[jwplayer jF5wU66N-sNi3MVSU]
First Look: Kansas State vs. Nevada
One of two Power 5 teams on the schedule
Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire
AN EARLY PREVIEW OF NEVADA VS KANSAS STATE
Cal | Idaho State | Kansas State | New Mexico State
In their third contest of the 2021 season, the Nevada Wolf Pack will travel to Manhattan, Kansas to take on the Kansas State Wildcats out of the Big 12 Conference. The contest between the Wolf Pack and the Wildcats will be the first ever contest between the two schools.
The Wolf Pack are looking to build on a successful 2020 season when the Wolf Pack finished with a 7-2 record and was in the race to win the Mountain West Conference. The Wolf Pack did not win the Mountain West but they did cap off their successful season with a 38-27 victory over Tulane in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Wolf Pack, with talent returning on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, are one of the favorites to win the Mountain West conference in 2021. And one of the keys for the Wolf Pack to contend for a conference championship in 2021 is the play of quarterback Carson Strong.
Strong had a fantastic season in 2020 even though he and the team played only nine games due to the COVID pandemic. Strong completed 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,858 yards and 27 touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions. Strong’s completion percentage and passing yards was the best in the Mountain West in 2020 and he looks to continue that success in 2021.
The Wolf Pack will take on a Wildcats team that finished with a 4-6 record in the abbreviated 2020 season. The Wildcats started the 2020 season with a strong 4-1 record that included the Wildcats upsetting the then #3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners on the road. But the wheels fell off for the Wildcats as they lost their last five games after that 4-1 start to finish 4-6 and did not get invited to a bowl game in 2020.
The player to keep an eye out for Kansas State is sophomore running back Deuce Vaughn. Vaughn is the Wildcats’ primary weapon on offense. In 2020, Vaughn rushed for 642 yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns while also gaining 434 yards receiving and scored two receiving touchdowns.
The 5-foot-5 Vaughn, who is from Round Rock, Texas, had an incredible rookie season for the Wildcats. Despite Vaughn’s number’s tailing off towards the end of the season, he did enough to be a viable option for Kansas State in 2020.
With Vaughn set to play another season for Kansas State, the Wildcats on offense look to be a formidable opponent for the Wolf Pack when these two teams square off on September 18th.
