Kansas State vs. Missouri: Prediction and Preview
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming college football game in our Kansas State vs. Missouri preview and prediction.
Game Info
Saturday, September 10, 2022; 11:00 a.m. CT; Bill Snyder Family Stadium; Manhattan, Kansas
TV: ESPN2 (Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison)
Radio: K-State Radio Network; Missouri Radio Network; Sirius/XM Channel 200
Last Meeting: Kansas State Won 24-17 (2011)
Spread: K-State -7.5
Fun Fact: As noted above, these two former Big 8 and Big 12 members are meeting for the first time in 11 years. K-State won the last match up, but Mizzou has the all-time edge with a 60-32-5 record against KSU.
Key Players
Missouri Tigers
RB’s Nathaniel Peat and Cody Schrader
These two newcomers to the Missouri football program made their presence felt in Week 1 against Louisiana Tech. They rushed for a combined 148 yards and two touchdowns as Missouri racked up over 300 rushing yards in the game. They’re running behind and experienced offensive line and will be the engine of the offense this season. Peat is a transfer from Stanford while Schrader is a 2,000-yard rusher at Division 2 Truman State, which led he nation last season.
DL Tyrone Hopper
Hopper transferred to Missouri after five years at North Carolina. He barely played in 2021 due to injury, but in 2020 he had 27 tackles, tied for team lead with seven hurries, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two breakups. He’s already off to a strong start for the Tigers, as he had six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one interception in Week 1.
Kansas State Wildcats
Adrian Martinez
Martinez had an easy Week 1 against South Dakota going 11/15 for 53 yards, with 39 rushing yards on the night. Things get much tougher in Week 2 against Missouri. Martinez has 38 career starts under his belt from his time at Nebraska and is one of only two active quarterbacks in the nation with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career. These are the games he was brought in to win.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Anudike-Uzomah is a Preseason All-American who is one of the most-feared defensive lineman in the country. Last season, his six total forced fumbles tied the school record, while he finished fourth on the team with 52 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss to rank second on the team, and an impressive 27.9% of his total stops resulted in a loss. Last week, he started the season with three tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.
Key Storylines
Missouri
Missouri prefers to win this game with its running attack, but its best bet may be to stretch the field in the passing game, which is not their strong suit. If they can keep Anudike-Uzomah and the rest of the front seven at bay, then Missouri can control this game on the road and win the game. But if they can get first-year QB Brady Cook to hook up with some of his talented receivers like Dominic Lovett, Tauskie Dove, Luther Burden and others, they’ll be in great shape.
Kansas State
We’ll get a better idea of just how Adrian Martinez and new OC Collin Klein are clicking after this game. Martinez was turnover prone during his time at Nebraska and now goes up against a Missouri defense that began its season with three interceptions last week. However, Mizzou’s defensive coordinator has been a revolving door, with head coach Eli Drinkwitz on his fourth DC (Blake Baker) in his last four years as as head coach. Martinez and the K-State offense will have to take advantage of Missouri’s turnover on defense, especially along the interior, where the Tigers’ top three defensive tackles are gone.
Prediction: K-State 34, Missouri 28
The Wildcats will win this game up front on offense, as they’re stout with veterans on the offensive line to create opportunities for Deuce Vaughn, Adrian Martinez and the rest of their playmakers, while the secondary is K-State’s defensive weakness, but it’s unclear of Missouri is capable of taking advantage of that, given they have a first-year starting QB and haven’t had a tendency dating back to last season of stretching the field. K-State wins at home.
