Kansas State-Texas: Five Players to watch
Kansas State has been a thorn in Texas’ side the last few years, especially in Manhattan. The Wildcats have had the Longhorn’s number at home for a number of years now. In 2010, Kansas State had no problem with a reeling Texas squad 39-14. Two years later, the results were about the same as the Longhorns fell 42-24.
Simply put, Manhattan has been a house of horrors for Texas.
If the Longhorns want to put up a fight and actually have a chance of winning this game, these five players need to make their presence felt.
- Cedric Reed
The Texas defensive line has been one of the strengths of this team. Texas has 24 sacks, mostly due to the constant pressure the line has applied to opposing offensive lines.
Surprisingly, one player not making a big impact on the stat sheet is Reed. No doubt he is drawing double teams, and offenses are running away from his side. Still, when you are one of the team leaders, you need to overcome these obstacles and make some plays. Reed will need to cause havoc in the Wildcat backfield if Texas hopes to slow down Jake Waters and this Kansas State offense.
- John Harris
Harris has been an offensive savior this season. Where would this offense be without him? On Saturday, Texas needs Harris to continue to perform at a high level. Last weekend, Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard had a monster game against this Wildcat defense – 15 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown. It still wasn’t enough to win the game.
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Harris doesn’t need 15 catches. He does need to make big plays when they are presented, though. Kansas State is vulnerable in the secondary, meaning Harris and Jaxon Shipley should find themselves with plenty of chances to keep the Texas offense on the field.
- Taylor Doyle
Since Doyle has moved to center, the Texas run game has shown improvement and Tyrone Swoopes has had more time to stay in the pocket and scan the field. The result has been a more effective offense that is scoring points and eating up time on the clock. Doyle provides stability at a position that has lacked it since Dominic Espinosa went down in the season opener.
- Quandre Diggs
Quarterbacks have not challenged Diggs as often as Duke Thomas or Mykkele Thompson. The senior has been a stabilizing force in the secondary.
Waters and Tyler Lockett will test Diggs. Lockett is one the Big 12’s best receivers. Teams need to know where he is on the field at all times. Digs will most likely draw the assignment of covering Lockett. Kansas State will find it tough to run on this Texas defense, meaning Waters will be looking to exploit the secondary. Last week it was Dylan Haines capitalizing on a Iowa State miscue. Diggs needs to do the same on Saturday.
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- Tyrone Swoopes
Swoopes continues to show improvement. He made a couple of mistakes in the Iowa State game, but no one expected to see him pull out a victory in the final 22 seconds. This is part of the maturation process for Swoopes.
The next step is going on the road to an environment that has not been friendly to previous Texas teams. Swoopes must not only perform, but minimize mistakes and take advantage of what the defense gives him. Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder will have a few wrinkles for Swoopes. How he deals with these will go a long way towards determining if Texas leaves Manhattan with a win or not.