On paper, the misery seems destined to continue.
Is a week off enough to shake off the Irish Curse? Did coaching happen? Can K-State get a conference win? Well, we’ll find out.
The Game
The Kansas State Wildcats (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) host the Central Florida Knights (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) in UCF’s conference opener.
K-State has played the Knights twice; the first was the 17-13 win famous for the picture of the weather gods descending on the stadium, and the second was last year’s 44-31 win in Manhattan. Yes, they’re playing back-to-back conference games in Manhattan. Don’t ask us.
UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson has connected on 70% of his passes for almost 700 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. His passer rating is almost 160. He’s a hazard. Four UCF receivers have over 100 yards receiving so far. They’re hazards too.
You might be thinking “Oh, Jaden Nixon’s only run for 160 yards in three games, so rush defense won’t be an issue.” Oh, you sweet summer child. Nixon’s racked up those 160 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns. Miles Montgomery’s run for 149 yards, although it’s taken him 41 totes to get there. Backup quarterback Jacurri Brown has run for 137 yards on nine carries. Jackson ran for 66 yards last week against North Carolina.
If you’ve been worrying about this game, we can’t offer you a lot of solace.
Kickoff
Saturday, September 27, 11:00pm CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000) in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tickets
Still available at the box office. Yup.
Weather
Clear day expected in Manhattan, with tailgate conditions starting in the low 60s, and climbing into the 70s before kickoff, when it’s expected to be 76°. Temps should be in the mid-80s at the final gun.
Odds
Nobody can explain why, but K-State opened as a 5.5-point favorite and that’s still where DraftKings has them. The total is 48.5, suggesting a 27-21 win for the Cats. The money line is -218 for K-State, +180 for UCF. Oddshark’s computer, which we’re only paying attention to now out of morbid curiosity since it’s been utterly wrong all season so far, projects a 35-34 win for K-State.
Television
FS1, with the pretty good team of Connor Onion and Mark Helfrich on the call.
Radio
As always, Wyatt Thompson, Stan Weber, and Matt Walters will be on hand on the K-State Sports Network as well as via satellite on SiriusXM 83.
Internet Streaming
The game will stream on FOX Sports (cable or satellite subscription required). Audio available via kstatesports.com. Live stats provided by StatBroadcast.
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Category: General Sports
