K-State's Biggest Offensive Strength Could Be Arizona State's Worst Nightmare

K-State enters the Week 8 matchup against Arizona State with one of the nation's best rushing attacks, and the Sun Devils have struggled to stop opposing teams on the ground.

The Wildcats enter the game ranked sixth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 239.8 yards per game. K-State is coming off its best rushing performance of the season, finishing the win against KU with 359 rushing yards.

On Monday, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham mentioned during his weekly press cofnerence that the Sun Devils have really struggled when it comes to stopping the run.

"I'd just say the ability to stop the run and run the ball," Dillingham said when asked about where his team needs to improve the most. "It's something that we have done really well here the last two years, and we're not stopping the run."

In their last two Big 12 games against Baylor and Texas Tech, the Sun Devils have given up 504 rushing yards. They have also been outscored 108-44 in those two games. In the loss to the Red Raiders last Saturday, J'Koby Williams had 11 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns for Texas Tech.

The timing of this matchup is perfect, as K-State running back Joe Jackson is coming off his best game of the year with 159 rushing yards against the Jayhawks. His backfield mate, Avery Johnson, showed why he is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, rushing for another 132 yards.

Dilliingham has long been a fan of Johnson, as he was very aggressive in recruiting him out of high school when he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon. He was very complimentary of how Johnson is playing during his press conference, and you can bet that stopping the K-State quarterback is at the top of the defensive game plan.

"I think he's playing his best football yet," Dillingham said. "He ran over 100 yards last week, so his explosiveness is coming out. I think his footwork; I think his feet look really clean. I think there are a lot of things that he is doing really, really well."

For Klein and K-State, the performance on Saturday can't be just a one-game thing. The Sun Devils have shown that they struggle to stop the run, and the Wildcats are more than capable of delivering a similar performance in Week 8. Convert in the red zone with that rushing attack, and the Wildcats could go on an impressive run to end the season.

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