The No. 12 Mountaineers (-17) are gearing up to welcome the Kansas State Wildcats to West Virginia. This conference game will get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET and ESPN is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Kansas State Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers
This Saturday Big 12 game shows the Wildcats as a noticeable underdogs and they’re currently getting 17 points. If they are wanting to play the moneyline, gamblers would currently need to spend $1,200 in order to win $100 back on the Mountaineers (-1200). The Wildcats are getting +710 moneyline odds. If one squad finds paydirt in the early stages it will create a nice live betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 60 points.
Square bettors have been hammering the Mountaineers. The opening line was -14 and the game’s total has yet to change after it was initially set at 60.
The Wildcats are 1-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 1-1.
The Mountaineers have gained 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-0 ATS and also have an O/U record of 1-1.
The Wildcats have gone 2-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Big 12 competition yet. The Mountaineers are 2-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, West Virginia earned the win 28-23.
The Wildcats are coming off a resounding 41-17 victory over UTSA last weekTheir defense allowed the Roadrunners to rush for 143 yards on 39 attempts. B.J. Daniels had a productive day for the Roadrunners in that one with 47 rushing yards on 16 attempts. On the offense, Skylar Thompson completed 13 passes on 18 attempts for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson (66 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) also mounted the ground attack and was complemented by Alex Barnes (50 yards on 13 carries, one TD). Isaiah Zuber (seven receptions, 144 yards, two TDs) and Zach Reuter (two catches, 45 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
West Virginia just earned a 52-17 win over Youngstown State. The defensive unit allowed the Penguins to rush for 136 yards on 36 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Zach Farrar was a bright spot in the loss for Youngstown State, recording 135 yards on six catches. For West Virginia, Will Grier completed 21-of-26 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Leddie Brown (115 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) and Martell Pettaway (77 yards on 12 carries) mounted the running game as Marcus Simms (eight receptions, 119 yards) and Gary Jennings Jr. (six catches, 97 yards, three TDs) led the receiving corps in the win.
Kansas State has run the ball on 64.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while West Virginia has a rush percentage of 53.7 percent. The Wildcats have produced 177.7 rush yards per game and have two touchdowns on the ground this year. The Mountaineers are totaling 203.5 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then the Mountaineers should own an edge in terms of effectiveness in the ground game, since their running backs has logged 5.6 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 3.6 to opponents. The Wildcats have tallied 4.2 yards per carry while allowing 6.1 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Wildcats offensive scheme has averaged 179.0 yards in the air overall and has five passing scores so far. The Mountaineers have put up a ridiculous 382.5 pass yards per outing and have nine total pass TDs.
Kansas State has let opponents rush for an average of 201.3 yards and pass for 189.3 yards per game. The West Virginia D has allowed 164.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 132.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Wildcats are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.08 to opponents, while the Mountaineers have allowed a 5.94 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thompson is up to 274 passing yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 66 percent of his 32 attempts with three scores through the air and one interception. Thompson has a 7.22 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.68 over the last two outings.
Will Grier has completed 21-of-26 passes for 332 yards, four TDs and one INT for West Virginia. His ANY/A sits at 13.44 for the year and 14.10 over his past two games.
Kansas State Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers Free Pick
SU Winner: West Virginia, ATS Winner: West Virginia, O/U: Over
