Former Kansas State players were all over Week 3, and a few of them were right in the middle of meaningful wins.
Dylan Edwards carried a heavy load for Kansas in London, Austin Romaine stayed busy in Texas Tech’s ranked win, and former Wildcats showed up in the rotations for Indiana and Baylor as well. Across the board, the ex-K-State group kept finding roles that mattered.
Edwards got the kind of feature work that can shape a game. Kansas handed him 18 carries and he turned them into 89 yards, then added four catches for 16 more in the Jayhawks’ 24-17 loss to Arizona State at Wembley Stadium. His 22 touches produced 105 yards from scrimmage, and Kansas kept feeding him while trying to build enough offense against an ASU defense that had trouble getting Kansas off schedule.
The problem for the Jayhawks came at the worst possible time. Edwards coughed up a fourth-quarter fumble in Kansas territory, and Arizona State used that mistake to swing the game. Kansas also had another turnover, and even though the Jayhawks piled up 414 yards to Arizona State’s 228, they couldn’t recover from the self-inflicted damage.
Austin Romaine’s day at Texas Tech was more about steady volume than flashy numbers, but that mattered in a 28-26 win over No. 22 Houston.
Romaine logged a team-high 64 snaps among former Wildcats tracked this week and finished with six tackles, including three solo stops, plus a pass breakup. Texas Tech had to survive a late push and held on when Houston missed a potential game-tying two-point conversion.
The Missouri native has clearly settled into a major role for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech faced 71 Houston offensive plays, and Romaine was on the field for nearly all of the pressure-packed stretches.
Brayden Loftin also stayed involved in a big offensive day, even if UCLA’s numbers dwarfed his individual line. In the Bruins’ 52-38 win at Purdue, Loftin played 60 snaps and caught two passes for 27 yards, with a 22-yard gain included. UCLA rolled up 645 total yards and 488 through the air, so Loftin didn’t headline the box score, but he remained part of the operation.
Jayce Brown contributed for LSU in a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss. Brown played 23 snaps and caught three passes for 23 yards, and all three grabs helped LSU keep the chains moving. The Tigers finished with 330 yards but couldn’t keep pace with Ole Miss’ 426.
Indiana’s 38-0 shutout of Western Kentucky featured two former K-State defensive linemen making plays. Tobi Osunsanmi played 31 snaps, picked up a sack and forced a fumble, while Chiddi Obiazor logged 30 snaps and added a quarterback hurry. Indiana held Western Kentucky to 186 total yards and just 66 on the ground.
Baylor got contributions from three former Wildcats in its 36-19 win over Louisiana Tech. Colby McCalister led that group with five tackles, four of them solo, over 61 snaps.
Daniel Cobbs added two tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in 55 snaps, and Ryan Davis made one tackle in 44 snaps. Baylor forced two turnovers and got four touchdowns from backup quarterback Nate Bennett while limiting Louisiana Tech to 362 yards and 25 first downs.
Here’s how the former Wildcats stacked up in snaps: Austin Romaine (Texas Tech), 64; Dylan Edwards (Kansas), 61; Colby McCalister (Baylor), 61; Brayden Loftin (UCLA), 60; Daniel Cobbs (Baylor), 55; Qua Moss (Tennessee), 52; Ryan Davis (Baylor), 44; Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder (SMU), 32; Tobi Jake Clifton (BYU), 31; Osunsanmi (Indiana), 31; Chili Obiazor (Indiana), 30; Jayce Brown (LSU), 23; Andrew Metzger (Ohio), 21; Amarion Fortenberry (USF), 20.
In Other News...
Kansas State Offense Has A Big 12 Problem Hiding In Plain Sight
Kansas State has put together an offense that looks dangerous on the surface, scoring more than 30 points in each of its first three games and leading the country in third-down conversion rate at 67.4%. Avery Johnson has been a big part of that success with his rushing ability, and the Wildcats have also stacked up enough explosive run plays to stay among the national leaders in that category.
Still, the way those possessions are unfolding is leaving a familiar problem in plain sight. Too many drives are getting pushed into third-and-long because the Wildcats are not getting consistent production on first and second down, especially on the ground, and that puts a lot more pressure on Johnson and the offense to keep bailing themselves out in obvious passing situations. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Just Raised The Stakes For Its Big 12 Opener
Kansas States 3-0 start has done more than keep the Wildcats unbeaten through nonconference play, it has nudged them into the conversation as a team worth watching once the Big 12 schedule starts. Wins over Nicholls, Washington State and Tulane gave Chris Kliemans group the kind of early momentum every program wants, and the modest AP poll support only adds to the sense that this is a team with something to prove as much as something to protect.
Now the spotlight turns to Cincinnati, and that opener will tell a lot about whether Kansas State is simply a hot start story or a genuine threat in the league race. Avery Johnson has been part of the reason for the optimism, but the Wildcats next step is bigger than individual playmaking - it is about showing that an underdog with potential can turn September momentum into real Big 12 relevance. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found A New Goal Line Weapon
Kansas States win over Tulane offered a glimpse of a different kind of backfield option, and Jay Harris made the most of it. The senior running back scored twice on just two carries, both coming in a jumbo package that put his size and physical style to work right at the goal line, where the Wildcats have been looking for reliable answers in tight spaces.
Collin Klein and Harriss teammates came away talking about how effective he can be when the field shrinks and power matters most. For a Kansas State offense that values versatility, Harriss emergence as a short-yardage presence gives the staff another wrinkle to lean on, and it leaves plenty of intrigue about how often theyll keep turning to him in those situations moving forward. [Read more 🡒]