When K-State and No. 22 Houston meet on Saturday in Manhattan, one of the biggest battles could come on the most important down in football.
Houston enters Week 6 ranked No. 1 nationally in third-down conversion percentage at 65.5%, converting 40 of its 61 opportunities. Right below them is K-State, converting 39-of-60 on third downs for an even 65%.
Extending drives are always key to determining which team wins a game, but with the best two in the country, the pressure looms even larger on Saturday.
The Cougars have been remarkably consistent on third down. They have converted at least 50% of their third downs in all five games, including an 8-of-9 performance against Georgia Southern and a perfect 8-of-8 showing against Southern. Even in Houston’s lone loss to Texas Tech, the Cougars finished 9-of-15.
The Wildcats have been equally impressive.
K-State is averaging 480.2 yards and 40.5 points per game, and the ability to stay on the field has been a major reason for that production. Even in the Wildcats’ 31-26 loss to Cincinnati in Week 4, extending drives wasn’t the problem.
The Wildcats converted 10-of-17 third-down attempts, which helped the Wildcats run 80 offensive plays, gain 447 yards, and possess the ball for more than 33 minutes. Having a quarterback like Avery Johnson, who can make plays both passing and running the ball, plays a big role in converting third downs. While both teams are very good at converting on third downs, they are also both outstanding at getting off the field on defense.
K-State opponents have converted just 18-of-54 third downs this season, while Houston has allowed opponents to convert on only 22-of-65 attempts.
For K-State, winning on third down will be especially important to keep the Cougars’ offense on the sidelines. Houston is averaging 483.3 yards per game and has 136 first downs through the first five games.
Like the Wildcats, the Cougars have a quarterback in Conner Weigman who can make plays with both his arm and his legs. He has thrown for 1,186 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only one interception. He also has six rushing touchdowns this season, with his legs being a huge part of the success in extending drives.
For pass-rushers like Wendell Gregory Jr. and Darien Whitaker Jr., they can’t get too far upfield on their rushes. They also have to remain disciplined in their containment because Weigman is nearly impossible to stop if he can escape the pocket.
It doesn’t matter what game; converting on third down is huge when it comes to determining the outcome of a football game. However, in this battle between the two best teams at converting on third down, whoever wins this battle will walk off the field with a huge win in Big 12 play.
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