Kansas
Kansas football vs Texas Tech score prediction: Scouting report for Big 12 Conference game
Kansas football DC D.K. McDonald discusses KU’s goal-line stand at UCF
Check out some of what Kansas football defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald had to say Tuesday ahead of the Jayhawks’ road game against Texas Tech.
LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s Big 12 Conference schedule continues Saturday with another road game, this time against No. 10 Texas Tech.
Kickoff between these teams is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) in Lubbock, Texas. The Jayhawks (4-2, 2-1 in Big 12) are coming off of a win on the road against UCF. The Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0) are coming in off of a win on the road against Houston.
KU head coach Lance Leipold didn’t necessarily get into a game-by-game prediction before the season started, when he projected out how good Texas Tech could be, but he’s not surprised at all where the Red Raiders are at. It’s a group that’s lived up to the preseason expectations many had for it. He highlighted Texas Tech’s win earlier this fall on the road against Utah as one example of how well things have gone for the Red Raiders.
Before kickoff, here’s a scouting report and prediction:
Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold previews Texas Tech
Leipold praised how much talent and depth Texas Tech has, and pointed how how the Red Raiders have been able to take control of most of their games early on. When it comes to teams in the Big 12, they’re also ranking among the best in numerous statistics. It’s going to be a challenge that he expects his guys to embrace.
Leipold described Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton as an experienced talent who’s playing as well as anyone in the conference right now. Leipold also sees a defensive line that’s explosive and athletic, and an outside linebacker in Stanford transfer David Bailey — listed as a starter at the end position on Texas Tech’s depth chart — who’s been everything the Red Raiders wanted. When it comes to facing a defensive front that’s as talented as Texas Tech’s, Leipold said staying in normal down-and-distance situations and remaining balanced will be key.
Kansas football offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski previews Texas Tech
Kansas offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski described Texas Tech’s defensive line as having fast guys off the edge and terrific tackles inside. That’s on top of having an outstanding group of linebackers. What he wants to do, is not allow the guys who come off the edge to wreck the game.
That puts a significant challenge, then, on the Jayhawks’ offensive line. Zebrowski thinks it’s improved in run-blocking of late, and holistically mentioned the group is getting more comfortable with what it does well — including Bryce Foster coming off of his best game. And while KU is a team that tries to get the ball out fast, Zebrowski has confidence in how well the offensive line has fared in pass protection to date.
Kansas football defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald previews Texas Tech
Kansas defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald said limiting Texas Tech’s ability to execute explosive plays will come down to causing havoc up front and then covering well behind that. He described Morton as special, and like a coach on the field. McDonald also called the Red Raiders’ wide receivers special, noted the offensive line has size and praised the running backs.
Kansas is having to deal with some injuries in the secondary, and that’s testing the Jayhawks’ depth there. McDonald spoke before Big 12 player availability reports started to get released this week, but as of Friday’s latest update it’s important to note safety Devin Dye and cornerback Syeed Gibbs are both out, and safety Mason Ellis is questionable. Generally, McDonald said managing the issue there is about helping other players step up and making sure the game plan fits what they can do.
Kansas football players preview Texas Tech
Kansas cornerback Austin Alexander highlighted that Texas Tech’s wide receivers have length, and that overall the matchup will provide his side with a good challenge. He’s not worried about playing a night game on the road, noting he actually likes playing in different atmospheres like that.
Foster agreed that he’s coming off of his best game of the season, and thinks overall the offensive line has developed more confidence and chemistry in recent weeks. Looking at Texas Tech’s defensive line he sees a group with a lot of size, and that includes a player in Lee Hunter that he knows previously competed for UCF.
Kansas wide receiver Cam Pickett acknowledged how dynamic Texas Tech’s defense is, and that it will look to generate pressure up front. But he expressed confidence in how well the offensive line will be able to fare in pass protection, and in regards to himself personally sounded excited to just be healthy again as he looks to make more plays for KU’s offense.
Kansas football vs Texas Tech prediction
Kansas regained some momentum with its comeback win last weekend at UCF, but it’s about to face a Texas Tech team that hasn’t lost momentum at all this fall. The Red Raiders will also have the benefit of home-field advantage, as they look to continue to put themselves in a position to compete at the highest level of postseason competition this season. Look for Texas Tech to capture a 40-24 victory.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Kansas
Colorado vs. Kansas State Kickoff Time Announced
The Colorado Buffaloes are 3-8 with one game remaining in the regular season, a road contest against the Kansas State Wildcats. On Sunday, the kickoff time for Colorado vs. Kansas State was announced for 10 a.m. MT on Saturday, Nov. 29, and the game will be broadcast on FS1. Accustomed to playing the evening games, Colorado will have an early one on the road against Kansas State.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders and his team have failed to meet expectations in 2025, but they are building towards the future with quarterback Julian Lewis taking over the offense as a true freshman. On the other side, Kansas State has also had a rather unexpected season under third-year starting quarterback Avery Johnson.
The Wildcats are 5-6 after nearly upsetting the No. 12 Utah Utes, meaning Kansas State will be playing Colorado with bowl eligibility on the line. Can “Coach Prime” and the Buffaloes spoil Kansas State’s final home game of the season?
The Wildcats offense is known to use Johnson as a runner, a matchup that could give the Colorado defense fits.
Colorado trailed Arizona State 21-17 entering the fourth quarter, but the Sun Devils scored 21 unanswered points in the final frame to beat the Buffaloes 42-17. Arizona State started their run with a fumble by Colorado running back Ronald Coleman, and the Sun Devils never looked back.
Arizona State running back Raleek Brown rushed for 255 yards on 22 carries as Colorado’s defense again struggled to stop the run. Sanders addressed some of the Buffs’ issues after the game:
“Defensively, we’ve got to do much better. We forced turnovers, and offensively, we got to score. Didn’t do any of that. It’s tough. It’s tough to think that we don’t have more in the tank to come up with some things to take advantage of those situations. And that’s situational football, we got to be much better than that, and we weren’t. We weren’t, and we aren’t.”
MORE: What Deion Sanders Said About History With Arizona State Coach Kenny Dillingham
MORE: Shedeur Sanders’ Browns Start Is Changing Colorado NFL History
MORE: Advanced Analytics Predict Upset Chance Of Colorado vs. Arizona State
WANT COLORADO BUFFALOES NEWS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX IN THE MORNING? SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE.
Sanders also spoke about Lewis’ development as a true freshman. The young quarterback finished with 161 passing yards and a touchdown, completing 50 percent of his attempts.
“He’s a good kid, he’s a good young man. He has a bright future ahead of him. We can’t just take this game and berate him or whatever, because I think he did some wonderful things last week. He did some wonderful things this week, but you got to understand, he’s a freshman playing against a really good football team, and we’ve just got to do better at capitalizing on certain downs,” Sanders said.
According to FanDuel, Kansas State is favored by 17.5 points over Colorado. The moneyline for the Buffaloes to pull off the upset is currently +680, and the points total is set at 51.5.
Kansas
5 numbers that stood out in Iowa State football’s win vs Kansas
Rocco Becht breaks down Iowa State football’s win over Kansas
Hear from Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht on the Cyclones’ win over Kansas.
AMES — Iowa State football won its second straight game on Nov. 22.
The Cyclones took down Kansas, 38-14, in the final home game of the season, two weeks after beating TCU (which was followed by an off week). Matt Campbell’s squad now sits at 7-4 overall and 4-4 against Big 12 opponents.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of Iowa State’s win over the Jayhawks.
1 … as in Aiden Flora’s first rushing touchdown of the season
There were plenty of big moments in Iowa State’s victory over Kansas, with 15 plays accounting for 293 offensive yards gained. And it was a group effort in the ground game: Carson Hansen with 120 rushing yards (and one touchdown), Abu Sama with 67 yards and Flora with 51.
Flora, a redshirt freshman running back who typically serves as a kick and punt returner, put the exclamation point on Iowa State’s win, running 38 yards into the end zone for the Cyclones’ fifth touchdown of the game. He had a punt-return touchdown in the win against TCU.
2 … as in Iowa State has won two straight games
The Cyclones have experienced a series of streaks this year: five wins, four losses and now two wins. Iowa State beat TCU on the road a couple of weeks ago and – coming off the bye week – the Cyclones took down Kansas in the final game at Jack Trice Stadium this season.
3 … as in three penalties called against Iowa State
The Cyclones played a mostly penalty-free game, in contrast to some of their flag-filled contests this season. There were only three penalties called against Iowa State: false start against Jim Bonifas, holding against Brendan Black and pass interference against Marcus Neal.
Of those calls, two came in the third quarter and one came in the fourth, and they cost the Cyclones 30 yards in total.
7 … as in seven passes broken up by Iowa State’s defense
Kansas couldn’t get much of anything going on offense, with the Cyclones defense making it a challenge. Seven different players accounted for the seven pass break-ups: Carson Van Dinter, Kooper Ebel, Tre Bell, David Coffey, Quentin Taylor, Beni Ngoyi and Hunter Sowell.
Marcus Neal also came down with an interception, his second of the season.
10 … as in Rocco Becht went 10-of-10 to start the game
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Iowa State quarterback, and that was evident in Becht’s performance against Kansas. He completed his first 10 pass attempts, going without an incompletion through the first quarter and into the second quarter.
That streak snapped when Leroy Harris III tipped a pass and Becht threw two more incompletions – with another one broken up, this time by Trey Lathan – on the final drive of the second quarter.
Becht finished with a 78% completion rate, going 18-of-23 for 241 yards and three touchdowns – with no interceptions.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
Kansas
2025-26 Kansas State MBB: Game 6 vs Nebraska
The Kansas State Wildcats are officially entering the “pay-attention” neighborhood. After a 98-77 drubbing of a decent Mississippi State squad last night, the 5-0 Wildcats are starting to appear like a legitimately solid squad…one that could be capable of fun things if they can keep things rolling into the heart of the season.
They’ve got another big test tonight. The Cats will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the championship of the 2025 Hall of Fame Classic. The Huskers are also 5-0, and advanced to the championship game after an 84-72 win over New Mexico in the opening game of the classic. The Huskers are led by Fred Hoiberg, who is in his seventh season in Lincoln, and are looking for a return to the NCAA Tournament after winning the College Basketball Crown to end the 2024-25 season.
The last time these two teams met was Dec. 17th, 2023, when the Huskers beat up on the Wildcats 62-46 in Manhattan, a win that snapped a 7-game win streak for the Wildcats over their former Big 12 conference mates. But that K-State team was significantly more offensively inept than the current iteration of the TangCats. These TangCats are lighting up the nets with a return to the “fun” brand of basketball that marked Jerome Tang’s first season in Manhattan. And last night, the Wildcats showed they could even manage some defense more consistently than the final couple minutes.
This will be the biggest test yet for the Wildcats. A win would be a huge springboard into the heart of the season. A loss doesn’t hurt, as long as it’s productive. Can the Wildcats handle the quick turnaround and keep building?
We’ve got an 8:30pm CT tipoff for the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic tonight from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, and you can catch the action on NBCSN and streaming on Peacock with Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) and Tre Demps (analyst) on the call.
If you can’t access the stream, the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wade Gerstner (play-by-play) and Clent Stewart (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app, as well as on satellite radio at Sirius/XM Ch. 383. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
-
Business1 week ago
Fire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
World6 days agoFrance and Germany support simplification push for digital rules
-
News7 days agoCourt documents shed light on Indiana shooting that sparked stand-your-ground debate
-
World7 days agoSinclair Snaps Up 8% Stake in Scripps in Advance of Potential Merger
-
World7 days agoCalls for answers grow over Canada’s interrogation of Israel critic
-
World1 week ago2% of Russian global oil supply affected following Ukrainian attack
-
Politics7 days agoDuckworth fires staffer who claimed to be attorney for detained illegal immigrant with criminal history
-
Business6 days ago
Amazon’s Zoox offers free robotaxi rides in San Francisco