College Football Game of the Week: No. 7 Texas vs. No. 23 Kansas State

Wow, is it really Week 10 already? The college football season always goes by so fast. Now that we’re entering the final stretch of the year, wins and losses are magnified even more because of playoff implications. And for Texas, those playoff implications are high.

Concurrently, the stakes are also high in what is a neck-and-neck race for the Big 12. The No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats head to Austin to meet their rival, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns.

Texas can’t suffer any more losses this season if it wants a shot at the playoffs, and Kansas State is looking to defend its Big 12 crown. Currently, the Longhorns are second in the conference at 7-1 overall and 4-1 against conference opponents. The Wildcats are fourth in the Big 12 with a 6-2 overall record and 4-1-conference mark.

The elephant in the room is the status of Texas’ signal caller Quinn Ewers. Ewers missed last week’s game against BYU because of a shoulder injury, which thrust the freshman quarterback Maalik Murphy into his first collegiate start.

Murphy looked pretty decent, as he went 16-25 with 170 yards and two touchdowns on strikes to Adonai Mitchell for the 35-6 win. The young quarterback is still learning though of course, as he also threw an interception and fumbled in last week’s matchup.

With Ewers unlikely to play this Saturday, Murphy will be challenged by a Kansas State defense that gives up the 14th-least points in the FBS. The Wildcats are also pretty good against the run at 23rd in the nation by giving up 109.4 yards per game.

The Longhorns are 35th in the FBS with running the football by averaging 180 yards, so matching up against Kansas State’s defense should be interesting to watch. Texas’ running back Jonathon Brooks has been terrific this season with 923 rushing yards and seven touchdowns for an average of 6.4 yards on the ground.

Murphy having the ability to rely on fierce playmakers like Mitchell and Brooks will go a long way in supporting his confidence, and the Wildcats aren’t terrific with defending the pass with their 234.4 yards a game being 75th in the country.

When looking at Kansas State’s offense, it hasn’t taken a big step back despite losing its star running back Deuce Vaughn. The sophomore DJ Giddens has stepped up by posting 722 rushing yards so far to go with seven touchdowns. He’s also capable of being utilized in the passing game.

The Longhorns, much like the Wildcats, are also pretty talented at stopping the run. Texas is 14th in the nation at 97.9 yards per clip. Brooks and Giddens will surely be tested, but running backs with their caliber can usually only be contained and not stopped.

Kansas State quarterback Will Howard has looked pretty good lately throwing the football, but his rushing skills are what makes a lot of the impact on his game.

Much like the Wildcats, the Longhorns struggle to defend the air attack. 230.1 yards per game is 69th in the FBS.

The big plays in this game will likely come from each side exploiting the other’s pass defense, but there could also be a trade of blows in the rushing game with heavy hitters pounding the rock on both teams.

It’s tough to say exactly how a great matchup like this unfolds, but the Longhorns may have a slight edge as they try to top the Wildcats for the seventh game in a row.

Jake Irwin is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jpi5089@psu.edu.