Kansas State heads to Tempe this week with a different kind of momentum problem.
The Wildcats just took down KU 35-24 to extend their rivalry streak to 18 straight wins, but the game after the Sunflower Showdown has tripped them up lately. K-State has not won the week after beating KU since 2022, and the pattern has been ugly enough to notice.
Last season, the Wildcats followed a 42-17 win over KU with a 43-20 loss to Texas Tech. Two years ago, they beat KU 29-27 and then fell to Houston 24-19.
Three years ago, they won 31-27 over KU and then lost to Iowa State 42-35.
That backdrop makes Saturday’s 2:45 p.m. kickoff against Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium worth a close look.
K-State enters the Big 12 road game looking to build on its most productive rushing day of the season. Against the Jayhawks, Collin Klein said the Wildcats “ran with fire,” and the numbers backed it up.
Kansas State rolled up 359 rushing yards on 51 carries. Joe Jackson paced the group with 159 yards and a touchdown, Avery Johnson added 132 yards, and Rodney Fields chipped in 66 yards and a score.
The Wildcats also showed real progress on defense in that win. After struggling to slow Cincinnati and Houston in their first two conference games, K-State held Kansas to 319 yards on 60 plays. Logan Bartley added an interception in the effort.
Arizona State, meanwhile, comes in at 3-3 and has already had a season full of uneven stretches. The Sun Devils beat Kansas in an international game, but they’ve also been hit hard in losses to Texas A&M, Baylor, and Texas Tech. Last week’s 53-25 defeat to the Red Raiders was another rough one.
That game also raised a question at quarterback. Arizona State turned to multiple passers against Texas Tech after usual starter Cutter Boley struggled in the first half and threw two interceptions.
That opened the door for Mikey Keene, the senior who has played at UCF and Fresno State. Keene finished 25 of 34 for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, and it remains unclear who will start against K-State.
Here’s the setup for Saturday’s game:
Kickoff: 2:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona
TV/Stream: ESPN2
Radio: KFNZ (96.5 FM and 610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 3.5 with an O/U points total of 56.5
The weather won’t offer much help to a team used to crisp fall air. Temperatures in Tempe are projected to reach 80 degrees, with sunny skies expected all afternoon.
In Other News...
Logan Bartley Is Giving Kansas State A New Defensive Spark
Logan Bartley has been one of the more encouraging defensive developments for Kansas State this fall, and his impact was on full display in the Sunflower Showdown. The safety came up with a key second-half interception against Kansas that helped tilt the rivalry game in the Wildcats favor, a timely play from a player who has steadily earned more trust in the secondary.
It was Bartleys first collegiate interception, but it hardly felt like a one-off flash from a backup. He has piled up 25 tackles this season and, after the game, coach Collin Klein pointed to Bartleys work ethic and competitiveness as reasons the Wildcats keep getting more out of him. For a defense looking for stability and playmaking, Bartley is beginning to provide a little of both. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Need This Surprise Lineup Fix Longer Than Expected
Kansas State had to get creative last week when Garrett Oakley went down, and the answer was an unusual one: freshman tackle Oliver Miller shifted over to tight end against Kansas. It is the kind of emergency move that can happen in a pinch, but Millers willingness to jump in and handle the assignment has apparently made a real impression on the coaching staff.
Collin Klein said Millers adaptability stood out, and he also suggested the Wildcats may keep using him there as long as Oakley remains sidelined. For a team trying to keep its offense steady through an injury, the bigger question now is whether this temporary fix turns into a longer-term piece of the plan. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Just Showed How Much K-State Trusts Joe Jackson
Joe Jacksons work in Kansas States 35-24 win over Kansas went well beyond a productive afternoon on the stat sheet. The running back piled up 159 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, but the bigger sign of his importance came in the way the Wildcats leaned on him to steady the offense, especially after halftime when the ground game became the centerpiece of the plan.
Collin Klein had plenty to say afterward about Jacksons work ethic and leadership, and the trust showed up in the game flow. In the second half, Jackson carried the ball 11 straight times for 97 yards, helping Kansas State control the clock and close out the fourth quarter with the kind of physical, possession-heavy football the Wildcats wanted when the stakes were highest. [Read more 🡒]