No. 19 K-State faces relative FBS newcomer Charlotte

Posted September 07, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Charlotte (0-1) at No. 19 Kansas State (1-0), Saturday Noon ET (FSN)

Line: Kansas State by 35ˆ½.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The Wildcats get another tuneup after a season-opening rout of Central Arkansas before heading to Vanderbilt for their first decent test of the season. Charlotte will try to pull off a monumental upset after losing to Eastern Michigan in its opener.

KEY MATCHUP

Kansas State's defensive front vs. Charlotte QB Hasaan Klugh. The Wildcats struggled to slow down Central Arkansas's option offense last week, repeatedly getting pushed around at the point of attack. The 49ers hope to do the same thing with Klugh, who threw for 114 yards and ran for 101 against Eastern Michigan.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlotte: LB Jeff Gemmell should be busy trying to bottle up QB Jesse Ertz and the Kansas State ground game. The redshirt sophomore had 14 tackles last week in his first career start, matching a school record against an FBS foe.

Kansas State: Ertz threw for 333 yards and four TDs last week, three of them of at least 50 yards. His quarterback rating of 319.8 was best in the nation and set the school record.

FACTS AND FIGURES

The 49ers are in their fifth football season and second in the FBS as a program. ... Charlotte coach Brad Lambert and defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt played for Kansas State in the 1980s. ... The 49ers only allowed 17 points against Eastern Michigan, the other TD coming on a pick-six. ... 49ers LB Karrington King needs three tackles to pass Larry Ogunjobi (217) for most in school history. ... Charlotte is 0-2 against Power Five foes, losing to Kentucky and Louisville. ... The 49ers have lost four straight road games. ... Kansas State DB D.J. Reed picked off a pass and returned a punt 69 yards for a TD against Central Arkansas. He also returned a kickoff 96 yards but was tackled short of the end zone. ... Kansas State is 22-4 against Conference USA opponents. ... The Wildcats averaged 20.8 yards per pass attempt against Central Arkansas, setting a Big 12 record.

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More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

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