Kansas State Preview: Iowa State Cyclones In Town For “Farmageddon”

Oct 26, 2013; Manhattan, KS, USA;Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It is time for “Farmageddon”.

It is now almost November, and the Kansas State Wildcats collected their first Big 12 conference win of the 2013 season. Last week against West Virginia, it was a tale of two half for the K-State offense.

Kansas State was not moving the ball well in the first half, and whenever the Cats moved the football, small mistakes would put a dent into the drive. The second half of the game was a complete 180 degree turn around. Quarterback Jake Waters had his best performance of the season to this point throwing 3 touchdowns passes along with his 10 for 13, 198 yards through the air.

Game changer wide receiver Tyler Lockett showed why he is a very important piece in the Wildcat offense, making big catches and getting into the end zone. Lockett had 8 catches for 111 yards, with 3 touchdowns against the Mountaineers. Tramaine Thompson also returned to the lineup after missing the last two games, and added a touchdown. Curry Sexton had his first ever 100-yard game for the Cats. Jon Hubert ran strong throughout the game as the Cats went to town on West Virginia in the second half.

Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Wildcats won last week 35 to 12 over the Mountaineers to escape the bottom of the conference. Now K-State sets their sights on the Iowa State Cyclones, 1-6 overall, 0-4 Big 12 on Saturday, on Fort Riley Day in Manhattan.

The Wildcat defense is continuing their climb since the beginning of the season.  Safety Ty Zimmerman was all over the field against West Virginia, recording 12 tackles.

At this point of the season, you have to like where the Wildcats with their play are the field, but they need to win a majority of their remaining games or go, finishing up 5-1 or 4-2 to make it to a bowl this season.

K-State hopes that the West Virginia game last week sparked some motivation to continue with that level of play on Saturday afternoon.

The Cats will look to get back to .500 football. K-State coming into this weekend, has won 5 straight against the Cyclones.

Kansas State Offense vs. Iowa State Defense

Against West Virginia, the Wildcats racked up 448 yards despite the Cats early struggles on offense in the first half. Waters had a great performance, as did Daniel Sams, who went 8 for 8 on the afternoon with 93 yards and a touchdown.

Even though Sams fumbled deep in West Virginia territory, he still managed to have a good game through the air, but not so much on the ground (16 yards).

It seems like every year when these to two teams meet up, it always comes down to the fourth quarter. This means KSU needs John Hubert to continue his resurgence running the football for the Wildcats. Hubert, in back-to-back games, has rushed over 80 yards against Baylor and West Virginia.

Hubert, Sams, and Waters should have a good game on the ground because Iowa State surrendered 342 on the ground last week.

Lockett made big play after big play last week. Look for that once again this week. The other receivers, including Thompson and Sexton, need  to find their rhythm and exploit holes in the Cyclone defense.

Kansas State Defense vs. Iowa State Offense

Things continue to look up for this Wildcat defense, and K-State has the ability to shut the Cyclone offense down. Iowa State is very run heavy which means you will see more of the leading tacklers for the Cats, Blake Slaughter and Ty Zimmerman, making plays.

Since the game against Texas when Jonathan Gray ran for over 125 yards, the run defense was been excellent, forcing opponents to take chances through the air. The secondary for the Cats, including Zimmerman, Dante Barnett, Kip Daily and Dorrin Roberts, should be able to keep the receivers for Iowa State at bay. This is looking like a mismatch at home at Bill Snyder Family Stadium but it will be no surprise if this game is close in the fourth quarter.

Iowa State Cyclones (1-6 Overall, 0-4 Big 12) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (3-4 Overall, 1-3 Big 12) in Bill Snyder Family Stadium at 2:30 p.m.