The Kansas State Wildcats are wasting no time making life easy for Collin Klein in his first season at the helm.
After opening the year with a 71-3 demolition of Nicholls, Kansas State followed it up Saturday with a 34-7 win over Washington State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to move to 2-0. This one looked different from the opener.
The offense had already announced itself. Against the Cougars, the defense took center stage.
Washington State managed only 166 total yards, and Kansas State made the biggest statement by keeping quarterback Caden Pennick bottled up to just 65 passing yards. Pennick came into the season with plenty of buzz after throwing for more than 3,330 yards and earning Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors a year ago at UC-Davis, but the Wildcats never let him get comfortable.
The Cougars’ only touchdown came on defense. Jaylen Thomas picked off Avery Johnson and took it 50 yards for a score. Outside of that play, the game belonged to Kansas State.
The Wildcats were also forced to wait through a halftime delay because of lightning, but the break didn’t cool them off. They were ahead 17-7 at the break and finished the job with 17 unanswered points.
Johnson shook off a rough first half that included two interceptions and still ended up delivering three touchdown passes. He found Josh Manning on a 6-yard score in the second quarter, hit Joe Jackson for a 21-yard touchdown, and later connected with Brandon White on a 9-yard strike. Johnson finished 22 of 34 for 192 yards.
Rodney Fields kept rolling as well. The running back posted his second straight 100-yard game, breaking loose for a 75-yard touchdown and finishing with 105 yards on 13 carries.
Fields started the season as Jackson’s backup, but he has quickly pushed his way into the lead role after arriving from Oklahoma State through the transfer portal. What was supposed to be a competition in the backfield now looks a lot more like Fields’ job.
In Other News...
Kansas State Is Tracking A Former SEC Lineman Fans Will Notice
Kansas State has been busy on the recruiting trail, handing out a fresh batch of scholarship offers as it continues to build out future classes on both sides of the ball. Among the prospects who surfaced is offensive lineman Khayree Lee Jr., a former LSU player who also spent time at Copiah Lincoln Community College, giving the Wildcats a name in the mix that fans familiar with SEC recruiting will recognize right away.
Lee is part of a group that also includes defensive ends Julian Dwyer and Jekai Lee, tight ends Brady Reeves and Sloan Blackwell, offensive lineman Jerry Richmond and offensive tackle Asher Megonnell. The broader picture is familiar for a program trying to stay active and selective at the same time, with each offer bringing its own background, school history and competition from other programs as Kansas State keeps widening the board. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Keeps Sending A Clear Message About Its Offensive Line
Kansas States recruiting board has stayed active, and Collin Kleins latest move keeps the Wildcats focused on reinforcing the front. The newest offer went to Sitaiai Maileoi, a junior college offensive lineman from Mt. San Antonio College, adding another body type and another developmental piece to a position group Kansas State continues to emphasize as it shapes the next wave of talent.
Maileoi is part of a broader run of recent offer activity, with the Wildcats working across multiple positions and levels of the game, from high school prospects to college transfers. Several of those players are already drawing interest from other programs too, which only underscores how competitive this stretch has become, and why Kansas State is so clearly trying to stay ahead of the curve up front. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Defense Looks Ready But One Offensive Concern Remains
Kansas State left Bill Snyder Family Stadium with a 34-7 win over Washington State and a 2-0 start, but the bigger takeaway was how quickly the defense took control. Wendell Gregory was at the center of it, and the Wildcats spent most of the afternoon smothering the Cougars, setting the tone while the offense found its footing in stretches rather than all at once.
The second half looked cleaner for Collin Kleins group, with Josh Manning and Rodney Fields helping the attack settle in after a mixed outing from Avery Johnson. Even so, Johnsons uneven performance keeps a familiar question in the background for a team that otherwise looks early-season sharp, especially with the offense still searching for a steadier rhythm when the game is in the balance. [Read more 🡒]