2016 Advocare V100 Texas Bowl Preview Texas A&M vs. Kansas State

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

 

2016 Advocare V100 Texas Bowl: Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) vs Kansas State Wildcats (8-4)

Texas Bowl History

The Texas Bowl is a fairly young game as this will be only the eleventh time that is played. However it is not the first bowl to be played in Houston as the Bluebonnet Bowl was played from 1959-1987 and the Houston Bowl was played 2000-2005. Last year the game was played between LSU and Texas Tech as the Tigers blew out the Red Raiders 56-27 behind the strong rushing of Leonard Fournette.

2016 should be a very exciting edition of the Texas Bowl as the Aggies of Texas A&M will battle the Kansas State Wildcats. Kansas State appeared in the first Texas Bowl in 2006 in their only other appearance falling 37-10 to Rutgers. Texas A&M will also be making their second appearance in the Texas Bowl. The Aggies made their other appearance in 2011 when they defeated Northwestern 33-22. Both participants are 8-4 this season and will be fired up to grab one final victory in 2016.

Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats had another successful season under longtime head coach Bill Snyder finishing 8-4. After losing their opening game against Stanford (26-13) they would go on to win their next two games against Florida Atlantic and Missouri State to finish the non-conference portion of the schedule 2-1. Kansas State would lose two out their first three conference games with their first conference win coming against Texas Tech (44-38). The win was sandwiched in between losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma to get to 3-3. Then the Wildcats went on a roll winning five of their final six games with their only loss coming on Nov. 5 to Oklahoma State (43-37). Kansas State got past in-state rival Kansas on Nov. 26 (34-19) and destroyed TCU (30-6) in the regular season finale on Dec. 3.

Kansas State had a solid offense in 2016 averaging 32.2 points a game using their run-heavy offense. The Wildcats on average gained 232.9 yards on the ground and just 153.8 in the air per contest. Junior dual-threat Jesse Ertz, who is 6’3”, 205 pounds, is the engine that keeps this powerful offense running. Ertz has completed 138-of-244 pass attempts with eight touchdowns and 1,560 yards and used his legs to rush 159 times for a team-high 945 rushing yards with 10 rushing touchdowns.

Two sophomore wide receivers to keep an eye on are Dominique Heath and Byron Pringle. Heath has caught a team high 41 passes for 413 yards and has three receiving touchdowns while Pringle has caught 36 passes and leads the team with 524 receiving yards to go along with his three receiving touchdowns.

The Wildcats have a solid defense which only allows 21.8 points a game. Their strength is their rush defense which only allows 112.6 yards on the ground but opponents are throwing for 269.6 passing yards a game against them.

Kansas State’s leading tackler is junior linebacker Elijah Lee who has racked up 98 total tackles including 5.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions. The star on their defensive line is senior defensive end Jordan Willis who has 48 total tackles including 16.5 for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Sophomore D.J. Reed is the playmaker in the secondary with 66 total tackles and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions. Another player to watch is freshman defensive end Reggie Walker who has 34 total tackles including 11 for a loss and 6.5 sacks.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies had a great start to 2016 winning their first six games rising to the top five of the college football rankings setting up a highly anticipated fight with No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide won 33-14 which ultimately started Texas A&M’s downhill roll in the second half of the season. After the Alabama loss, the Aggies would only win two of their final five games with both wins coming non-conference opponents, a 52-10 victory over New Mexico State on Oct. 29 and a 23-10 win over Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 19. In the regular season finale, Texas A&M lost 54-39 to LSU in the friendly confines of Kyle Field.

Texas A&M has a balanced offense which they use to score 35.4 points a game. The Aggies average 217.5 rushing yards and 250.6 passing yards per game. The leader of the offense is senior quarterback Trevor Knight who has thrown for 2,122 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 163-of-314 passes. Knight has the ability to make plays on the ground rushing the ball 94 times for 594 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Knight’s favorite wide receiver targets are sensational sophomore Christian Kirk and senior Josh Reynolds. Kirk has caught a team-high 77 passes for 842 yards and has nine receiving touchdowns. Reynolds has 49 receptions for a team-high 885 receiving yards and leads the team with 10 receiving touchdowns. The team’s leading rusher is freshman running back Trayveon Williams who has ran the ball 147 times for 1,024 yards and has eight rushing touchdown.

The Aggies give up 23.8 points a game as their opponents average 189.6 points on the ground and 254.6 yards in the air against them per game. The leading tackler on the team is senior linebacker Shaan Washington who has 93 total tackles including six for a loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Junior Myles Garrett, who is projected to be one of the top picks in the upcoming NFL draft, is the star on the defensive line with 32 total tackles including 15 for a loss, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.  Senior defensive back Justin Evans is the playmaker in the secondary as he leads the team with four interceptions to go along with 85 total tackles which includes five for a loss.

Game Information

Time: 9 p.m. EST

Location: NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas

Network: ESPN

Keys to Victory

If Texas A&M wants to win the Texas Bowl they must use their rushing attack to figure out a tough Kansas State rush defense that only allows 112.6 yards a game. The Aggies have the athletes, as they average 217 yards on the ground per game, that can find holes in opposing defenses but it may be harder to do against the Wildcats. Another key for the Aggies will be to stop the Kansas State quarterback. Ertz is the heart and soul of the Wildcat offense and if Texas A&M can stop him or at least slow him the Aggies will have a chance to win.

A key for a Wildcat victory will be continued success on the ground as they ran for an incredible 232.9 yards per game led by Ertz. They are facing an Aggie defense which allows almost 200 yards per game on the ground so the holes should be there for Kansas State to make big plays on the ground. The second key will be if they can stop or slow down Texas A&M’s passing attack. The Wildcats only give up 153.8 passing yards a game and have 15 interceptions on the seasons. In order to win this bowl game it is imperative that Kansas State slow Knight, Kirk, and Reynolds. Knight has only thrown six interceptions but if the Wildcats play aggressive they may be able to force mistakes by the Aggies senior quarterback.

Final Analysis

Both defenses give up a lot of yards so this could turn into ole fashioned Texas shootout. Giving the slight edge to the Aggies due to the playmakers they have on offense. However one mistake by either team could swing the momentum in either direction.

Prediction: Texas A&M 27, Kansas State 24

 

Picture: The Houston Chronicle; Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight throwing a pass