Kansas State at Baylor: Open Game Thread

It’s been a very disappointing month for the Kansas State Wildcats. Between three losses on the field, and a cluster of roster losses off it, November (and the day right before) has not been kind to the Wildcats football program. Thank goodness it’s almost over.

But it’s not quite over yet, because the Wildcats are in Waco today to face off against a struggling Baylor Bears squad. These aren’t the 2019 Bears, the ones that lost two extremely close games to eventual Big 12 champions OU, and were the Big 12’s contribution to the Sugar Bowl. A good chunk of the players remain, but with an almost entirely new coaching staff coupled with the spring/summer shutdowns and other COVID problems, the Bears have fallen down the league standings to sit just above KU.

But make no mistake. Baylor may be riding a five-game losing streak, but it’s not like they’re getting blown out. They took West Virginia to overtime in Morgantown, had a big early lead against Iowa State in Ames, and couldn’t hold off a late Texas Tech comeback in Lubbock two weeks ago. They are tough, but haven’t quite been able to get over the hump.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats seem to be stumbling down the stretch. Two blowout losses to West Virginia and Iowa State sandwich a come-from-ahead loss to a similarly stumbling Oklahoma State squad. Injury and COVID issues have taken a toll on the depth chart, losing top players and a bulk of the scout team needed to properly prepare for games. Plus the defections of a group of young role players has not helped team confidence.

Fun* fact: neither of these teams have won since beating KU — Baylor on September 26th, 47-14; K-State on October 24th, 55-14.

No matter what, one of these teams will end the day with a broken losing streak, and the other will continue to search for answers. Let’s just hope it’s the Wildcats who found answers this week.

This game is on prime time tonight, and the 6:00pm CT kickoff will be shown nationally on ESPN2, with (presumably in Waco) Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline) on the call. The game should also be available streaming via WatchESPN. Be sure and check out Jon’s complete How To Watch guide for more info.

If for some reason you don’t get ESPN2, or can’t access the stream, 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 121, XM Channel 385, 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.

Go Cats!