Kansas State walked into its Big 12 opener with real momentum and walked out of Nippert Stadium with its first loss under Collin Klein, a 31-26 defeat to Cincinnati on Saturday.
The Wildcats had reason to feel good early in the season, but that all got tested against a Bearcats team that controlled the line of scrimmage and never let K-State get comfortable for long. Cincinnati finished with 271 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, with Cole Tabb and Gi’Bran Payne each delivering major performances out of the backfield.
K-State did have answers at times. Avery Johnson threw for 271 yards and a touchdown, while Rodney Fields added 50 rushing yards and two scores.
That was enough to put the Wildcats ahead 17-10 at halftime and keep the game within reach deep into the fourth quarter. But when they needed one more drive late, it never came together.
K-State had a chance to take the lead in the final minute, but the comeback push fell short.
The loss also kept a familiar streak intact: Kansas State still hasn’t opened a season 4-0 since 2012, when Collin Klein was the quarterback for Bill Snyder. The Wildcats entered Saturday as 6.5-point favorites, but that didn’t translate into a breakthrough start. Instead, the defeat leaves little margin for error if K-State wants to stay in the hunt for a conference title.
There was one bright spot in the passing game. Derrick Salley, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Hutchinson Community College, stepped into a bigger role and made the most of it. With injuries thinning out the receiving options, Salley caught seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
K-State lost Jaron Tibbs in the first quarter after a hard hit at midfield, and tight end Will Anciaux also went down with a foot injury in the first half. Johnson leaned heavily on both players before they exited, then had to look elsewhere as the game wore on.
Salley answered with the kind of play the Wildcats needed, especially late in the first half when he beat his man on a slant and hauled in a short touchdown to put K-State up 17-10. Klein trusted him in isolation on the right side of a spread look, and Salley came through.
It wasn’t spotless. Salley lost a fumble early in the third quarter on a tight play, and he seemed to miss a route or two. Even so, it was clearly the best game he’s had in a Kansas State uniform.
The bigger issue was Cincinnati’s run game. The Bearcats didn’t just move the ball on the ground; they took the game over with it.
Tabb ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, while Payne added 126 yards on 16 carries. Cincinnati averaged 7.1 yards per rush, and Payne ripped off a long run of 53 yards.
Kansas State’s defense never found a clean answer.
The Wildcats also left points on the field. Twice, they put together long, grinding drives that ended with Luis Rodriguez field goals instead of touchdowns.
The first march went 88 yards in 16 plays before stalling at the Cincinnati 4, and K-State settled for three points. The second drive covered 65 yards in 17 plays and ended at the Bearcats 18.
That field goal cut the deficit to 24-20 in the fourth quarter, but it also left points on the board at a moment when the Wildcats needed more.
There was at least some good news on the quarterback front. Heading into the game, Johnson was the only healthy quarterback listed on the availability report, with Blake Barnett out because of a lower-body injury and Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth both questionable.
But Duff and Knuth both dressed on Saturday, easing some of the concern around depth. With an idle week ahead, Kansas State should have time to get healthier before hosting Houston on October 10.
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K-State Defense Faces Its First Real Big 12 Stress Test
Kansas States defense has spent the early part of the season looking like one of the nations better units, but the next challenge is less about reputation and more about the kind of plays that can flip a game in an instant. The Wildcats have been strong in several statistical categories, yet the one vulnerability that keeps surfacing is the occasional explosive run, and that is not the sort of crack you want to carry into Big 12 play.
Cincinnati arrives with the kind of offensive line that has earned national recognition and helped fuel one of the countrys top rushing attacks, which makes this a useful early test of how sturdy K-State really is against power and movement up front. If the Bearcats lean on that ground game, the Wildcats could be forced to handle long drives and broken tackles, while quarterback JC French IV adds another wrinkle with his efficient, conservative passing style that keeps the offense on schedule without asking for much downfield risk. [Read more 🡒]
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The group of offers also includes Quinn Jacobs, Dailon Denkins, Julian Dwyer, Jekai Lee, Brady Reeves, Sloan Blackwell, Jerry Richmond and Asher Megonnell, a sign that Kansas State is casting a wide net well before those players are close to signing day. The timing says as much about the Wildcats recruiting priorities as the names themselves, with the staff clearly treating this as a position it wants to stay ahead of for years to come. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Fans Should Watch One Overlooked Wildcats Target Saturday
Kansas State heads into Saturdays matchup with Cincinnati as a 6.5-point favorite, and the Wildcats passing game offers a few interesting angles for bettors looking beyond the usual names. One of the more overlooked options is Garrett Oakley, whose growing chemistry with quarterback Avery Johnson has started to make him a worthwhile piece of the offense, especially against a Bearcats defense that leans on zone coverage.
Oakleys role could be the kind that pays off quietly rather than loudly, which is often where value lives in the prop market. With the total sitting at 55.5, Kansas State should have chances to move the ball through the air, and Oakleys usage gives him a path to turn into a steady contributor if the game script opens up the right way. [Read more 🡒]