Kansas State vs No. 12 West Virginia: Open Game Thread

Things have started about as well as expected for the West Virginia Mountaineers. A 2-0* start, including against an SEC foe that got torched, and a solidifying of Heisman status for QB Will Grier have WVU fans looking at potentially welcoming in OU in late November as a preview of the Big 12 title game.

Things have not gone nearly so well for the Kansas State Wildcats. A rough opening victory led to a rougher beating at the hands of Mississippi State. However, the Wildcats made some changes, and the win against UTSA looked more like what the Wildcats should be doing to non-conference opponents.

On paper, the Wildcats don’t have much of a chance in this one. You should go check out TB’s Kicking the Tires post for more details, but generally the stats do not favor the Wildcats today. The Wildcats will need a big game from special teams, as well as some help from WVU turnovers to keep in this one. Also, they might want to follow Drew’s advice, both in the run game (would be a great time to get Alex Barnes going between the tackles) and in regards to dealing with Will Grier (make tackles, please).

One of the few things going for the Wildcats is that the WVU has been good, but not dominant. And K-State QB Skylar Thompson faced the Mountaineers last season for a full game, his first as a starter. That game didn’t go well for Thompson, but he gained valuable experience against the West Virginia 3-3-5 defense.

The Mountaineers should win this game. But the Oklahoma State Cowboys should have beaten K-State last season. And K-State has a habit of beating WVU when it shouldn’t, or at least keeping the game far closer than it should be. That’s why they play the games.

Today’s contest can be seen nationally on ESPN at 2:30pm CDT with Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sidelines) on the call. You should also be able to stream the game at WatchESPN.com (assuming it doesn’t die again) or on the WatchESPN app. You can check out AMS’s full How to Watch post for ticket info and odds.

If you can’t get to a TV, or you don’t get ESPN, the game can be heard across the 39-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst), and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. The game will also be on Sirius channel 106, XM Channel 210, and available on the TuneIn app. Live stats are available at k-statesports.com, and Twitter updates (@KStateFB) will also be a part of the coverage from K-State Athletics.

Go Cats!