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The Kansas State Texas line was coming in at Longhorns -8 after opening at -9. Nearly 95 percent of the spread action was going Kansas State’s way in this game. You can bet this one at Sportsbook.com here. Be sure to claim your FREE $250.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Texas -8 & 53.5
Opening Line & Total: UT -9 & 53.5
No. 13 Kansas State looks for its ninth win of the season when it travels to Austin to face the No. 23 Texas Longhorns.
These two schools displayed very different offenses last week, as Kansas State won a 53-50, 4-OT thriller over Texas A&M, while Texas lost a 17-5 dud in Missouri. These schools both prefer running the football, but the Longhorns could be without their top three RBs (Malcolm Brown, Joe Bergeron and Fozzy Whittaker) due to injuries. Wildcats QB Collin Klein has 20 rushing TD in the past six games, and rumbled for 127 yards and 2 TD in last year’s 39-14 drubbing of Texas. The Wildcats are 6-1 ATS against the Horns since 1998, including a 41-21 pounding as a 14-point dog in their last trip to Austin in 2007.
Klein ran for five touchdowns versus the Aggies last week, giving him 24 rushing TD on the year (2nd in nation). The Longhorns are an improved rushing defense (101 YPG, 10th in nation), but they have a tendency to give up points, allowing 26.0 PPG over the past five games. And even with a mere 17 points in a loss to Oklahoma, Kansas State has put up a whopping 43.0 PPG in the past five games. The Wildcats only attempted four passes in last year’s game against Texas, and there’s no reason to think they’ll try to attack the Horns through the air on Saturday. KSU needs RB John Hubert to get cranking. Although he has 781 rushing yards on the season, he has been held to 144 yards on 3.7 YPC in the past three games.
The Longhorns were held to five points and 76 rushing yards in a 17-5 loss at Missouri last week, after scoring 95 points with 880 rushing yards in the previous two games. Whittaker (knee) is out for the season, but Brown (toe) and Bergeron (hamstring) could possibly suit up on Saturday. If not, D.J. Monroe (235 rush yds, 7.1 YPC) and Jeremy Hills (105 rush yds, 4.8 YPC) will get most of the carries. QB David Ash has not thrown a touchdown pass in four straight games despite 94 pass attempts, and last week’s 158 passing yards was a season-high for the freshman. For the season he has just 3 TD and 6 INT.
Special teams could play a big role in the outcome of this game. These two schools have the best kick-return units in the conference, as KSU is averaging 26.0 yards per KR and Texas is close behind with a 25.3-yard average.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
