Kansas State walked out of Fort Riley Day with a 34-7 win over Washington State, and the box score looked clean enough. The performance, though, came with a few sharp edges. An hour-long rain delay slowed the afternoon, Avery Johnson threw a pair of ugly interceptions, and even after all that, K-State still spent most of the game in control.
That was the part that mattered most: the Wildcats never really let the Cougars breathe. Washington State finished with 166 yards and didn’t score again after the early damage.
After allowing 122 yards and a field goal in Week 1 against Nichols, K-State now sits with the second-ranked defense in the country through two games. That’s a jolt, even if it’s early.
Collin Klein made it clear afterward where the foundation of this team is right now.
“Starting with defense, I don’t know if there’s much more you can say other than, they’re just doing an unbelievable job over there. It’s starting with their preparation, how those guys are buying into the plan, and what the staff is doing a great job of lining them up to do.”
Wendell Gregory was a big reason why. The junior transfer from Oklahoma State flashed all afternoon, finishing with five tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
One of those came on a snap right in front of the crowd, and Gregory looked like he arrived with a purpose. He was everywhere.
Fast, disruptive, and impossible to ignore.
His own reaction was short and sweet.
“This feels great, I can’t complain at all. I just want to get the win, honestly, but the sack’s going to win it, so that’s great for sure.
It’ll be great, 100% it’s going to be great. Just keep tuning in for sure.
You’re gonna keep seeing it build up week by week.”
On offense, Johnson had moments that showed exactly why K-State trusts him. He calmly escaped pressure on the first touchdown drive and found Josh Manning for the score.
Manning was excellent all day, piling up 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Rodney Fields also gave the Wildcats a strong lift, ripping off 13 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown.
But Johnson also gave Washington State life with mistakes that were hard to miss. He said the pick-six before halftime was brutal.
“Probably the worst scenario ever, to throw a pick-six right before halftime, and then get a weather delay.”
Johnson’s bigger point afterward was that K-State left too much out there.
“There’s still meat left on the bone. We let Washington State off the hook today, and I let Washington State off the hook today multiple times.
There are still opportunities where we can put teams away, where we need to finish games, and it starts with me. That’s going to be the mindset going into this next week.
We have to learn from this one, put it behind us, get ready for Tulane, and my mindset is there’s still meat left on the bone.”
Klein echoed that tone, praising the energy but making clear the staff and the team still have room to sharpen things up.
“Our energy level went wire to wire through the ups, the downs, the couple turnovers on offense, and the delay at halftime.” I could feel in the entire locker room the mentality of the entire football team, and they were ready to come out with their hair on fire. That was a really positive thing, and the defense anchored that for the majority of the game.”
And later:
“We’re headed in the right direction in a lot of areas. But there’s also a lot that we have to do better as coaches to detail to help take this group where they can go.”
So K-State moves on 2-0, with a defense that looks nasty and an offense that has enough firepower to separate when it cleans things up. Next up is Tulane at home next Saturday at 11:00.
Tulane lost to Duke in Week 1 and beat South Alabama 28-24 yesterday. The Wildcats should be in position to handle business and move to 3-0 in non-conference play.
In Other News...
Kansas State Just Got A Huge Quarterback Recruiting Opportunity
The recruiting spotlight was already going to be bright for Kansas States matchup with Washington State, but it got a little more interesting with Titus Huard in the building. The four-star quarterback from the 2028 class, and the son of former NFL player Brock Huard, was among the visitors taking in the game, giving the Wildcats a chance to make an early impression on one of the countrys more talked-about young passers.
Huard was not the only recruit on hand, either, as Grant Nehls and Brady Lawhon also attended. For Kansas State, nights like this matter because they are as much about relationships and first impressions as they are about what happens on the field, and getting several prospects to show up for the same game suggests the staff had a real opportunity to showcase the program in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Former K-State Transfers Are Already Creating One Uncomfortable Debate
Week 2 offered a little reminder of just how many former Kansas State players are scattered across the country, and a few of them wasted no time making an impression. Austin Romaine was everywhere for Texas Tech, piling up nine tackles while playing every snap, and DeVon Rice gave Hawaii a real spark by finding the end zone twice. Elsewhere, the numbers were quieter, with Jayce Brown at LSU and Dylan Edwards at Kansas leaving more of a trace through usage than box-score fireworks.
For K-State fans, the awkward part is that these outings were not hard to notice. When transfer movement is this visible this early in the season, it naturally invites a familiar question about who got away, who found a better fit, and whether the Wildcats are watching some of their best depth pieces blossom somewhere else. The full answer will take more than one September weekend, but the first batch of evidence is already enough to make the conversation uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Avery Johnson Gave K-State Fans One Big Reason To Worry
Avery Johnson still did plenty to like in Kansas States 34-7 win over Washington State, moving the offense efficiently through the air and adding another layer with his legs. He finished with 192 passing yards and three touchdowns, and his 78 rushing yards helped the Wildcats keep control of the game while showing why his ceiling has people around the program so optimistic.
Even so, the outing came with a few rough edges that Kansas State could not ignore. Johnson turned the ball over twice and had a shaky moment on fourth down, the kind of sequence that can linger even after a comfortable victory. Collin Klein praised the quarterbacks overall showing, but also made clear there were plays Johnson will want back as the Wildcats keep building momentum. [Read more 🡒]