1-point win against ISU.  There is absolutely no reason to expect that Texas won't compete with them.  Will Texas need to play well to win?  Yes, of course, but that goes without saying.  We need to play well every week.  And for the majority of this season, we've done exactly that.  We didn't play well last week, and to a lesser extent we didn't play well in Lubbock without our starting quarterback.  But I'm highly optimistic, for the reasons stated above, that we will play well this week, and that the final score will reflect it.

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The Hot Dog Buffet

The Hot Dog Buffet 1291

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2 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

Anyone have any recommendations for a late lunch? I've been to Manhattan a few times, but never for a 6:00 game, and have just picked up something quick. We'll have more time this Saturday. 

You can't go wrong with the So Long Saloon, but you will probably have to wait for a table. Tallgrass Tap House is also pretty good.

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Hookem2147

Hookem2147 20932

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A few team notes from IT:

Spoiler

Sark also mentioned the staff used the bye week to re-assess schemes that were and weren't working. That checks out as we hear the coaches brought back some older stuff and are also instituting some newer things.

Inside Texas caught up some sources to get the absolute latest on the team ahead of the upcoming game versus Kansas State. 

Steve Sarkisian says it’s too early to make a call on Ryan Watts or Anthony Cook, but “I think both guys are making good progress for us right now. All of the guys that were banged up, I think we’re moving in the right direction for everybody.”

IT sources: Neither Watts nor Cook practiced today but will be evaluated later in the week. There’s a chance both will play, there’s a chance both will miss. In Watts’ case, hamstrings are finicky. With Cook’s injury, the decision whether he plays or not could depend on what a doctor said. He’s only a week out from having surgery on his forearm.

Steve Sarkisian says he’s preparing for both Adrian Martinez and Will Howard — “We have to.” — Credits Martinez’s running ability and Howard’s ability to push the ball down the field. — “They could both be healthy and they both could play.”

IT sources: Sources indicate indifference to who starts and acknowledges they have to be ready for both. Source mentioned the same think Sark did about the potential for them to run Martinez out there to help get the run game going. The source also reminded that Howard busted a long run against Texas last season.

Steve Sarkisian: “I think that we’ve played good football. I think we’ve got a team that’s committed for this final month of the season, but we have to be cautious not to look down the road. We’ve got to focus on this game and we’ve got to handle our business this week, and it’s going to be a heck of a game.”

IT sources: The team knows they have to win out to play in the conference championship but that doesn’t mean they’re looking ahead. Kansas State has their attention. Sources reiterated they have experience and a couple of dangerous playmakers.

Steve Sarkisian said a lot of younger players “we may be counting on here in the final month of this regular season” were able to get reps during the bye week practices.

IT sources: This lines up with what we said last week. The coaches used the three practices to evaluate the younger players to see who could be in line for more playing time. Edge Jaray Bledsoe was mentioned by both Sark and a source. What’s the difference with the ultra-talented freshman? “His mentality is changing. Playing faster, playing more aggressive. He just needs to stay the course.”

Steve Sarkisian said he was very encouraged by the “spark” in practice on Monday, even said the “speed of practice was better.” Felt like there was a lot of energy and intent from the team.

IT sources: Sark is pretty candid about practices. They were re-energized. It was a good practice. They needed the bye week.

IT followed up with a source to discuss the inconsistency in games, particularly second halves on the road. The response, “They know they’re struggling to finish but I don’t think it boils down to one aspect. If it did, it would be easier to address. They take each opponent seriously and don’t let up effort-wise. There is some frustration because they don’t just think they should win, but they should be putting teams away and running it up.”

It was mentioned to the source, when the defense plays well the offense doesn’t and vice versa. “Yep, not complementary football. It’s hard to explain.”

Indeed it is, but the upcoming game in Manhattan gives the team a chance to mute the narrative against the No. 13 team in the country.

 

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