GAME NOTES: Fresh off their tremendous victory over the Texas Longhorns, the Kansas State Wildcats will get set to host the Kansas Jayhawks in the 105th Sunflower Showdown this Saturday afternoon from Snyder Family Stadium. Kansas is coming off an impressive, 55-3 win over the lowly Florida International Golden Panthers, and is now a flawless 4-0 on the year. The Jayhawks' season began with four straight home games, so this will be the first road matchup for Kansas. However, don't expect Kansas to get too homesick, as the team will return to its field next weekend to face Baylor. As for the Wildcats, they have won three consecutive games, including an outstanding 41-21 win over the Texas Longhorns on the road this past weekend. The win over the Longhorns vaulted the Wildcats back into the national rankings for the first time since 2004. Not only that, but the win over Texas was the first time KSU defeated an opponent ranked in the top 10 on the road. KSU has been one of the toughest teams to beat at home, as the school is an outstanding, 95-18-1 at Snyder Stadium over the last 17 years. This has been a very long and grueling all- time series and it has been dominated by Kansas. The Jayhawks have a solid 63-36-5 ledger in the overall series against KSU and have won two of the last three meetings.

The Jayhawks could possess one of the top offensive units in the entire nation, as the squad is producing 53.5 ppg. Kansas has used an extremely balanced attack thus far, rushing for a solid 226.8 ypg, while throwing for another 326 ypg. Kansas continued its offensive onslaught this past week against FIU, as the Jayhawks torched the Panthers for 615 total yards. Kansas rushed for 224 yards on the ground, and was led by Brandon McAnderson, who tallied 105 yards and two scores on 13 carries. McAnderson has been the top option out of the backfield for Kansas, as the tailback has rushed for 327 yards and six scores, while averaging 6.3 ypc. Not to be overlooked, the passing attack for Kansas has also done a terrific job, thanks in large part to the play of Todd Reesing. The quarterback has completed 58.4 percent of his passes this season, while throwing for 1,199 yards and 11 scores against one interception. Against FIU the signal-caller threw for 368 yards, but tossed just one TD against one INT.

Shockingly enough, the defense for Kansas could actually be more successful than the offensive unit. The Jayhawks fly into this matchup holding the opposition to a national best 5.8 ppg. The unit has been tremendous against the run, yielding just 94.8 ypg, and even better against the pass, holding teams to just 124 yards through the air. Against the Golden Panthers, the defense did surrender 122 yards on the ground, but was able to keep FIU to just 133 yards via pass. The defense also forced five turnovers in the contest, which is very surprising, considering the team had forced just five miscues before this contest. Joe Mortensen grabbed a team-best 13 tackles and also forced one fumble, and now has 36 stops on the season and nine TFLs, both of which are team-highs.

As for the Wildcats, they are not overly impressive offensively, but the team does just enough to remain in the win column. KSU is producing just 124 ypg on the ground, while the passing attack has performed at a higher level, racking up 265.8 ypg through the air. All that yardage has led to an impressive 37.2 ppg. In the win over Texas, the Wildcats did very little offensively, collecting just 272 yards in the contest. The team did finish with 41 points, but three of the five scores came from the defense and special teams unit. The ground attack, which tallied just 95 yards in the game, was led by James Johnson, who rumbled for 77 yards and one score. Johnson has been the top back for KSU all year, and heads into this contest with 316 yards and five touchdowns. As for the passing attack, Josh Freeman has been the leader on the field for KSU. The quarterback has completed 61.8 percent of his passes thus far, but has just 1,004 yards and only three scores against four interceptions. In the win over Texas, the QB managed the game perfectly, completing 22-of-38 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. Freeman did not toss and interception in the win and was sacked just once.

The main success for KSU is due to the impressive play of the defensive unit. The Wildcats are currently holding the opposition to just 276.2 total ypg, which has led to just 17 ppg. While the team is allowing 297 ypg through the air, the unit has done a terrific job against the run, limiting teams to just 79.2 ypg. The defense has only forced seven turnovers on the year, but has recorded 15 sacks as well. In the victory over Texas, the defense played a huge roll in the win. Not only did KSU record four interceptions, including one that went for a touchdown, but the unit also held Texas to just 217 total yards. On top of the defensive score, the Jayhawks also benefited from two special teams touchdowns. Justin Roland and Reggie Walker both did a tremendous job for KSU in the win, as the two players grabbed nine tackles apiece.

This is easily the toughest matchup for Kansas to date. The Jayhawks have had a tremendously easy schedule up to this point and should be knocked down a few notches this weekend against Kansas State.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kansas State 34, Kansas 17