In a promising development, redshirt freshman wide receiver Kennedy Lewis is still listed on the roster despite his suspension in February.
Texas has also added several walk-on players to the roster — freshman kicker Zach Lidner and freshman kicker/punter Logan Smith — to improve depth after the loss of backup Chris Naggar, who opted to become a graduate transfer.
This Sunflower Showdown matches two 7-3 teams. The Wildcats have dominated the series, winning 14 in a row since 2008 by an average margin of more than four touchdowns. But these aren’t the same old Jayhawks, though they would be down to their third quarterback if Jason Bean is unable to play. This will be the 113th consecutive year the rivals have met, the fourth-longest uninterrupted FBS series. It is the 121st meeting overall.
Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks has rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of his last eight games and he had 98 in the other game. He is second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally at 116.6 yards per game. He has rushing touchdowns in six consecutive games, the first Red Raiders running back to do that since Taurean Henderson in 2004. The Red Raiders on Saturday host UCF, the Big 12’s worst rushing defense. The Knights give up 196 yards per game and have allowed 23 TDs on the ground.
More than half of the Big 12 teams could finish the regular season tied for first place. With two games left, it is still possible for eight of the 14 teams to have 6-3 conference records. For that to happen, Texas would have to lose its remaining games (Iowa State, Texas Tech), Kansas would have to win both of its games, including this week against Kansas State, which would then have to beat Iowa State. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would both have to split their remaining two games, while Texas Tech and West Virginia have to win out. A series of tiebreakers would then come into play to determine which two teams meet in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 2.
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