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 Saturday, November 10, 2001
Chalkboard: Kansas State-Nebraska
By Terry Bowden
Special to ABC Sports Online
Bowden's Weekly Chat Show
I had made up my mind to give you a chalk talk on the Miami-Boston College game, but with William Green being held out of the game, it is no longer my game of the week. Miami is now a prohibitive favorite.
The game this Saturday that now has the best chance for an upset has to be the matchup between Kansas State and No. 2 Nebraska (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). I cannot predict that the Wildcats will beat the Cornhuskers, but the way they have been playing the last two weeks, I would have to say they definitely have a chance.
Here is what they need to do in order to accomplish that:
1. Continue to run the ball well
|  | | Kansas State is 4-1 this season when Josh Scobey rushes for 100 yards. |
Kansas State may have the best running attack Nebraska will face this year, and the Wildcats need to have success running the ball. Over the last two games, the Wildcats have averaged 346 yards per game on the ground. Putting up those numbers again would put them in position for the upset. Most of that yardage needs to come from running back Josh Scobey, who has shown flashes of brilliance. Of course, quarterback Ell Roberson needs to tack on about 100 more yards to get that total up over 300.
Kansas State has a very good option attack and we must remember that Rice is the only other team on Nebraska's schedule that features the option. The Owls rushed for more yards than any other team this season on the Huskers D.
2. Complete the play-action passes
Just like Nebraska, to be at its best, K-State must complete a few deep play-action passes to make its offense complete. That's because all teams using the running game 75 percent of the time are eventually going to look at seeing two safeties playing on the line of scrimmage.
Kansas State likes running the ball 75 percent of the time, and you can bet that one or two Blackshirt safeties will be playing at linebacker depth by the middle of the first quarter. Therefore, even if Kansas State is having success running the ball, the Wildcats will not win unless they are able to fake the run and hit Aaron Lockett and gang a few times behind the secondary.
If you remember, in Kansas State's game against Oklahoma, the only way K-State came back to make the game close was by completing a few deep balls. Although Roberson has not been very consistent passing the ball this year, he would only need to hit 3-of-8 that went for 50-plus yards. It might be enough to add another 14 points to their total.
Nebraska's defense leads the nation in opponents' completion percent at 43 percent. So Roberson can maintain his 40 percent average, and still get the job done by hitting a few deep balls.
3. Defense continues dominating effort
After losing four straight football games, Kansas State has won its last two, and one of the main reasons for the turnaround is that the Wildcats have not given up a touchdown in nine quarters. Players may come and go in Manhattan, Kan., but Bill Snyder always seems to have a few players who know how to play defense. In the last two weeks, they have shown up to play.
The defense needs to be at its very best. Nebraska has the same offensive philosophy as Kansas State, so the defensive game plan at Kansas State will be no different: Shut down the I-backs, don't let Eric Crouch get too much rushing yardage and don't give up the big play-action pass to Tracey Wistrom or Wilson Thomas.
No has prepared more game plans to successfully stop Nebraska than Bill Snyder. So if anyone can devise a good game plan, I am sure it would be him. And we must remember that Frank Solich is 1-2 against Snyder.
Notes
A couple of other factors that will be put into play on Saturday:
Nebraska has the nation's longest home-winning streak at 20, and Kansas State has not won in Lincoln since 1968.
This is the first time that Solich has ever been 10-0, and it will be the first time in five years Kansas State won't win 11 games.
Prediction
With the way the teams are playing right now, this game has the makings of being the best game of the day on Saturday.
I give it to the Huskers in a nail-biter.
Terry Bowden was the head coach at Salem College, Samford University and Auburn University. He is ABC's college football studio analyst and contributes regularly for ABC Sports Online.
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