Missouri Tigers vs. K-State Wildcats: Five things to know about Big 12, SEC game

Kansas State and Missouri haven’t met on the football field in more than a decade.

That will change when the former Big Eight and Big 12 rivals reunite at 11 a.m. on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats (1-0) are looking to build off a 34-0 victory against South Dakota. The Tigers (1-0) won their opening game 52-24 over Louisiana Tech.

Here is everything else you need to know to start preparing for the game.

The details

Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM) and KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: K-State by 8 1/2 with an O/U of 54

Five things to know

1. K-State ran all over South Dakota in its first game. The Wildcats only threw for 95 yards, but who needs to pass when you can rush for 297 yards behind Deuce Vaughn, DJ Giddens and Adrian Martinez? K-State averaged 6.6 yards per rush, a number that ranks 15th nationally. Vaughn had 126 yards and a touchdown. Malik Knowles set the tone by breaking free for 75 yards on the opening play of the season.

2. Missouri got defensive in its opener. OK, it’s one game and it was against a team installing an Air Raid offense. But the Tigers lead the nation in rushing defense, having surrendered eight yards to Louisiana Tech. After finishing 124th (out of 130) last year in that category, the opening effort is a trend in the right direction.

3. So did Kansas State. The Wildcats made South Dakota look very much like a FCS team in its opener, holding the Coyotes to 270 total yards and an average of 3.9 yards per play. Nine different K-State defenders recorded a tackle for loss and South Dakota never reached the end zone. This could be a defensive battle.

4. The Wildcats won’t be at full strength for this game. Starting right guard Taylor Poitier and starting linebacker Shawn Robinson are both expected to miss Saturday’s contest after being left off the depth chart this week. Too bad. It would have been fun to watch Robinson, a former Mizzou quarterback and defender, play against his old team. The Wildcats may also be without Josh Hayes, TJ Smith and Will Honas on defense. But Hayes and Smith remain on the active depth chart.

5. The Tigers have history vs. the Big 12. In its first nine years in the SEC, Missouri has played five games against Big 12 opponents. But this is the first regular-season game against a former Big Eight brother since Mizzou left the conference after the 2011 season. Missouri has played Oklahoma State twice and Texas in bowl games. It also split a pair of regular season games with West Virginia. K-State won its last meeting against Missouri 24-17 in 2011. Missouri leads the all-time series 60-32-5.