K-State vs. Missouri State preview

Missouri State Bears

 

Okay, you got me. I don't really know much about the Bears. All the cool action shots on Google images turned out to be pictures of Mizzou. 

Missouri State went 2-9 last year but did go out on a win over Youngstown State.  Fun fact: K-State's own Andre Coleman is currently an assistant coach at Youngstown State.

Players to watch
Matt Thayer, tight end.  Considered by some to be the best tight end in the FCS.  Maybe Coach will let us run a tight end play or two if Missouri State does.
Ashton Glaser, Quarterback.  Glaser transferred from Mizzou and will be playing his first game as a Bear.  He spent most of the week on twitter, making sure that everyone was ready for his breakout performance.  I'm sure Meshak will take the time to introduce himself.

Strengths
Penalties.  Believe it or not, Missouri State averaged fewer penalties per game than K-State.  This is important, since K-State seems to be more penalty prone in the first game of the year.
Time of possession.  Though not as high as K-State's, Missouri State kept the ball an average of 29 minutes per game, compared to K-State's 34.  We might want to score a touchdown before the 58th minute this year.

Weaknesses
Second quarters.  Last year, the Bears were outscored 102-36 in the second quarter.
Rush defense.  Missouri State ended 2011 ranked 107th overall in rush defense.  Hubert, Pease, Rose and Klein should be salivating over that.  Klein, if you remember, had the worst rushing game of his career against Missouri State finishing with -2 yards in 2010.

Fun facts
K-State and Missouri State tied for 103rd in pass defense last year.  Somehow I still don't think it will turn into a shoot out.  
KU's own Terry Allen is currently the head coach of the Missouri State Bears.  Allen has faced Snyder 7 times in his career but has yet to beat him. 
Series History: K-State leads, 2-0.

Kansas State Wildcats

 This picture gives me chills.  So grateful to have both of these guys on our side.

Did you know that... Snyder hasn't lost an opener since his first year at K-State, back in 1989?  That year he lost to Arizona State, 31-0.  Pretty amazing then, that he turned around the next year and won the opener against Western Illinois 27-6. 

Snyder ball: From 1992-2002, K-State went undefeated in non-conference games.  Consistency.

Players to watch

Linebacker battle.  Justin Tuggle and Jarell Childs are battling it out for the starting position and should split snaps on Saturday.  Tuggle has never played linebacker in a game situation, but Childs has been plagued by injuries.  It should be a healthy competition for tackles.
Secondary.  Bubba Chapman replaces Garrett full-time and Ferguson takes over for Hartman.  The passing attack from Missouri State should be pretty tame, but it will be interesting to see if the new guys make some noise in a game setting.
Special teams.  It'll be interesting to see what Snyder has worked up for the new kick-off return rules.  I'm guessing we'll stay conservative and see a lot of knees in the end zone for this game, but if we get a short kick, keep an eye out for #16.  

Strengths
Run game.  We need to exploit the holes in Missouri State's rush defense early and often.  That allows us to run basic plays, get several running backs (and Braden!) involved and keep a stranglehold on time of possession.
Defense.  Missouri State doesn't have a very powerful offense, though they were marginally stronger on the ground than through the air.  Expect to see the defense swarming and watch out for Nigel Malone on corner blitzes. Will Coach Hayes keep the 3rd down pass rush package?  If #44 is on the field, good things are about to happen.

Weaknesses
Defensive line.  This line is young and struggling with depth.  Watch it as the game wears on and see if you notice a drop-off in skill.
Offensive line.  Finney and Puetz are the only linemen with consistent game experience.  Keep an eye on the newbies for false starts, sacks, and/or general hoss abilities.

Trap level
Medium.  Openers are hard for us, what with the butterflies and the limited playbook and the FCS opponents and the lack of TV time.  Luckily, they don't seem to panic, but they do seem to forget they're keeping score.

Keys to Victory
Show up.  Play football.  Make good choices.  This should be an excellent warm-up game, and hopefully we can put it away early enough to get some of our rookies rotated in.  Snyder typically runs about 5 offensive plays in the opener, so mastery of those 5 offensive plays would also be helpful for victory.  It's really better for everyone if we keep the tricks in the bag, since we have Miami coming to town next week and OU for our first conference game.  Keep it vanilla, keep everyone healthy, and spread the plays around.  More people with stats = more preparation for Miami.

Goal of the week
#17 - Complacency.  Coach has been talking about it in every single interview since the Cotton Bowl.  Let's hope our players got the message. 

Prediction
K-State wins, 35-7.  Offense looks good, Hubert goes over 100 yards, and the second string defense loses the shut-out in the 4th quarter.  At the post game press conference, Snyder discusses some things that we can improve.