Kansas State’s rematch with Tulane is not getting treated like just another non-conference game, not inside the building and especially not by Collin Klein.
The Wildcats host Tulane at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and Klein made it clear he still carries the sting of K-State’s 17-10 loss to the Green Wave in 2022. When asked whether that result adds extra motivation, he answered with two words and a hard look: “No doubt,” Klein said bluntly.
That defeat came in Manhattan during a season that ultimately ended much differently for both teams. At the time, though, it landed as a frustrating setback for K-State.
Klein was the offensive coordinator then, and the Wildcats never found much rhythm. Kansas State threw for 150 yards and ran for 186, with its only touchdown coming on a pass from Adrian Martinez to Kade Warner.
The offense was shut out in the second half.
The loss looked even bigger in the moment because Tulane kept rolling. The Green Wave finished with 12 wins and capped the year by beating USC 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl.
Kansas State, meanwhile, recovered and went on to win the Big 12. It was a meeting of conference champions, but that didn’t make the result any easier to swallow for the Wildcats or their fans.
Tulane gave K-State another battle two years later in New Orleans, where the Wildcats had to grind out a 34-27 win. Klein was at Texas A&M then, but the program’s toughness has stuck with him and with some of the players now preparing for this week’s matchup.
“They’re just a tough program,” K-State linebacker Rex Van Wyhe said. “They lose their head coach, it seems like every year, but they come back and you know they’re going to play their best ball.”
The coaching faces on Tulane’s sideline have changed, too. Willie Fritz, who coached the Green Wave in the 2022 game, is now at Houston, while Jon Sumrall is at Florida.
But for Kansas State, the series still carries enough memory to matter. Saturday will be the final game in the three-game set between the schools.
K-State running back Joe Jackson said the Wildcats are approaching it with the right edge, but not with any sense that Tulane can be taken lightly.
“They say Tulane is kind of an iffy game for us,” added K-State running back Joe Jackson. “But I look at it as another game.
Obviously, we respect every opponent that we play and I know they’re going to be a tough team. But we just never look down on any team.
We’re going to come out and give it our best.”
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