Manhattan, KS -- (Sports Network) - The Missouri Tigers have climbed to the sixth spot in the most recent AP poll, and they hope to keep their Big 12 and national title hopes alive this weekend as they battle the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan.

Missouri is coming off a 40-26 victory over Texas A&M, and the Tigers have clinched their first winning record in conference play under seventh-year head coach Gary Pinkel. They are in second place in the Big 12 North, trailing undefeated Kansas by one game in the standings. Those two teams will meet in Columbia next weekend. The lone loss on the schedule for Missouri is a 10-point setback to national powerhouse Oklahoma in Norman.

Kansas State is 5-5 overall this season and needs one victory in the final two games to become bowl eligible. The Wildcats have lost their last two games, including an embarrassing 73-31 setback to Nebraska last weekend. They lost to a inferior Iowa State team the week before, and it is hard to belive that this K-State squad crushed Texas in Austin back in late September.

In regard to the overall series between these long-time foes, Missouri leads by a 56-31-5 margin. Last season, the Tigers snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Wildcats with a 41-21 victory.

Missouri has set a single-season program scoring record with 411 points, proof of the explosiveness of the club's offense. In last weekend's victory over Texas A&M, the Tigers rolled up 555 total yards. Chase Daniel was tremendous once again, as he completed 27-of-35 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The quarterback has put forth a Heisman-quality effort this season. Jeremy Maclin shined against Texas A&M with five catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard score. Tony Temple led the ground attack with 141 yards and one touchdown. Through 10 games, Missouri is posting 41.8 ppg and 514.2 total ypg. Daniel has thrown 26 touchdowns to go along with his three rushing scores, and he has completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,306 yards. Martin Rucker, Chase Coffman, William Franklin and Maclin have all put up big numbers at the receiver position. As for the ground attack, Temple leads a talented committee with 559 yards and six touchdowns.

The Tigers yielded 380 total yards to Texas A&M last weekend, and while the defense wasn't dominant by any means, the unit certainly played well enough to earn a victory. It is no secret that the Aggies rely heavily on their ground attack to move the ball and score points, so the fact that Missouri permitted only 3.4 yards per rushing attempt is impressive. Opponents are scoring 22.1 ppg against Missouri, which is yielding 377.2 total ypg. Of the 25 touchdowns that the Tigers have allowed to opposing offenses, 13 have come on the ground. Still, Missouri has only permitted 3.6 rushing ypc. While the defense lacks a star caliber player that college football fans can easily identify, many individuals have played well for the Tigers. William Moore has recorded 74 tackles and a team-high five interceptions.

Kansas State is averaging 36.1 ppg this season to go along with 423.0 total ypg, solid numbers for a team that can certainly do damage offensively. Josh Freeman has taken almost every snap for the Wildcats this season, and he has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,841 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Freeman has clearly benefitted from the presence of one of the nation's top receivers, Jordy Nelson, who has made 99 catches for 1,347 yards and nine touchdowns. Freeman has rushed for four scores, but he isn't really a threat on the ground. The top runner for K-State is James Johnson, as he has pounded out 863 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging a gaudy 6.0 ypc. The offense played well against Nebraska last weekend, posting 428 total yards without a turnover. Freeman completed 26-of-44 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns, and he also ran for a score. Nelson made nine catches for 125 yards and one touchdown, but the Wildcats could not keep pace with the Nebraska offense.

Opponents are scoring 27.6 ppg against Kansas State, which is giving up 383.1 total ypg. Opponents have passed for 21 touchdowns against KSU, more than twice as many scores as they have mustered on the ground. Clearly, the defensive stats took a major hit last weekend in the ugly game against Nebraska, as the Wildcats surrendered a staggering total of 702 yards, as the Cornhuskers put 73 points on the board. K-State seemingly watched helplessly as Nebraska completed 31-of-43 passes for 519 yards with seven touchdowns, torching the Wildcat secondary with apparent ease. The Cornhuskers were also able to run the ball with significant success. Kansas State finished the tilt with zero takeaways, an embarrassing showing by any standards.