Kansas State knows exactly what’s waiting on the other side of an 0-2 Big 12 start: Kansas, and all the emotion that comes with it.
For Avery Johnson, that’s not a burden. It’s a spark.
“Them being the next opponent definitely helps,” Johnson said, “because of the rivalry and the hatred that everybody here has for KU. I think that it’s such a good rivalry that it’s hard not to get fired up for. I think that will just add fuel to the fire as we go through our prep this week.”
That edge was easy to spot Monday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where the Wildcats shifted their attention to the Jayhawks and brought noticeably more juice to practice before getting after it in the weight room. After a 35-16 loss to Houston over the weekend, K-State could use exactly that kind of response.
“This is a big game for us,” K-State left tackle Ryan Howard said. “I know that we’re going to fight this week to bounce back, and having KU up next definitely will give us a little extra kick to get this thing going, to get the boat moving in the right direction.”
The timing gives this Sunflower Showdown a little extra bite. Kansas State is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12, while Kansas sits at 2-3 and also 0-2 in league play.
Both teams have shown flashes. Neither has put together the kind of conference performance that inspires real confidence.
K-State is listed as a 4.5-point favorite, though it still has the feel of a game that could tilt either way. And in Manhattan, there isn’t much room for comfort after the Wildcats’ stumble against Houston.
Still, the rivalry is doing its job. K-State has won 17 straight in the series, and the players are well aware of what’s at stake with the Governor’s Cup on the line again.
Head coach Collin Klein said he put the trophy in the middle of the locker room to make sure nobody in the building forgets what this week means.
Klein also made it clear that the past doesn’t buy anything now.
“We have a big week with KU coming to town,” Klein said. “They pose a lot of challenges and do a lot of diverse things offensively and defensively that we have to prepare for. We have to get back to doing the fundamental things correctly and the little things right to get on the right side of those plays on both sides of the football to get the outcome that we want.
“Nothing that has been done in the past has any bearing on this week and this game. The score is 0-0 right now.
We’ve got to earn it every single day this week on the practice field to leave the game Saturday how we want. That’s where we’re at.”
It’s the kind of week where rivalry, frustration and opportunity all collide. For the Wildcats, that may be exactly the right recipe.
In Other News...
Kansas State Is Chasing Early Help In One Crucial Future Spot
Kansas State has been active on the recruiting trail, casting a wide net across multiple classes as it looks to build depth for the future. Among the recent offers is Texas offensive lineman Xander Fisher, part of a group that also includes Drew Langford, Cortez Jones and Noah Gigger, all of whom have attracted attention from other college football programs as well.
For the Wildcats, the bigger picture is less about any one name than the position group they are targeting and the competition that comes with it. Early offers can matter in a hurry, especially when a program is trying to get in front of prospects before the rest of the country makes the chase even tighter. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Needs This Sunflower Showdown Far More Than Fans Wanted
The Sunflower Showdown arrives Saturday morning at Bill Snyder Family Stadium with a different kind of urgency around it for Kansas State. The Wildcats have owned this rivalry for a long time, winning 17 straight, but the bigger storyline now is less about the past and more about a Big 12 start that has not gone the way K-State wanted. A game like this can still carry all the usual bragging rights, but for the Wildcats it also carries the pressure of getting back on track.
Kansas brings its own reasons to believe the matchup can be more competitive than the record in the series suggests. Former K-State running back Dylan Edwards is now on the other sideline, and quarterback Isaiah Marshall has shown improvement lately as the Jayhawks look to snap the losing streak against their in-state rival. For K-State, that makes this more than just another chapter in the series. It is a chance to steady the season before the conference picture gets any harder to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Heads Into Rivalry Game With Pressure Suddenly Building
Kansas State suddenly finds itself trying to steady the season after back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and Houston dropped the Wildcats to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play. For a team with expectations higher than where things stand right now, the early conference skid has made the margin for error a lot smaller, and first-year coach Collin Klein has already acknowledged that the issues run beyond one side of the ball.
Now the focus turns to the rivalry game with Kansas, a matchup that always carries its own weight but feels even bigger with a losing streak looming. The Wildcats will be looking for cleaner execution and a response that shows the season can still get back on track before the pressure around this start grows any heavier. [Read more 🡒]