5 Things to Know About Kansas State

Kansas State quarterback Joe Hubener (8) passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against West Virginia, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

— Arkansas will play Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl next month.

The Wildcats are 6-6 overall and became bowl-eligible with a 24-23 win over West Virginia on Saturday. Even without a sixth win, K-State was likely to receive a bowl invitation this off-season because of a high Academic Progress Rate score and not enough six-win teams to fill the record number of bowl games.

It is the second time Arkansas and Kansas State have been pitted against each other in the postseason, having also played four years ago in the Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks won that game 29-16 in a matchup of top 10 teams that failed to be invited to bowl games affiliated with the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series.

2015 Kansas State Schedule

South Dakota - W 34-0

at Texas San Antonio - W 30-3

Louisiana Tech - W 39-33 (3OT)

at Oklahoma State - L 36-34

TCU - L 52-45

Oklahoma - L 55-0

at Texas - L 23-9

Baylor - L 31-24

at Texas Tech - L 59-44

Iowa State - W 38-35

at Kansas - W 45-14

West Virginia - W 24-23

This year's matchup has an intriguing storyline as it will match-up Arkansas coach Bret Bielema against future College Football Hall of Famer Bill Snyder, who hired Bielema as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator in 2002. Bielema spent two seasons at K-State, helping the program to the Big 12 championship in his final year.

Bielema and Snyder both began their assistant coaching careers at Iowa, coaching for longtime Hawkeyes coach Hayden Fry. Snyder took the K-State job after Bielema arrived at Iowa as a defensive lineman.

The coaching matchup and whether this will be the 76-year-old Snyder's final game will be the predominant storylines, but here are five more things to know about K-State heading into next month's game.


Close Calls: The Wildcats came close to beating two of college football's top teams this season. Oklahoma State kicked a field goal with 32 seconds remaining to win 36-34 and TCU scored on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining to win 52-45. K-State blew an 18-point lead in a loss to the Horned Frogs. The Wildcats overcame a 21-point deficit and kicked a field goal with three seconds left to beat Iowa State and needed three overtimes to beat Louisiana Tech.

Lack of Quality Wins: Prior to beating West Virginia on Saturday, Kansas State had not beaten a team from a power five conference that had a winning record. The Wildcats have only two wins over FBS teams with a winning record, having also defeated Louisiana Tech. One of K-State's win was over South Dakota, a team from the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.

Statistical Struggles: The Wildcats rank 108th nationally in total offense and 100th nationally in total defense. Offensively, K-State has struggled most passing the ball, averaging 177 passing yards per game. Defensively, the Wildcats have struggled to stop the pass, ranking 110th in pass efficiency defense. Those stats seem to be to Arkansas' advantage, as the Razorbacks rank ninth in passing efficiency and 16th in run defense.

Dynamic Return Man: Kansas State's Morgan Burns is averaging 33.8 yards per kickoff return and has an NCAA-leading four kickoff returns for touchdowns this season. Burns also scored a touchdown on a blocked punt in the Wildcats' win over Kansas.

Common Opponent: Arkansas and Kansas State both lost games to Texas Tech this season. The Razorbacks lost 35-24 at home in September, while the Wildcats lost 59-44 at Texas Tech in November. The loss to Texas Tech was the sixth straight for K-State. The Wildcats are only the third team in college football history to make a bowl game during a season in which it lost six straight games.