K-State Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns: Score prediction, kickoff time, betting line, TV

Kellis Robinett
·2 min read

THE DETAILS

Kickoff: 11 a.m. Friday

Where: Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

TV: Fox

Radio: KCSP 610 AM in Kansas City and KKGQ 92.3 FM in Wichita

The line: Texas by 3

Prediction

This game got a lot more interesting when Skylar Thompson exited K-State’s loss against Baylor with a left ankle injury last week.

If Thompson was at full strength, the Wildcats would almost certainly be favored over the Longhorns. But odds are against him playing on Friday. Even if he does suit up, he will be limited and much slower than usual when he needs to use his feet instead of his arm.

That, along with K-State traveling for a road game on a short week, gives Texas a real shot to end its current six-game losing streak and finish out the regular season with a victory.

Without Thompson, K-State has been a boring offense this season.

But the Longhorns are dealing with injuries, too. Both of its top two quarterbacks were injured last week against West Virginia, and it’s unclear whether Hudson Card or Casey Thompson will start against K-State. Coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday that Thompson would have started if the game was played that day.

Star Texas running back Bijan Robinson is also out for the season.

Perhaps those injuries will balance each other out.

If Will Howard starts instead of Thompson, he can guide the Wildcats to a road victory by playing mistake-free football the way he did during a 38-17 victory over Nevada earlier this season. He only threw for 123 yards that day, but he was an effective runner and didn’t lose any turnovers. That allowed Deuce Vaughn to win the game with 127 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Texas is a fragile team at the moment. A good start could fire up the Longhorns and motivate them to play a complete game. But it’s not hard to see them folding if the Wildcats jump off to an early lead. K-State has much more to play for on Friday.

This is a difficult game to project because of all its unknowns, but the Wildcats are in a better place than the Longhorns at the moment. Give them a slight advantage.

K-State 31, Texas 28.