Five storylines for Kansas State’s next Big 12 football game against the Baylor Bears

Kansas State will try to bounce back from an overtime loss against Texas when it hosts Baylor at 2 p.m. on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) are no longer in control of their own destiny in the race for a conference championship, but this is an opportunity for them to improve their bowl stock as the season winds down, especially against a Baylor (3-6, 2-4 Big 12) team that is currently struggling.

Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.

Baylor at Kansas State: Game details

Kickoff: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan

TV: ESPN+

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: K-State by 17 with an O/U of 55.5

Five things to know

1. K-State will have to move past a disappointing loss this week. It will be interesting to see how the Wildcats respond to their heartbreaking loss against Texas. Will they use the loss as motivation and play inspired football against Baylor? Or will they suffer a letdown and not play up to their standards? The past may provide a clue to the answer. Last year, K-State lost a close game against Texas and then won all of their remaining games to reach the Big 12 championship.

2. Will Howard is heating up as a passer. The K-State quarterback is putting up the best numbers of his college career. Howard has thrown for a total of 645 yards and nine touchdowns over the past three weeks. He was at his best against Texas when he carved up the Longhorns for 327 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Baylor is struggling in Year 4 under Dave Aranda. This has been a disappointing season for the Bears. There is no other way to put it. On paper, this looks like one of the easiest games on the entire schedule for K-State. The Bears began the season with a loss to Texas State and have only beaten Long Island, UCF and Cincinnati since. Baylor is coming off a 25-24 overtime loss against Houston.

4. Keagan Johnson can add a new element to the K-State offense. Many have been waiting for Johnson to make big plays in a purple uniform. The Iowa transfer finally delivered on his potential last week when he erupted with seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against Texas. K-State hasn’t gotten much production out of its receivers this season, but that could change if Johnson can stay healthy and give defenses something else to worry about.

5. Baylor is the worst team in the Big 12 in several statistical areas. The Bears are struggling on both sides of the ball this season. They rank last in the Big 12 in terms of scoring offense (22.7 points per game) and the rank 13th in the Big 12 in scoring defense (29.4 points per game). The also struggle to stop the run, which could be a big advantage for K-State as the Wildcats look to get DJ Giddens and Treshaun Ward more involved this week.