Kansas State’s ground game looked like a strength in September. Through three non-conference wins, the Wildcats piled up 312 rushing yards and six touchdowns against Nicholls, added 295 yards and one score against Washington State, and followed that with 205 yards and four more touchdowns against Tulane.
By the time Big 12 play arrived, though, the picture had changed fast.
In conference losses to Cincinnati and Houston, K-State has not been able to establish the run on offense - and it has had the same trouble slowing opposing rushing attacks on defense. Against Houston, the Wildcats managed just 117 rushing yards on 29 carries, a stark drop from the numbers they posted earlier in the year.
“It’s tough,” K-State offensive lineman Ryan Howard said. “We have got to be more efficient across the board.
We had some good stuff (against Houston), but we have to start popping some for explosives. That is the big thing.
It’s little things here and there. If you stick on a block just half a count longer, instead of four yards you may gain 15 or 20.
Those are difference-makers in the game, and that’s what we have to really focus on.”
The defense hasn’t held up its end either. Cincinnati ran for 271 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats, then Houston followed with 233 rushing yards and a score of its own. No Big 12 defense is giving up more rushing yards per conference game than Kansas State’s 252, and only Iowa State is allowing more yards per carry in league play than K-State’s 6.2.
That’s a dramatic swing from what happened before conference play, when the Wildcats’ first three opponents averaged just 95.7 rushing yards per game.
“It’s real frustrating watching it back on film,” K-State safety Koy Beasley said. “If we don’t make mistakes, it’s a different ballgame.
We have just got to get those corrected. If we do that and don’t dwell on the past we will be good.”
Avery Johnson’s production on the ground has been another surprise. Against Tulane, he ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns, which made it look like new head coach Collin Klein might have unlocked something in Johnson as a dual-threat quarterback. But in the last two Big 12 games, Johnson has been held to 38 rushing yards against Cincinnati and 39 against Houston.
Defenses have responded by using spies and zone looks to make him throw the ball.
That approach is likely to show up again Saturday, when Kansas comes to Manhattan for the Sunflower Showdown. For Kansas State, helping Johnson deal with that pressure feels like one of the biggest jobs in front of it right now.
“He is impacting the run game at times even when he’s not carrying it,” Klein said. “We had three runs over 10 yards against Houston and two of those were scrambles.
We have to create more explosive plays collectively on offense. We only had six total.
We need double that to be where we want.”
In Other News...
Kansas States Big 12 Slide Is Putting One Weakness Under A Spotlight
Kansas States recent slide in Big 12 play has done more than dent its standing in the league race. It has also sharpened the conversation around what has been an uneven stretch for the Wildcats, with the conference picture getting tighter as the weekend slate brings more high-profile games and a fresh round of movement in the rankings.
The broader Big 12 landscape only adds to the pressure, with updated power rankings reflecting recent results, standout performances and the challenges still ahead for several teams. For Kansas State, the issue is not just keeping pace in a crowded conference, but proving it can steady the part of its game that has become harder to ignore as the losses pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Offense Faces Real Pressure Entering Sunflower Showdown
Kansas States offense has hit a rough patch at the wrong time, with the Wildcats trying to shake off a two-game losing streak and find a way back to the kind of rhythm that made them dangerous earlier this season. Big plays have been hard to come by, and first-year coach Collin Klein has made it clear the unit needs more explosiveness if it is going to get back on track.
The timing only adds to the pressure with the Sunflower Showdown coming next against Kansas. The Wildcats are looking not just to end the skid, but to keep their recent edge in the rivalry intact, and that means the offense has to show it can create more than steady drives when the stage gets bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Chasing A Massive Early O-Line Recruiting Prize
Kansas States recruiting board keeps growing as Collin Klein continues to cast a wide net across multiple classes, and one of the more notable names on it is Mead High School offensive lineman James Bennett from Colorado. The Wildcats have been active with scholarship offers beyond just one position group, but adding a young lineman to the mix stands out as the kind of early move that can shape the front of the roster down the line.
Bennett is part of a broader run of offers that also includes linebacker Drew Langford, linebacker Cortez Jones and wide receiver Noah Gigger, along with several others from different states and recruiting cycles. For Kansas State, the early message is clear: Klein and his staff are trying to get in front of future needs now, building relationships well before those decisions get made, and Bennett is one of the names worth watching as that effort unfolds. [Read more 🡒]