Carter Stanley
Quarterback, #9
Stanley suffered an injury in the 38-9 loss to Baylor last weekend, but the quarterback may be ready to go come 5 p.m. in Austin on Saturday. The sophomore quarterback famously left Texas fans with a bitter taste in their mouths near the end of the 2016 season, when Stanley captained two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to lead Kansas to its first victory over Texas since 1938.
With Washington State transfer Peyton Bender starting the season under center, Stanley didn’t receive many in-game reps until recently. In his first start of the season, the Vero Beach native threw for a career-high 418 yards and one touchdown, falling 30-20 to archrival Kansas State. But Stanley has beaten just one FBS team in his career, the same one he’ll face at Darrell K Royal Stadium in Week 11.
Khalil Herbert
Running back, #10
Herbert tore apart West Virginia’s defense with a 291-yard outing on the ground on Sept. 23. His career day resulted in the best rushing performance of 2017, a mark which has since been shattered by Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate.
But in that game, Herbert showed his true potential. He has found the end zone just four times this season, and all of his touchdowns have been recorded in his two 100-yard games. After a stretch of limited carries, Herbert got back on track in Week 10, earning 71 yards on 10 carries versus Baylor. But the sophomore running back experienced a truly special moment in his first year as a Jayhawk — scoring Kansas’ final touchdown in the monumental upset over Texas.
Steven Sims Jr.
Wide receiver, #11
Just like Herbert, Sims rattled off a breakout performance with mind-boggling numbers. In the loss in Lawrence to Kansas State, Sims earned 233 receiving yards on nine catches, including a 60-yard touchdown pass during Kansas’ comeback effort in the fourth quarter.
Sims, after a highly productive 2016 campaign, leads Kansas in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for the second-consecutive season. The junior receiver from Houston is on a hot streak of his own, collecting 16 catches for 275 yards in the past two weeks. Sims ran in the two-point conversion to cut Kansas’ deficit to three points during the Jayhawks’ last FBS victory, the win over the Longhorns in 2016.
Dorance Armstrong Jr.
Defensive end, #2
Armstrong ranked second in the Big 12 a season ago by tallying 10 sacks in just 12 games suiting up for Kansas. The junior defensive end — also a Houston native — has forced three fumbles in two consecutive seasons, constantly acting as a force on Kansas’ most star-studded position group: its defensive line. Armstrong forced a conference-best 20 tackles for loss in 2016 and he has already recorded eight stops behind the line of scrimmage this season.
Armstrong’s pass rushing will be key against Texas’ offensive line, which allowed a season-high seven sacks at TCU last Saturday. The 6-foot-4 defensive end is no stranger to winning battles in the trenches against the Texas defensive line, as he recorded two sacks in last November’s contest against the Longhorns.
