Houston will head into Saturday’s matchup at Kansas State missing a major piece of its defense.
Linebacker Jaden Yates, the Cougars’ leading tackler, has been ruled out for the game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Yates is dealing with a leg injury suffered in last week’s win over UCF, and this will be the second Big 12 game of the season for Kansas State.
A transfer from Ole Miss this season, Yates leads Houston with 29 tackles in his senior year.
Kansas State is managing injuries of its own. Tight end Will Anciaux is out for the season after suffering a lower leg injury in the loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener at Nippert Stadium.
Backup quarterback Blake Barnett is also out, while Dillon Duff is listed as questionable. If Duff can’t play, the Wildcats would have only starter Avery Johnson available at quarterback.
There is some better news on the offensive side for Kansas State. Receiver Jaron Tibbs, who was hurt in the Cincinnati game, is not on the injury report.
Both teams come in at 3-1, and both have already dropped a conference game. Houston’s only loss came against defending league champion Texas Tech.
Saturday’s meeting also brings a familiar face back into the mix. Michael Bishop, one of the top quarterbacks in NCAA football history during his time with the Wildcats, is now an offensive assistant with Houston and will be on the other sideline against his former team.
That means a matchup with first-year Kansas State coach Collin Klein, who knows Bishop well. Klein was a standout quarterback for the Wildcats too.
"Over the years, I have definitely gotten to know him better," Klein said during his weekly press conference. "I respect him tremendously."
Klein is also making an early move on the recruiting trail. He recently offered a scholarship to Noah Gigger, a receiver at CarrollWood Day School in Tampa. Gigger is in the 2030 class and already has offers from Maryland, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Kansas State appears to be getting involved early with a player who could become one of the nation’s top prospects. Gigger has been on the varsity team since he was 14.
In Other News...
K-State Faces An Early Gut Check In A Game That Could Turn Late
Kansas State gets a midday home test Saturday when Houston comes to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, and it has the feel of a game that could stay tight deep into the second half. The buildup around this one has centered on how the Wildcats match up with a Houston team that has shown enough to make the odds and the recent form worth paying attention to, especially with both sides bringing strengths that could play well in a close, physical game.
For Kansas State, the bigger picture is simple: this is the kind of early gut check that can shape how the rest of the week feels around Manhattan. The preview of the matchup points to a competitive night with injury news still part of the conversation and a slight edge going to Houston, so the Wildcats may need to be sharp from the start if they want to turn a coin-flip type of game in their favor late. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Sits In A Stretch That Could Define Colorados Bowl Push
Colorados bye week arrives with the kind of math that can sharpen a season in a hurry. At 2-3, the Buffaloes still have a path to bowl eligibility, but it asks them to win four of their final seven games, and the margin for error is thin with a schedule that still includes UCF, Arizona State, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Houston and Oklahoma State.
Arizona State is part of the stretch that may define whether Colorado keeps that hope alive or watches it slip away. The Buffaloes have to find more dependable offense and hold up better on defense against a run of opponents that includes several ranked teams, which means every remaining week carries more weight than the last and the games against the Big 12 middle can no longer be treated like soft landing spots. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces A Huge Big 12 Test With Early Stakes Already Rising
Houstons trip to Manhattan stands out as one of the most intriguing Big 12 games of the week, even in a slate filled with eye-catching matchups. Kansas State gets the kind of early measuring-stick game that can sharpen the picture of where both teams really belong in the league race, while Houston arrives with a chance to show it can handle the week-to-week grind that comes with life in the conference.
The broader Week 6 board also gives this one extra texture, with Arizona at West Virginia, Iowa State at BYU, UCF at Oklahoma State, Kansas at Utah and Hawaii at Arizona State each carrying their own hooks. Still, the Houston-Kansas State game has a little more edge to it because early stakes are already starting to matter, and both sides can turn a solid performance into something bigger as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]