K-State has plenty of talent, but Saturday's showdown with Houston is the kind of game where its biggest stars must take over.
K-State enters Saturday's matchup against No. 22 Houston with an opportunity to make a statement in the Big 12. After suffering a 31-26 loss to Cincinnati in Week 4, the Wildcats have had an extra week to evaluate what went wrong and prepare for one of their toughest games of the year.
It takes a complete team effort to win games in the Big 12, but this is also the type of game where the stars to step up and deliver a big-time performance.
Everything in this game will start with Avery Johnson. The senior quarterback has thrown for 910 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding a team-leading 291 yards and three scores on the ground.
Johnson has done a lot of good things this year, but this game on Saturday is the reason why the Wildcats wanted him so badly when they recruited him. It is still early in the season, but the Wildcats can ill-afford to start out 0-2 in the Big 12 if they want any chance of making it to the Big 12 Championship game.
The Houston offense is led by quarterback Conner Weigman, who is similar to Johnson when it comes to making plays with both his arm and his legs. He has scored 17 total touchdowns in five games and led his team back from a 17-0 deficit against UCF in Week 5.
The Cougars and Wildcats are the best two teams in the country at converting third downs. For Johnson to win this game, he has to be willing to attempt and connect on big plays when the opportunities come.
Wendell Gregory had a monster game against Washington State, as he finished with two sacks. However, in the other three games, he has only half a sack. Against a guy like Weigman, his ability to get after the quarterback will play a huge role in the game.
However, one thing he must do in this game is stay disciplined in his pass rush. He can't get too far upfield on his pass rush, and allow Weigman to escape the pocket where he is so tough to beat.
Gregory is one of the elite pass rushers in the Big 12, and Saturday is the perfect game to remind everybody of that.
With the injury to Will Anciaux, Oakley's role becomes even bigger in the offense. He has proven to be one of Johnson's most trust passing targets this year, and will be looked at on Saturday in a big way.
The Cougars enter this game with one of the best rushing defenses in the country, and figure to be extremely prepared for Johnson and the Wildcats' rushing attack.
That is going to create one-on-one matchups over the middle of the field, and Oakley has to win them. He has struggled at times throughout his career with drops, but is coming off by the far his best game of the season with seven catches and 80 yards in the loss to the Bearcats.
The game against Houston is about more than bouncing back from a disappointing loss. It's an opportunity for K-State to demonstrate that it can compete with one of the Big 12's better teams-and to prove that it can compete with anybody in the Big 12.
The Wildcats have many things you would want in a game like this. They have a talented and experienced quarterback, a defense that can get after the passer and multiple receiving options capable of a 100-yard game.
This is the start of eight consecutive weeks with a game for K-State, and the Wildcats need their stars to get this started with a big time performance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kstate as K-State Needs its Biggest Stars to Step Up Against No. 22 Houston .
