East vs WestSnyder: “They (Missouri) are a dynamic team, especially in the first half. If you look at the tape, regardless of which half it is, you can tell that they are a pretty good team. They do some awfully good things on defense. Even when Blaine Gabbert was injured and couldn't move, their offense still put up pretty good numbers.” Pinkel: “I’m a big Coach (Bill) Snyder fan. I always have been and I have great respect for him. They are playing good football right now. They are running the football well, and they are playing good defense. They are No. 1 in the Big 12 in turnover margin, and I think that has a lot to do with the success that they’re having.”
MU favored by 1.0 ??
I have to state right here that Missouri being favored seems ridiculous to me. K-State is 5-0 at home and has beaten the line badly the last four times. What the rational is for favoring MU is unknown to me. In my post a couple days ago on Bill (The Magician) Snyder, I indicated that I would take KSU. At that time the Cats were favored by 2.5 points. If I would give up the points and take K-State at 2.5, imagine how much more I would take them when MU is favored by 1. That’s 3.5 free points if you haven’t put your money down yet – and I don’t encourage you to bet. That would be illegal. Of course, if you just happen to be reading this in Nevada…
2008: Missouri 41, Kansas State 24
SERIES: MU leads, 58-31-5, and has won 3 straight after K-State won 13 straight from 1993-2005. MU won in Manhattan in its last trip, 49-32 in 2007, marking its first win there since 1989 (Bill Snyder’s 1st year as coach). The 58 wins is tied for the most by MU over any opponent along Iowa State (58-34-9).
K-State holds a 10-3 lead in the series since the Big 12 began play in 1996.
Prior to K-State’s 13-year stranglehold on the series, Missouri had dominated the rivalry, holding a 55-18-5 advantage in the series ledger after claiming a 27-14 win in Columbia in 1992.
Missouri holds a 29-14-2 lead in games played in Manhattan, and also claims an 11-9-1 lead overall in games played in KSU Stadium, which is now officially named Snyder Family Stadium.
KSU vs MU STATS - NATIONAL CATEGORY RANKINGS
Category | Kansas State | Missouri | ||
Rush Y/G | 190.7 | 23 | 111.0 | 102 |
Pass Y/G | 164.1 | 106 | 275.8 | 21 |
Pass EFF. | 124.4 | 76 | 132.8 | 49 |
Total Off. | 354.8 | 78 | 386.8 | 56 |
Score Off. | 26.1 | 69 | 27.9 | 57 |
Rush Def. | 102.9 | 20 | 102.1 | 17 |
Pass Def. | 235.0 | 83 | 238.1 | 89 |
Total Def. | 337.9 | 43 | 340.2 | 45 |
Score Def. | 22.5 | 45 | 27.9 | 57 |
Turn. Mar. | 1.10 | 6 | -0.11 | 67 |
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Other categories ranked in top-25.
KSU: Time of possession #3, Passes intercepted #16, Kickoff returns #4, Fumbles recovered #6
MU: Fumbles lost #12, Punting #7
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (Top – 35)
Kansas State
Rushing: Daniel Thomas #17
Interceptions: Tysyn Hartman #33
Kickoff returns: Brandon Banks #6
All purpose yards: Banks #10
Missouri
Total offense: Blaine Gabbert #22
Receiving y/g: Danario Alexander #5
Receptions p/g: Alexander #5
Punting: Jake Harry IV: #35
Field goals: Grant Ressel: #4
Scoring: Grant Ressel: #17
Sacks: Aldon Smith: #8
Tackles: Sean Weatherspoon #29
BIG 12 NORTH CUMULATIVE RECORDS SINCE 2000
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
| Nebraska | 80-43 | — |
| K-State | 71-52 | -9.0 |
| Missouri | 67-53 | -11.5 |
| Kansas | 57-60 | -20.0 |
| Colorado | 58-64 | -21.5 |
| Iowa State | 53-62 | -23.0 |
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BOWL ELIGIBILITY
MISSOURI: A win Saturday would improve the Tigers to 6-4 and make them bowl eligible. This would be a watershed achievement for Missouri, in that it would make MU eligible to play in a bowl for the 5th straight season - a record streak for the school. MU’s current string of 4 consecutive bowl seasons (2005 Independence, 2006 Sun, 2008 Cotton, 2008 Alamo) is tied for the school mark with Tiger teams from 1978-81, who played in 4 straight bowls.
K-STATE: Currently at 6-4 overall on the season, the Cats need one more victory to qualify for its first bowl game since the 2006 season. Bowl berths have been a common trend for Bill Snyder-coached teams as Kansas State appeared in 11 straight bowl games from 1993-2003. Since 1993, K-State is 11-2-1 under Snyder when needing a win to become bowl eligible.
RUSHING
Like a cockroach, rushing doesn’t seem to want to go the way of the buggy whip. K-State ranks #23 in rushing offense and Missouri #17 in rushing defense. Something has to give.
Here are the games at home for K-State and the games on the road for Missouri versus their opponents’ seasonal averages.
Kansas State at home
| Opponent | Actual | Avg. | Diff |
vs Mass. | 225 | 112 | +113 |
| vs Tenn.Tech | 296 | 188 | +108 |
| Vs Texas A&M | 232 | 156 | +76 |
| Vs Colorado | 204 | 152 | +52 |
| Vs Kansas | 266 | 118 | +148 |
| AVERAGE | 245 | 145 | +100 |
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Missouri on the road
| Opponent | Actual | Avg. | Diff |
| @ Nevada | 218 | 341 | -123 |
| @ Okla. St. | 124 | 196 | -72 |
| @ Colorado | -14 | 86 | -100 |
| AVERAGE | 109 | 208 | -99 |
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At home, Kansas State averages 100 yards more than their opponents allow while Missouri averages holding their road opponents to 99 yards less than they typically run for. Odds are this will be the category that will determine the victor.