Kansas State @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 6, 2010 ) Texas 14, Kansas State 39

THE STORY: Kansas State needed four overtimes to end a two-game skid against Texas A&M last week. The No. 17 Wildcats may have an easier time when they shoot for a fourth straight win over short-handed Texas. The Longhorns failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2004 in a 17-5 loss to Missouri last week, and lost one of their best offensive weapons in the process. Kansas State has won three straight and five of the seven meetings since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.

TV: FX. LINE: Texas -8.

ABOUT TEXAS (6-3, 3-3 Big 12): Texas’ potent rushing attack, which averaged 440 yards in wins over Kansas and Texas Tech, has been decimated by injuries. Freshman running backs Malcolm Brown (toe) and Joe Bergeron (hamstring) didn’t play against Missouri, and Foswhitt Whittaker (torn ACL, MCL) is out for the season. Jeremy Hills (11 carries, 35 yards) will start if Brown and Bergeron are out again. The Longhorns have relied on a strong rushing attack with their inexperience at quarterback. The combination of David Ash and Case McCoy was 16-of-26 for 171 yards and an interception against Missouri. The pressure is squarely on a defense that ranks 14th in the nation (313.8 yards), including 10th against the run (101.2).

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (8-2, 5-2): Six of the Wildcats’ wins have been decided by seven points or less. That trend continued last week as Kansas State rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 53-50 on a quarterback sneak from Collin Klein. The junior threw for a career-high 281 yards and rushed for five touchdowns and 103 yards. Klein, the driving force behind the nation’s No. 22 rushing offense (208.5), has a school-record 24 rushing touchdowns. The Wildcats struggle in pass defense (117th, 293.6), but it's a weakness Texas may not be able to exploit.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Kansas State has won the last two meetings by a combined 45 points.

2. Texas’ passing game ranks 92nd in the nation at 188.6 yards per game.

3. The Longhorns’ point total last week was the third-lowest of the Mack Brown era.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 30, Texas 17 - Texas’ defense is stout, but it will get worn down with no help from the offense.