Jake Waters Will Be X-Factor For Kansas State Football In Week 4

The No. 20 Kansas State Wildcats will have quite a challenge on their hands as they host the No. 5 Auburn Tigers Thursday night. Gus Malzahn and company have won two games handily and are looking to return to the national championship, but the Tigers must go through Manhattan, KS first.

While Kansas State is a solid team with a great offense, they will need to play their best to win this game. Obviously, the defense will need to make some big plays and try to get some stops in order to pull off a win, but if the K-State offense can’t keep up with Auburn’s fast-paced attack, it won’t matter.

QB Jake Waters will have to play his best game to give the Wildcats a chance to win. With Auburn S Jermaine Whitehead out for the game, the already suspect Auburn secondary will be without its biggest performer to this point. Auburn doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses on offense, but its defense has shown some soft spots. In the season opener, Arkansas tore through the defense for 21 points in the first half, but after the half, the Auburn defense adjusted and allowed no points.

If Kansas State wants to compete, Waters needs to get the Wildcats scoring early and often. A slow start could be recipe for disaster against an Auburn team that usually gets off to a fast start and only seems to get better as the game goes on.

If Waters can make plays on his feet, he can open up some opportunities through the air and really get the Auburn defense off balance. Don’t expect Kansas State to dominate the game at all, but look for a close game if Waters can make plays for the offense throughout the contest.

Jonathan Brannon is a College Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jbrannon89, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.