Kansas State is about to line up against a familiar face, and this one carries a little extra weight for the Wildcats.
Houston offensive assistant Micheal Bishop, one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in Kansas State history, will be on the opposite sideline Saturday when the Wildcats meet the Cougars at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Bishop is now part of Houston’s staff, while K-State head coach Collin Klein - another former Wildcats quarterback - knows him well.
“Over the years, I have definitely gotten to know him better,” Klein said during his weekly press conference. “I respect him tremendously.”
Bishop’s Kansas State legacy was built during the program’s rise under Bill Snyder, when the Wildcats went from being a bottom-feeder to a national contender. By the late 1990s, K-State was at the center of the national football universe, and Bishop was a huge reason why.
His 1998 senior season still stands out. He set the school record at the time with 2,844 passing yards and threw 23 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He also added 748 rushing yards on 147 carries and scored 14 times on the ground.
Klein’s own K-State resume gives this matchup a neat symmetry. He was a standout quarterback for the Wildcats in the early 2010s and finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist after leading Kansas State to an 11-3 record in 2012. That season ended with a Big 12 title and a loss to the Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl.
The stakes are simple enough: this is a big one in the Big 12 standings. Both teams enter with one loss. Houston’s defeat came against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, while Kansas State dropped last week on the road to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Kansas State will also be dealing with a few injury questions. Tight end Will Anciaux is out for the season after suffering a lower leg injury in the Cincinnati game. Klein said receiver Jaron Tibbs had a strong week of recovery during the bye, and there is no timetable on his return, though he could play against Houston.
Freshman tackle Oliver Miller is still day to day, and so are backup quarterbacks Blake Barnett, Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth. Kansas State had only one available quarterback against Cincinnati, and the team is expected to update those statuses Friday morning or sometime before kickoff Saturday.
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Kansas State Faces One Big Injury Question After Bye Week
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Receiver Jaron Tibbs is recovering and may be available for the matchup, which would give Kansas State another needed option as it tries to reset coming out of the pause. Beyond Tibbs, several other players remain day to day, leaving the Wildcats with a handful of decisions still hanging as they work through the week and try to get healthier before the next kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
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Alexander has earned a reputation as a steady program builder from his success at Belmont, which is part of why Kansas State chose him for the job. But the early days of this kind of overhaul usually require more patience than instant answers, and the Wildcats fan base may need to give this rebuild time to take shape before the payoff really shows. [Read more 🡒]