Notebook: KSU misses leader

Wildcats not same without safety

One of the most significant elements of today’s Sunflower Showdown might be the absence of one of Kansas State’s top defensive players.

Senior safety Ty Zimmerman is expected to miss the rivalry game because of a right foot injury he suffered early in KSU’s victory over TCU two weeks ago. Zimmerman, a native of Junction City, missed last week’s loss to Oklahoma and also missed the final three games of 2012 after suffering a similar injury late season.

According to Kansas University coach Charlie Weis, the Wildcats’ defense looks drastically different without their captain manning the secondary.

“Just like anything else, injuries factor in to these games,” Weis said. “We have had significant injuries that have hurt us. Defensively, they have one significant injury that hurts them. If you go back and track that young man in the games when he plays and when he doesn’t play, I think you would see the point differential is significant.”

Since Zimmerman became a captain before his junior season, KSU’s defense has given up an average of 20 points per game in 19 contests with him at safety. That includes a 22 ppg mark during the first nine games this season and 18 ppg during 10 games last season. In the five games Zimmerman has missed — the final three of 2012 and the last two games of this season — the Wildcats’ points-against number balloons to 37.

Zimmerman, who started at quarterback for Junction City in the state-championship victory over Free State High in 2008, is just one man, and the Wildcats (6-5 overall, 4-4 Big 12) have had a couple of weeks to get used to life without their leader. But there’s no doubt that the Jayhawks (3-8, 1-7) will look to take advantage of his absence both in the run game and through the air.

“I just know we are going to have to play a heck of a lot better than we have been playing recently for us to have a legitimate chance to win the game,” Weis said. “If you don’t score in the high 20s to low 30s against these guys, you usually don’t beat them.”

Series history

Kansas owns a 65-40-5 edge in the all-time series with Kansas State, but the Wildcats have dominated during recent years. KSU is 16-4 in the Sunflower Showdown since 1993, and KSU coach Bill Snyder is 17-4 all-time against the Jayhawks. That includes a 7-3 mark in games played in Lawrence, where the Jayhawks own the all-time edge, 37-17-2.

KU’s last victory in the series was a 52-21 blowout in 2008, the final game of a three-game winning streak over its in-state rival. Since then, KSU has won four straight by the average score of 48-14. The Wildcats have scored 56 points or more in three consecutive meetings.

Wildcats favored

Oddsmakers pegged Kansas State as three-score favorites when the week began, and that number has slowly climbed throughout the week. KSU opened as a 16.5-point favorite, and the number went as high as K-State minus-18 in some spots.

The Jayhawks were underdogs in every Big 12 game this season, and the average spread during those nine contests was 20.5 points. KU has covered in four of its first eight conference games.