Home US News Kansas No. 16 K-State hosts Kansas this Saturday evening for the yearly Sunflower Showdown.

No. 16 K-State hosts Kansas this Saturday evening for the yearly Sunflower Showdown.

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No. 16 K-State hosts Kansas this Saturday evening for the yearly Sunflower Showdown.

Kansas (2-5, 1-3 Big Ten) will face No. 16 Kansas State (6-1, 3-1) this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.
BetMGM places Kansas State as a 10-point favorite in this matchup.
Historically, Kansas leads the series with a record of 65-51-5.

As the season progresses, Kansas State is focused on clinching a spot in the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff picture, having bounced back from their only loss against BYU with three significant victories.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks recently ended a five-game losing streak, securing a win over Houston, with their aspirations for a bowl game resting on a challenging three-game schedule ahead.

A significant player matchup to watch will be Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels and Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson.
Although these quarterbacks won’t directly compete against each other, the one who performs better is likely to lead his team to victory on Saturday.
Daniels, who has faced challenges regarding turnovers, impressed last week by scoring four touchdowns without any interceptions against Houston.
Johnson showcased his dual-threat capabilities by throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns, also avoiding interceptions during the game against West Virginia.

For Kansas, running back Devin Neal has emerged as a dependable star this season, putting forth a stellar performance against Houston with 17 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns during a 42-14 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas State’s own standout is running back D.J. Giddens, who ranks as the ninth-leading rusher nationally with 843 yards.
Despite a concentrated defensive effort from West Virginia, Giddens managed to score two touchdowns, albeit with only 57 rushing yards.

In terms of interesting statistics, Kansas State has triumphed in their last 15 encounters since November 1, 2008, while the Jayhawks have not claimed a road victory since October 6, 2007, when they defeated Kansas State 30-24.
The two teams have competed against each other annually since 1911, making their rivalry one of the longest continuous matchups, trailing only Minnesota-Wisconsin (since 1907) and the NC State-Wake Forest rivalry (since 1910).
Kansas stands out in terms of offensive efficiency, sharing the top spot nationally in third-down conversion rates and red-zone scoring, having successfully scored on all 24 trips this season.
Additionally, Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant tied the school record with three interceptions last week and now has 13 career interceptions, ranking second in program history alongside Aqib Talib.
Meanwhile, Neal is on the cusp of breaking Kansas’s all-time rushing record, needing just 73 yards to surpass June Henley’s total of 3,841 yards, along with needing one more touchdown to break Henley’s record of 43, set between 1993 and 1996.