Kansas State got a much better night from its defense, and the biggest shift started up front. The defensive line brought real life, the linebackers found ways to attack, and the secondary got a jolt from a reshuffled group that held up better against Kansas.
On the interior, Travis Bates set the tone. He has been waiting for this kind of activity all season, and it finally showed up.
Bates worked around Kansas State’s size disadvantage inside by using quickness and tenacity to slip past guards and centers and get to the football. He finished with a season-high 5 tackles, including 2 “stops,” along with 3 quarterback pressures.
It was easily his most productive game.
Kamari Burns also turned in his best performance of the year at nose tackle. He was more active in the middle and, even though he had only 11 snaps in run defense, his average tackle depth was -1 yard.
Eli Jackson, who has moved into the starting role from Burns, continued to look like a major find. The late junior college addition was around the ball all night and chipped in as a pass rusher, too.
Kansas State would be in a much tougher spot without him.
The ends, though, were the real engine. Wendell Gregory looked every bit like the top-tier talent on the defense.
He was credited with 5 quarterback pressures and 2 hits, even without an official sack, and he consistently lived in the Kansas backfield. He also had 2 “stops” against the run and an average tackle depth of -1 yard.
That is exactly the kind of disruption the Wildcats need from their star.
Gregory had help coming off the edge. Jordan Allen posted a season-best 4 quarterback pressures and added a quarterback hit.
Darien Whitaker Jr. matched that with 4 more pressures after returning to his earlier-season form. Jayden Bryant didn’t play as many snaps as the other defensive ends, but he still made them count, generating 3 pressures, including a hit, on 13 pass-rush opportunities.
Altogether, the defensive end group accounted for 15 quarterback pressures.
Kansas State’s linebackers had a strange-looking stat line, but the usage tells the story. Gabe Powers finished with just 1 tackle in 56 snaps, but 32 of those came in coverage, where he allowed only 1 reception and stopped it at the line of scrimmage. He also missed a team-high 2 tackles, and there was some question about whether he is still dealing with something from last week because he wasn’t nearly as active in the run game.
Mekhi Mason, on the other hand, was unleashed. He tied Gregory for the team lead with 5 quarterback pressures after being blitzed 5 times, and every one of those rushes produced heat.
In the run game, all 5 of his tackles came at or just beyond the line of scrimmage. Kansas State’s linebackers had been the ones taking the hits against Cinci and Houston.
This time, they were the ones delivering them.
Rex Van Wyhe continued to be useful against the run, but his coverage remains a weak point, and Kansas made a point of targeting him when he was on the field. Powers was shaky in the run game but held up in coverage, while Mason made his mark around the line. It wasn’t a perfect night for the group, but it was a clear step up from the roughest versions of this defense.
The secondary got the most dramatic makeover. After a soft outing against Houston, Zashon Rich started this game on the bench.
Kaleb Patterson, who had started the first 5 games, didn’t get off the bench at all. Freshman Nick McClellan entered the starting lineup, JoJo Scott moved from slot corner to the outside, and Donovan McIntosh filled the other starting spot.
Whatever the staff saw on tape was enough to trigger a full reset.
That reset paid off. The new starting secondary allowed just 3 catches for 45 yards, and Scott completely blanked his assignment.
Rich came off the bench, didn’t give up a catch, and looked more engaged, though he was flagged for a penalty. It will be worth watching whether those changes hold against Arizona State.
At safety, Logan Bartley delivered the strongest game of his career. He played 64 snaps, finished with 9 tackles, and was targeted 6 times, allowing 4 catches for 46 yards.
He was Kansas State’s most physical defender in the back end and led the team in tackles, including a couple of stops that looked painful even from the couch. He also came up with a late interception in the end zone that helped decide the outcome.
Bartley and Koy Beasley formed a useful pairing. Bartley brings the hammer from a linebacker’s angle, while Beasley gives the defense speed and range with a smaller frame and more corner-like style.
Beasley is at his best when opponents are throwing, not when they’re trying to pound the ball. That’s when defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson can keep Beasley deep, spin Bartley into the box, and unleash Mekhi Mason as a blitzer.
Beasley’s grading stayed just shy of the top tier because he missed 2 tackles, and that remains the knock on him as a run defender. Even so, his coverage on the back end lets Kansas State play more aggressively up front. That doesn’t always show up cleanly in the box score, but it matters.
In Other News...
K-State Heads To Arizona State With More Uncertainty Than Usual
Kansas State arrives in Tempe with the kind of background that would normally suggest confidence, even after a routine win over Kansas extended its dominance in that rivalry to 18 straight. But the Wildcats have developed an odd pattern around that game, dropping the one that follows each of the past few seasons, and now they head into Saturdays matchup with Arizona State carrying a little more unease than usual.
The uncertainty starts with Avery Johnson, whose status remains questionable because of injury, and it extends to a team that has not exactly been reliable in this spot. Arizona State has struggled on both sides of the ball lately, which should give Kansas State a chance to steady itself, but the Wildcats have also not covered the spread as a road favorite since 2024, leaving plenty of room for a game that could turn messy before anyone expected it to. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Took A Chance On One Of The Portals Biggest Mysteries
Kansas State added a little intrigue to its frontcourt mix by taking a chance on Matt Gilhool, a former four-star recruit from the 2024 class whose college path has already been interrupted by health concerns. Gilhools senior year of high school was derailed by a significant heart issue, and that setback carried into his first season at LSU before he redshirted the 2025-26 season to recover and rebuild his conditioning.
Now healthy, Gilhool arrives in Manhattan with the kind of resume that still makes evaluators pause, even if the sample size remains thin. For Kansas State, he projects as a reserve forward-center who could provide depth right away, but the bigger appeal is the possibility that a player once seen as a major prospect can finally start to show why he was so coveted in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Has Kansas State Pushing Hard For A Texas Prize
Kansas States recruiting board has been busy across several classes, with the Wildcats sending out scholarship offers to high school prospects at a range of positions and from several states. Among the players drawing attention is Jordan Hall, a cornerback from Aledo High School in Texas, as the program continues to cast a wide net for help on both sides of the ball.
The group of offers also includes offensive tackles, linebackers, defensive backs and tight ends, a sign that Kansas State is still building for the long haul under its current approach. For a program that has made finding the right fits a priority, the presence of a Texas defensive back on the list is another reminder that the Wildcats are working hard to stay in the mix far beyond the Big 12 footprint. [Read more 🡒]