Kansas State’s first real test under Collin Klein arrives Saturday morning in Manhattan, and it comes with a ranked opponent on the other sideline and a lot more to learn about both teams.
The Wildcats will host Washington State on Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, with TNT carrying the game.
Kansas State opened Klein’s coaching tenure with a lopsided 71-3 win over FCS Nicholls, while Washington State dropped its season opener 24-10 to No. 19 Washington in Kirby Moore’s first game as head coach after serving as Missouri’s offensive coordinator.
The biggest edge for Kansas State starts with the offense. Avery Johnson is back at quarterback, and he’s got a sturdy supporting cast around him in a trio of tight ends, running back Joe Jackson and receiver Jaron Tibbs. Add in Klein’s play-calling, and this group has a chance to look even sharper than the unit that averaged nearly 30 points per game last season.
Washington State’s offense, by contrast, had a rough opening night. Caden Pinnick threw for 142 yards and two interceptions against Washington, though he did provide a spark as a runner with 61 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The rest of the Cougars’ ground game never got going, finishing with 39 yards on 17 carries.
On the other side, Washington State’s defense did enough against Washington to make things interesting. The Cougars limited the Huskies to 134 rushing yards, and Demond Williams accounted for 61 of those himself. That gives Kansas State something to think about, especially if Johnson is asked to use his legs more than usual.
That said, the Wildcats will also be trying to run the ball against a defense that looked solid in its opener. Klein wants to lean into the ground game, and while another 312-yard, six-touchdown explosion is not a realistic expectation, Kansas State should still find some room. If the Wildcats can move the ball that way, it would say plenty about where this offense is headed.
There are still questions for Kansas State up front, too. Injuries on the left side of the offensive line could make it harder to establish the run against a defense that already looked competitive last week. If those issues show up early, this game could stay tighter than the spread implies.
BetMGM had Kansas State favored by 19 1/2 points, with the total set at 48 1/2. The money line listed Kansas State at -1100 and Washington State at +700.
The prediction here is Kansas State 27, Washington State 14. The spread feels a little steep, but the Wildcats still look like the safer pick.
Washington State’s struggles on offense against Washington, along with the chance the Cougars are without their top receiver, point toward a Kansas State win. The Cougars should be better than they were a week ago, but this is the game where Jordan Peterson’s defense gets a real test, and the Wildcats’ offense - with Johnson and Klein steering the show - should be enough to control it.
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Kansas State Just Got An Early Answer Behind Avery Johnson
Kansas State got a useful early look at its quarterback depth in the season-opening win against Nicholls, with both Jacob Knuth and Blake Barnett getting snaps behind Avery Johnson. For a team that will keep needing answers at that spot, the first game offered a clean opportunity to see how the backup work might hold up in real action, and head coach Collin Klein came away encouraged by what he saw from both players.
Barnett handled the heavier load and moved the offense efficiently in his work, while Knuth made the most of his limited chances by contributing with both his arm and his legs. The bigger takeaway for Kansas State was not just the final result, but the way those reps fit into the programs larger plan at quarterback, giving Klein something tangible to evaluate as the season starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces Its First Real Test Under Collin Klein
Kansas State opened its season with a win over Nicholls, and now the Wildcats get a far different kind of measuring stick when Washington State comes to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The matchup arrives with a little more intrigue after Washington State dropped its opener against Washington, and it gives Collin Klein a chance to see how his team handles a bigger stage early in the year.
Klein talked this week about the Wildcats performance and what the next game means for a group still trying to settle in under its new coach. The first meeting between the programs is set for 11 a.m. and will air on TNT, which adds a national spotlight to a game that should tell Kansas State plenty about where it stands. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces An Early Test That Could Change Everything
Week 2 in the Big 12 brings a slate that already feels like a tone-setter, with a handful of crossover games carrying real weight for teams trying to figure out who they are before conference play tightens the screws. Kansas State is part of that conversation because the Wildcats come off a lopsided opener and now get a much different kind of challenge, one that asks more about readiness, discipline and how quickly a team can build on a strong start.
The matchup also matters because the opponent is not walking in empty-handed after opening the season with a competitive showing of its own against Houston, and that makes this more than just a routine early checkup. For Kansas State, the first roadblock of September could reveal whether the opener was simply a clean warmup or the start of something more durable, and that distinction can shape how the rest of the season is viewed. [Read more 🡒]