Staff Predictions: Kansas State Presents Missouri's First Road Test
The Missouri Tigers will be looking for their first SEC road win of the 2022 season when they travel to Manhattan, Kan. to play the Wildcats of Kansas State. This is a team that’s once again led by Coach Chris Klieman, who has a 20-16 record since becoming the leader of the Wildcats.
This is also a game which Kansas State is expected to be favored, but this is not going to be a scenario where one team should dominate the other. The home-field advantage for Kansas State, however, is an important factor. At home, the Wildcats are 20-13 since 2017. On the road, Kansas State is far worse, going 10-14 during the same five-year span.
Stay with MizzouSportsTalk.com as there will be a preview of each 2022 Missouri opponent before fall camp begins in August, just like with Kansas State.
Prior to the predictions below, there’s an article regarding a Kansas State overview, as well as a look at offensive and defensive players to watch for the Wildcats.
Here are the staff’s predictions for the Missouri at Kansas State game:
Matt Galatzan - Managing Editor/Publisher
Kansas State is losing longtime starting quarterback Skylar Thompson, but will still be a team to be reckoned with in 2022. Missouri should be much improved on the defensive side of the ball, but with all of the offensive turnover from a season ago, it may be too early in the year for it to upset the Wildcats. Were this game to be played in November, my pick might be different. But as of now, I’ll take the Wildcats.
Kansas State 34 Missouri 28
Cole Thompson - Reporter/Columnist
Keep an eye out for Kansas State in the Big 12. Chris Klieman did work the transfer portal to his favor, adding talent such as Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez. The Wildcats also return do-it-all weapon Deuce Vaughn, who tallied near 1,900 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns.
Add in the fact that the game is in Manhattan and it becomes an uphill climb that the Tigers likely won't be able to overcome.
Kansas State 28 Missouri 17
Brian Smith, Recruiting Analyst
This is not necessarily the best matchup for a Mizzou squad that struggled to stop the run in 2021. The Tigers gave up 227.9 yards rushing per game last season, ranking No. 124 in the nation. Meanwhile, returning for the Wildcats will be All-American running back candidate Deuce Vaughn. In 2021, he rushed for 1,468 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Missouri’s defense will be improved, but it might be too much to predict the Tigers to win this game on the road because it’s going to be hard to keep the Wildcats' offense from grinding out first downs. Mizzou’s offense will score, but the defense will be gassed in the second half and that will be the difference in the final outcome.
Kansas State 34 Missouri 27
Connor Zimmerlee - Staff Writer
Both Missouri and Kansas State are coming off somewhat down years in 2021 and will look to rebound strongly. While not the ultimate determinant of where the two teams stand, this game will offer a glimpse of what they can achieve in 2022. It will be a tough road environment for the Missouri Tigers, but they will head into the Little Apple and knock off the Kansas State Wildcats in a close game.
Missouri 31 Kansas State 28
Zach Dimmitt - Staff Writer
Kansas State ended last season with a dominant 42-20 win over another SEC Tigers team. What the Wildcats did to LSU might’ve been expected given the state of the program in Baton Rouge, but Kansas State’s underrated defense could bring the same edge against a Mizzou team that struggled to find any sort of consistency against Power 5 competition last season.
Kansas State 24, Mizzou 20
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