Kansas State has had Kansas’ number for a long time, and Saturday gives the Jayhawks another shot to finally interrupt the run.
The 124th Sunflower Showdown lands in Manhattan, Kan., with Kansas trying to end a 17-game losing streak against its in-state rival. Both teams enter the Big 12 matchup still searching for their first conference win, with Kansas sitting at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in league play, while Kansas State is 3-2 and also 0-2.
Last Saturday did nothing to change either team’s momentum. Then-No.
22 Houston handled Kansas State 35-16, and then-No. 12 Utah beat Kansas 41-24.
Kansas has the better all-time mark in the rivalry, leading 64-54-5, but recent history belongs almost entirely to the Wildcats. Still, the Jayhawks have enough firepower to make this interesting. Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall has flashed all season, averaging 279.6 total yards per game with eight passing touchdowns and one rushing score across five appearances.
The problem for Kansas has been getting the details right against quality teams. The Jayhawks have not beaten a Power Four opponent this season, and the Utah loss featured red-zone issues and penalties that opened the door for 14 unanswered fourth-quarter points. Cleaning that up is a must if Kansas is going to change the script.
“For a lot of years, I said, 'It can't be much of a rivalry unless we hold our end of the bargain up,' and we haven't done that yet," Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. "We're well aware of that, and we've got to find a way to get it done on Saturday."
Kansas State, meanwhile, has built its defensive profile around limiting the pass. The Wildcats have allowed only 133.4 passing yards per game, a tough assignment for Marshall and the Jayhawks’ offense.
But the Wildcats are also coming in with their own issues. They’ve dropped two straight, and in those losses they’ve given up a combined 66 points and 911 scrimmage yards. Coach Collin Klein pointed to missed assignments and a lack of discipline in basic execution as major reasons for the skid.
“The score is 0-0 right now, and we have to earn it every single day this week on the practice field to leave the game Saturday how we want," Klein told reporters. "That's where we're at."
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson will once again be at the center of it. His dual-threat style has given defenses fits, and even against Houston, when he threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns, he also had one interception.
"You can tell they've adjusted ... to know where he's at to maintain better edges," Klein said about Johnson vs. the Cougars. "We do have to create more explosive plays collectively on offense."
In Other News...
Collin Klein Sends Kansas State A Clear Rivalry Warning
Kansas State has spent more than a decade owning the Sunflower Showdown, with 17 straight wins over Kansas dating back to 2008. But as the next meeting approaches, Collin Klein is making sure the Wildcats do not treat that run like a built-in advantage, pointing back to the painful loss he remembers from 2008 as a reminder that rivalry games have a way of punishing any team that gets comfortable.
Both programs enter this matchup searching for a reset, which only adds to the edge around a series that already carries plenty of history. For Kansas State, the streak is a point of pride, but Kleins message is that none of it matters if the Wildcats do not show up ready to fight for it again. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Still Carries One Sunflower Showdown Memory Into Kansas Week
Before Kansas States Sunflower Showdown winning streak took hold in 2009, the rivalry still carried the sting of what had happened the year before. Collin Klein was part of that era, and the memory of Kansass 2008 win has stuck with him as the Wildcats head into another Kansas week. For a program that has turned that 17-10 result into the start of a long run of control in the series, it remains a useful reminder of how quickly the balance can shift.
Now the head coach at Kansas State, Klein is seeing that history from a different seat, but the backdrop is the same. The Wildcats breakthrough in 2009 did more than just flip one rivalry game, it helped signal a turning point for the program and set up the kind of dominant stretches that followed. Even with all that success since, the old loss still lingers as part of the motivation that makes this week feel bigger than another date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Chasing A Massive Early O-Line Recruiting Prize
Kansas States recruiting board is already taking shape well beyond the current season, and Collin Klein has been busy making the kind of scholarship offers that can matter years down the line. Among the names on that list is Mead High School offensive lineman James Bennett from Colorado, a prospect who fits the Wildcats broader push to stockpile talent across multiple classes and positions.
Kleins offers have not been limited to the line, either, with linebackers Drew Langford and Cortez Jones, wide receiver Noah Gigger and others from several states getting attention as Kansas State looks ahead. For the Wildcats, the message is clear enough: the staff is trying to build depth and flexibility early, even if the biggest payoff from these offers is still waiting somewhere in the future. [Read more 🡒]