The No. 13 Kansas State Wildcats come to town this weekend for the first time in 47 years. This is only the ninth matchup between the two teams. The series is tied at four wins apiece.
Twenty-seven years ago, the Cougars and Wildcats faced off in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Steve Sarkisian, now coaching at the University of Texas, led the Cougars to a 19-15 victory on New Year's Day.
The Wildcats, like the Cougars, are 3-0 coming into Saturday night's game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. They have outscored their opponents 106-40 and are averaging 412 yards of offense per game.
They are led by Kansas native Avery Johnson at quarterback, who is not afraid to run the ball. In fact, he is the second-leading rusher on the team with 28 carries for 187 yards.
Another Kansas native that's involved in the ground game is running back DJ Giddens with nearly 50 carries for 324 yards. And if that's not enough, also watch out for Dylan Edwards, who is more of a light-weight speed back. He has 15 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns, not to mention a 71-yard punt return touchdown last week against Arizona.
When Johnson isn't running the ball, he is most likely throwing touchdowns to his two tight ends, Brayden Loftin and Will Swanson, not to be confused with BYU's tight end Ryner Swanson. Loftin and Swanson each have two touchdowns on the year.
Notably, the Kansas State defense held an explosive Arizona offense to only one score on Friday. The Wildcats are led by linebacker Austin Romaine and cornerback Jacob Parrish, who've combined for 35 tackles thus far. The team collectively has 10 sacks and over 25 tackles-for-loss.
The Wildcats are coached by Chris Klieman, who has been there since late 2018 and has compiled a 39-24 record. One of Klieman's offensive coordinators/quarterbacks coach is a familiar face: Matt Wells. Wells played and coached at Utah State University. Wells is brand new to the staff after spending time with Oklahoma and Texas Tech most recently.
Saturday night's game will be a good one. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN. Kansas State is favored to win by 6.5 points with the over/under being set at 48.5. Last but not least, the Cougars will be wearing the 1996 season throwback uniforms.
throwin' it back to 1996. pic.twitter.com/TNNFo9wpAb
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 1, 2024
Much has said about the 3,530 foot elevation difference between Provo and Manhattan, Kansas. Let's see if the Wildcats can handle it.