Kansas State Looks To Build Momentum Off Rare Shutout

If this were just about any other year, shutting out the Texas Longhorns would have made front page news on every newspaper from Colorado to North Carolina. But these aren’t your Daddy’s Longhorns.

Nope. At 3-5 now this season, the Longhorns are pretty much an afterthought not only in the Big 12 Conference, but in college football as a whole. Regardless, Kansas State’s 23-0 win Saturday over Texas was the first time Texas had been shut out since 2004 and it could prove to be a catalyst for the rest of the season for K-State.

This Wildcats team isn’t winning in a high-scoring, flashy style like many teams today in college football. But the 11th-ranked Wildcats are getting it done nonetheless. Their passing yards and rushing yards are fairly balanced (246.3 passing yards per game and 178.3 rushing yards per game), ranking just outside the Top-50 in each (53rd and 56th respectively).

And what did the Wildcats get for their efforts against Texas? They held steady at 11th in both the AP and Coaches poll, sitting now at 6-1 on the season – one of 18 one-loss teams in FBS.

The Wildcats hope, however, that the win will keep them moving in the right direction as they prepare to host Oklahoma State this Saturday, followed by a trip to No. 10 TCU on Nov. 8.

With the first results of the College Football Playoff selection committee coming Tuesday, there is little chance that the Wildcats will be in the Top-4. However, with strong showings the next few weeks heading into a BYE, they could set themselves up to be in the conversation down the stretch.

With a different Top-10 team (sometimes more than one) falling each week of late, the Wildcats could find themselves with a golden opportunity in a few weeks. One that will make this shutout win over Texas, seem a whole lot bigger.