Kansas State heads into its last non-conference football game of the season on Saturday with Tulane coming to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats are 2-0, the Green Wave are 1-1, and kickoff is set for 11 AM on ESPN2.
This matchup carries a little extra memory with it. The last time Tulane came to Manhattan, it was the Green Wave leaving with the win. Kansas State went on to win the Big 12 in 2022, but Collin Klein has not forgotten that result.
The general expectation is that this one tilts in K-State’s direction. If the Wildcats keep bringing the same edge on defense and the same clean execution on offense that they’ve shown over the last two games, they’ll enter Big 12 play at 3-0 for only the fifth time since 2012. That’s the kind of start Klein knows well from that 2012 team, and one he can point to again.
Go Cats!
On the soccer side, Kansas State’s unbeaten run ended in a 3-0 loss to Houston in the Big 12 opener at Buser Family Park. Houston scored first and stayed in control from there. Kansas State thought it had found the net in the 20th minute, but VAR wiped out the goal.
The team is back in Big 12 action Thursday at home against Arizona. Kickoff is at 6:30 PM.
In volleyball, Kansas State kept rolling with a 3-1 win over Creighton in Omaha, pushing its season winning streak to seven matches. That also leaves the VolleyCats as the only Big 12 team without a loss so far.
Freshman Addison Massey was the big statistical star, finishing with 20 kills and 15 digs for her first college double-double. Emerson Van Landen added a double-double of her own with 21 assists and 15 digs.
The VolleyCats close out non-conference play today against Omaha. First serve is set for 3 PM.
In Other News...
Kansas State Win Revealed More Than Fans Will Like Before Big 12 Play
Kansas State closed non-conference play with a 31-20 win over Tulane, moving to 3-0 and giving the Wildcats a clean runway into Big 12 action. Avery Johnson was the headliner, piling up a career-high 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense again showed it can lean on depth up front to keep the team in games.
Still, the win also offered a few reminders of what will matter once the league schedule starts. The offensive line had stretches that looked vulnerable, and the Wildcats had to finish without safety Logan Bartley after he left early because of injury, while defensive lineman Jordan Allen did not play. The record looks good, but the next phase will tell Kansas State a lot more about how complete this team really is. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Sounds Off On One Kansas State Problem After Win
Collin Klein came away from Kansas States 31-20 win over Tulane with plenty to like, and he made sure to credit the back-and-forth nature of the game. He praised both teams for the adjustments they made as the night wore on, pointed to the defenses ability to bend without breaking on long Tulane drives, and noted that the offense found a better rhythm with Avery helping steady things.
Even with the victory in hand, Klein kept coming back to the same issue: the penalties. He said the Wildcats have to be more disciplined moving forward, even after a game in which special teams also did its part by limiting Tulanes return game. For Kansas State, it was the kind of win that showed progress in a few areas while leaving at least one familiar problem sitting in plain view. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found The Linebacker It Needed Most
Kansas State has been searching for answers in the middle of its defense since Austin Romaine transferred to Texas Tech, and Gabe Powers is beginning to look like a player who can help steady that spot. The fifth-year senior, who arrived from Ohio State, has already started to settle in with the Wildcats and showed his value in a recent victory against Washington State, where he finished with four tackles.
Powers is expected to keep playing a major role as the schedule moves forward, and that matters for a defense still adjusting to life without Romaine. The fit has been encouraging enough that Kansas State may have found a linebacker who can give it the kind of reliability it needed most, even if the full picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]