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When a team with little speed on defense prepares for one of the fastest, most prolific offenses in the country, it naturally hopes to catch a few lucky breaks.
And maybe Kansas State, whose heavy-footed defense has been eaten alive by No. 14 Nebraska (48-13) and No. 25 Baylor (47-42) has done just that.
The Wildcats (5-2 overall, 2-2 Big 12) will host No. 20 Oklahoma State (6-1, 2-1) on Saturday, facing a quarterback, running back and wide receiver who have already combined for more than 2,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. The good news for Kansas State is that wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the nation's leader, was suspended this week for his arrest on a misdemeanor DUI charge.
That removes one weapon from Oklahoma State's arsenal. As Bill Snyder is quick to point out, that still leaves the Cowboys' quiver bristling with arrows, including quarterback Brandon Weeden. He leads the nation in passing yards.
''What's he throwing for, 349 yards per game?'' said the Kansas State coach.
It also leaves running back Kendall Hunter. He's second in the nation and first in the Big 12 in total rushing yards (1,031) and rushing touchdowns. And that's not to mention place kicker Dan Bailey, who's been perfect on 15 field goal attempts, or punter Quinn Sharp, who leads the country in punting with an average of more than 48 yards.
For Blackmon to miss the game seems almost the fair thing to do.
''Leading passer, leading rusher, leading punter, leading kicker, leading offense. You name it, they've got it,'' said Snyder. ''They're pretty proficient at what they do and who they do it with.''
The Wildcats could become bowl eligible with a victory. The Cowboys (6-1, 2-1) have bigger plans. Their 51-41 shootout loss to Nebraska last week did not remove them from the major bowl picture, or their quest for a Big 12 championship.
''We put up 41 points against Nebraska and they're a great defense,'' said Oklahoma State wide receiver Josh Cooper. ''There are just some key things we have to get better on and execute our game plan better. We did really well, though, against Nebraska and I feel like we can put up some points against a lot of teams.''
Kansas State has had difficulty all year with quick-hitting offenses. Snyder has admitted the Wildcats lack speed.
But they'll also have to guard against overreaching by the offense.
''With the kind of points that Oklahoma State has been putting up, we feel a little bit of pressure to put up quite a few points as well,'' said quarterback Carson Coffman.
The Baylor Bears broke several team records on offense last week against Kansas State.
''We had some people out of position at times and when you do that, it creates the opportunity for a big play,'' Snyder said. ''If 10 guys are playing reasonably well and one guy makes a mistake, you've got a problem.''
The Wildcats are not without weapons of their own. Running back Daniel Thomas, the Big 12's leading returning rusher, is averaging almost 128 yards per game and trails only Hunter in the conference.
''He is big and he is very athletic,'' said Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Bill Young. ''He threw a touchdown pass, which I think was against Baylor. He was a quarterback in high school so he has that ability to throw the ball. He is the full package.''
