By Toby Hammes

Kansas State baseball opened the 2026 season with a statement win over a power conference opponent.

The Wildcats (1-0) defeated Iowa 15-6 in the first matchup of the MLB Desert Invitational in Goodyear, Ariz. It was the most runs for K-State in a season opener since 2009.

The post K-State baseball smashes Iowa 15-6 in season opener appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

By Toby Hammes

Big 12 seasons aren’t won in January — but they can be lost there.

Kansas State knows that as well as anyone. Last season, the Wildcats opened the New Year by dropping six straight Big 12 games, a January slide that left little margin for error before February even arrived. By the time the season stabilized, the damage was already done.

That recent memory is why January matters so much for the Wildcats again this season. In a league as deep as the Big 12, early conference games don’t decide the standings, but they often decide whether a team is building confidence or chasing it.

The contrast to last year isn’t hard to find. In 2022–23, Jerome Tang’s first season in Manhattan, K-State opened conference play with four straight wins, including ranked road victories at then-No. 6 Texas and then-No. 19 Baylor. By Jan. 23, the Wildcats had climbed all the way to No. 5 in the country.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – The Kansas State baseball team received an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship on Monday, as the Wildcats were selected as the No. 3 seed at the Austin Regional.

K-State (31-24) was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Austin Regional and will take on the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners (44-13) on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

It will be the program’s sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight, the first time earning back-to-back selections since 2010-11. It is also the second appearance in the Pete Hughes era. Overall, the Wildcats are 9-6 in regional play after sweeping the Fayetteville Regional last season.

The Austin Regional will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network. A free, live streaming audio is available for all games at News Radio KMAN.
All tickets are handled and sold through the host site. Tickets will not be available through K-State Athletics. Single session tickets will go on sale to the general public through the Texas Athletics ticket office at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 29.

K-State and UTSA will meet for the fifth time in program history with the series tied 2-2 since its start in 2008. The two squads last faced off on March 18, 2009, which led to K-State’s 5-4 victory to secure a two-game series win.

The winner of the Kansas State-UTSA game will play the winner of No. 2 national seed Texas (42-12) and fourth-seeded Houston Christian (32-23) on Saturday, May 31.

The winner of the Austin Regional will play the winner of the Los Angeles Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 6-8 or June 7-9. No. 15 national seed UCLA (42-16) hosts second-seeded UC Irvine (41-15), third-seeded Arizona State (35-22), and fourth-seeded Fresno State (31-27) in Los Angeles, California at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

NCAA Austin Regional hosted by Texas
Friday, May 30
Game 1 – #1 Texas vs. #4 Houston Christian – 1 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Game 2 – #2 UTSA vs. #3 Kansas State – 6 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

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Following one of the best regular seasons in program history, the Kansas State women’s golf team earned a postseason bid for the first time since 2017 and the sixth time overall as the Wildcats were selected as the No. 5 seed in the 2025 NCAA Lexington Regional, the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Selection Committee announced Wednesday.

“It just means so much,” head coach Stew Burke said. “They work so hard and they want it, and I think that’s the difference. We talked Day 1, when we got here, you guys can’t want this any less than we do. I think we want more than we do.”

K-State will compete at Keene Trace Golf Club, May 5-7, against a field of 12 teams, including No. 1 seed and ACC Champion Florida State, No. 2 seed USC, No. 3 seed TCU and No. 4 seed Vanderbilt.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more local news.

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By Tim Everson

Saturday was an offensive rejuvenation for Kansas State in almost every phase of Kansas State’s 41-15 win over Cincinnati.

In a sport like football where there are so many moving pieces at any one time, it’s impossible to say that only one decision made the difference between the Wildcats flailing on offense like they’ve done for the past month or soaring like they did Saturday night.

However, a slight coaching change may have been the spark that reignited the Wildcat offense Saturday evening.

To view the full story visit theMercury.com.

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Photos by Lewis Marien – Merury Staff Photographer

It may not have been the prettiest performance but Kansas State coaches saw their team progress after a tough loss last week, beating Mississippi Valley State 74-56 on a night where outside shots were not falling for the Wildcats.

Kansas State guard CJ Jones controls the ball during the Wildcats’ 74-56 non-conference win over Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, at Bramlage Coliseum. Jones had 12 points.

Kansas State forward Coleman Hawkins grabs one of his 13 rebounds during the Wildcats’ 74-56 non-conference win against Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, at Bramlage Coliseum. Of those 13 boards, seven of them were on the offensive glass.

Kansas State guard Max Jones defends Mississippi Valley State guard Arthur Tate during their non-conference game Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats beat the Delta Devils, 74-56.

Kansas State guard David Castillo shoots a 3-pointer during the Wildcats’ 74-56 non-conference win over Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State forward Achor Achor moves the ball down the court during a non-conference game against Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats beat the Delta Devils, 74-56.

Kansas State forward David N’Guessan goes up for one of his five offensive rebounds during the Wildcats’ 74-56 non-conference win over Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State head men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang addresses his team in a timeout of their non-conference game against Mississippi Valley State, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats beat the Delta Devils, 74-56.

Mississippi Valley State head men’s basketball coach George Ivory talks with official Doug Sirmons during Kansas State’s 74-56 non-conference win Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Bramlage Coliseum.

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By Timer Everson

West Virginia made No. 17 Kansas State one-dimensional for most of Saturday evening’s game in Morgantown, but it didn’t matter.

The Wildcats came into Saturday’s game with one of the best rushing attacks in the country, led by junior DJ Giddens, one of the top running backs in the country, and West Virginia’s defense did the best job of anyone this season in limiting it. But again, it didn’t matter.

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by Tim Everson teverson@themercury.com

Thanks to his 71-yard punt return touchdown to help fuel No. 13 Kansas State’s 31-7 victory over Arizona, sophomore running back Dylan Edwards has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.

It is the second weekly conference honor in Edwards’ career as he was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after his first-career game last season while playing for Colorado. Edwards’ honor this year is the Wildcats’ 64th special teams weekly accolade since 1997 and the third-straight year a Wildcat has been honored for their work on special teams.

With the game tied, 7-7, just six seconds into the second quarter, Edwards fielded a punt on one hop, went left toward the K-State sideline and out-ran the Arizona coverage unit for the score.

“What a great award for him,” Klieman said in a press conference Monday afternoon. “And he would tell you the same thing, great award for our punt return team because there were some really good blocks on that return. We all know all Dylan needs is a little bit of crease or some green grass and he’s going to make some things happen. But I thought we blocked extremely well, that was a total team effort on that, great return.”

He became the first K-State running back to record a punt-return touchdown since Darren Sproles took one back 63 yards against Kansas in 2003, while it was the longest by a K-State running back since David Allen had a 74-yarder at Texas in 1999. It was also K-State’s first non-blocked punt-return touchdown since the second game of the 2022 season.

A product of Derby, Kansas, Edwards has recorded four touchdowns on just 22 touches this year with two on the ground, one via a reception and one on a punt return. He is the first Wildcat with a rushing, receiving and return touchdown over the first three games of a season since Deon Murphy did so in 2007. He leads the Big 12 with a 27.0-yard return average this season.

The Wildcats open their Big 12 schedule Saturday night in a 9:30 p.m. CT contest at BYU. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Klieman honored after win

Coming off a dominating 31-7 victory over No. 20 Arizona last Friday, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman has been named The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl announced Monday.

The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

This is the third time in Klieman’s six seasons at K-State that he has earned the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Week honor after also picking up the accolade following the 2020 and 2022 Oklahoma games.

“Coach Klieman has built the Kansas State football program into a consistent winner and a formidable force in the Big 12,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, in a written statement. “This was an impressive victory early in the season that has the Wildcats poised to be in contention for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.”

K-State’s win over 20th-ranked Arizona was the first regular-season non-conference home win over a ranked opponent since 2002, versus No. 11 USC. The Wildcats are now 3-0 for the third time under Klieman and the first time since 2021.

Kick time for OSU on 6-day delay

The Big 12 Conference and its television partners announced on Monday that the kick time and television designation for Kansas State’s 2024 league home opener against Oklahoma State on September 28 will be announced this coming Sunday. The Big 12 television partners receive four total six-day selections each year.

K-State will be in search of its second-straight home victory over the Cowboys for the first time since 2012 and 2014.

Last time in Manhattan, K-State earned a 48-0 shutout over ninth-ranked OSU, which was the largest ever shutout win by a lower-ranked team against a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25.

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MANHATTAN, Kansas (K-State Athletics) – K-State goalkeeper Murphy Sheaff has been named among a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Women’s National Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Sheaff is the first player in K-State soccer history to represent her country at an Olympics.

New Zealand will face Canada on July 25 to begin Group A pool play. New Zealand will then face Colombia (July 28) and concludes action against host France (July 31) as part of its pool.

This is the third time Sheaff has received the call from the senior national team, as she was named to the active roster for a pair of friendlies against the U.S. Women’s National Team in January in preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She then was a member of the squad in two friendly matches against Japan at the start of June in Spain in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Prior to this summer, the product of Sunshine Coast, Australia, had previous experience as a New Zealand national team member, as she started all three matches for the Junior Football Ferns in the 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and helped the squad to a pair of draws against Mexico and Colombia in pool play.

Sheaff finished her first season in the Little Apple by playing in and starting all 18 matches in 2023. Her total minutes in frame (1,590:29) ranked fourth in school history for a single season. She faced the second most shots in a single season (291) in program history and the most by a K-State keeper since 2017.

Sheaff carded the fourth-best goals against average in a single season in school history (1.30). Her 82 saves were the fourth most in a single season and she had eight matches with five or more saves and was second in the Big 12 and ranked 71st in the nation for total saves (82) and was second in the league for saves per game (4.56).

At BYU on October 10, Sheaff recorded a career-high 12 saves. Her 12 saves were the most in a match in the 2023 season by any goalkeeper in the Big 12. She tied for the second-most saves in a match in program history and were the most since Alaina Werremeyer set the school record with 13 against Baylor on October 10, 2021.

She was second in school history for shutouts in a sophomore season (4). Sheaff carded a career-best streak and school record of 416:44 of shutout soccer. This surpassed her previous high of 325:28 in her freshman season of 2022 at Jacksonville.

She hauled in five saves at 18th-ranked Northwestern on August 20 to register the first of three straight shutouts. Sheaff was the second goalkeeper in program history to card a shutout against a ranked opponent, joining Werremeyer’s 2021 shutout of 23rd-ranked Baylor.

Sheaff collected her first shutout in Big 12 play, hauling on four saves against Houston on October 5.

Season tickets for K-State soccer’s 2024 season will go on sale on Monday, July 8. To purchase tickets, fans can call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – Catcher Raphael Pelletier homered twice, Jackson Wentworth struck out a career-high eight batters and the Wildcats picked up their first series win over Oklahoma State since 2010, as K-State won 7-2 on Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.

“You’ve heard me say it before, everything is predicated off good starting pitching and we got about as dominating of a performance that you’ll get in the Big 12,” said head coach Pete Hughes following K-State’s sixth series win of the season. “That just allows your offense to play pressure-free. They know they have time to build a lead because they have a kid that’s feeling it out there and in the matchup is in our favor. It just frees up your offense to do so many things.”

In front of a crowd of 2,344 fans, K-State (24-14, 9-8 Big 12) collected the program’s 11^th overall series win over Oklahoma State (25-14, 10-7 Big 12) in school history since the series began in 1911.

Wentworth, who improved to 3-1 on the season, punched out seven of the first nine batters he faced that included striking out the side in the first and third innings.

The redshirt sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and surrendered just one run on solo home run from Ian Daughtery in the sixth.

“We had some key performances, and it has to happen on the offensive side when you get a good pitching performance. [Pelletier] has been hot of late, two homers and a double, he injected some energy in our offense. Up and down our lineup we had some kids that had a good day, and we did a great job situationally hitting,” Hughes commented.

Pelletier, who finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double, drove in three of the Wildcats’ seven runs while Jaden Parsons followed with a two-run homer in the sixth for his first home run at K-State.

“You go and you situationally hit, you get a good start, you don’t make any errors, it gives you a good chance to beat a good team, and to get a series win.”

JJ Slack closed the game and allowed one earned in his 2 2/3 innings of work with a season-high five strikeouts.

K-State tagged the Cowboys’ right-handed starter Brian Holiday (3-3) for five runs, all earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Offensively, OSU was led by two-hit days from Daughtery and Carson Benge.

THE RUNDOWN
In his first start since April 18, 2023, Wentworth struck out the Cowboys in order to lead off the afternoon matchup.

The Wildcats looked to break through in the first as Brady Day singled through the left side before stealing second until Kaelen Culpepper was issued a walk, but the duo was left stranded with Holiday’s first strikeout of the game.

After the second 1-2-3 inning behind Wentworth, Pelletier launched a solo shot off the scoreboard in right field and handed K-State the one-run edge.

The Wildcats’ catcher doubled the lead in the fourth frame with his second homer of the day, becoming the third Wildcat this season to produce a multi-home run game.

OSU ended Wentworth’s no-hit bid in the fifth as Nolan Schubart lined a base hit off the glove of Day and into right field.

After five scoreless frames for the Cowboys, Daughtery belted a solo home run off the top of the wall in left field to make it a 2-1 ball game.

The Wildcats immediately responded and scored five runs across two innings, highlighted by a two-run homer by Parsons.

Slack relieved Wentworth in the seventh and inherited a runner on first with one out. The lefty issued a walk against the first batter he faced but struck out the next two batters looking to end the threat.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• K-State scored seven runs on nine hits, committed no errors, and left five on base.
• OSU scored two runs on six hits with no errors and left six men on base.
• Five different players generated a hit for K-State.
• Pelletier went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double and drove in a game-high two RBI.
• Parsons hit a two-run homer in the sixth – his first homer with K-State.
• Wentworth (3-1) earned the victory in his first collegiate quality start, surrendering just one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in his 6 1/3 innings of work.
• Holiday (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs, all earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts over six innings.
• Four of K-State’s nine hits were for extra-bases, including three home runs.
• K-State hit .250 (3-for-12) with men on base and was 2-for-8 (.250) with runners in scoring position.
• OSU went 2-for-11 (.182) with runners on base and hit .167 (1-for-6) with runners in scoring position.
• The Cats hit .250 (3-for-12) with two outs and drove in three two-out RBI.

NOTES

• K-State won its first series vs. Oklahoma State since 2010.
• The victory marked the 11^th series win against OSU in school history, since the first meeting in 1911.
• OSU leads the all-time series 178-62, including a 54-22 record in Big 12 play.
• With his single in the first, Day has successfully reached base in 37 consecutive games.
• With the win, K-State has won six series this season, moving to 6-3 in three-game sets.
• K-State is 15-4 at home this season and 5-3 in Big 12 action at Tointon.
• The Wildcats are 19-4 when out-hitting opponents.
• The win marks the first Top 25 win of the year.
• Pelletier turned in his first career multi-home run game and became the third Wildcat this season to homer twice in a single-game.

ON DECK
The Wildcats look to finish the sweep in Sunday’s series finale with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. Sunday’s finale will be nationally televised and can be seen ESPNU and the ESPN app.  Radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live streaming audio available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

How to follow the ‘Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team’s social media channels on Facebook, X formally known as Twitter and Instagram.

The post Cats Power Past #15 Cowboys to Capture Big 12 Series appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Sports) – Highlighted by five RBI from Jayden Lobliner and a three-run blast by Raphael Pelletier, K-State rallied to a 17-11 victory over Holy Cross in the 2024 home opener at Tointon Family Stadium on Friday afternoon.

After surrendering four runs in the opening frame, the No. 24 Wildcats (3-2) used a season-high 13 hits to score 17 runs in the series opener and first-ever meeting against the Crusaders (1-3).

“I’m a baseball coach and I don’t like those long games,” said head coach Pete Hughes. “You have to be patient in those games. So that’s the early message in the dugout in games like that. Don’t panic because you play nine innings.”

Lobliner, a sophomore from St. Charles, Ill., went 3-for-3 at the plate that included a game-tying, three-run blast and a two-run single to K-State a one run lead late in the sixth. Pelletier followed up with his first homer of the season to help the Wildcats take control of the game.

“I try to avoid superlatives describing kids, but in the conversation [Lobliner] is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached and a great teammate. Even when he wasn’t playing last year, he never wavered from his work ethic and his routine. That kind of effort puts him in a situation – when the opportunity calls – to have success.,” commented Hughes.

Alongside Lobliner, each member of the Wildcats’ lineup contributed to the home opening win, including two-hit days from Brady Day and David Bishop.

“We picked up Ty Ruhl, who’s one of the most consistent kids in our program over the last three years. He had a battle, and his teammates were there to pick him up. We got a lot of guys on the mound for the first time as Wildcats, and they did a commendable job. I was really happy with Sam Roberts, Adam Arthur, and Jackson Wentworth.”

K-State utilized six pitchers in the home opening win with newcomer Sam Roberts picking up his victory in relief. The right-hander from South Jordan, Utah surrendered just one hit in his 1 1/3 inning debut with no runs scored.

Redshirt-sophomore Jackson Wentworth was credited the save, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.

“Wentworth has been rock-steady the entire year, so it was good to get him the ball at the end of the game there. I think he was a really good matchup for those guys.”

Holy Cross’ Jaden Wywoda (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs on seven hits over his 3 1/3 innings.

THE RUNDOWN
Holy Cross plated four runs in the opening frame ignited by a leadoff homer by Sean Scanlon. The Wildcats responded with a pair of RBIs by Kaelen Culpepper and Day.

Trailing 6-2 in the third, Day hit through the 5-6 hole to snap right-hander Danny Macchiarola’s no-hitter and bring the score within three. With runners on first and second, Lobliner sent out a three-run blast to tie the game.

K-State loaded the bases with two walks and a hit by pitch before executing a triple steal with Danniel Rivera stealing home for the one-run lead, 7-6.

The lead was short lived as Holy Cross quickly responded with three runs.

The Wildcats worked from behind for the second time of game with a solo shot by Rivera that led to a five-run sixth inning. Lobliner continued to stay hot with his two-RBI single to put the Cats ahead, 10-9.

With two outs, Pelletier belted a three-run homer to right field to give K-State the go-ahead 13-9 lead.

K-State added four insurance runs to the board in bottom of the eighth, marking the highest scoring home opener since 2002.

INSIDE THE BOX

• K-State scored 17 runs on 13 hits with one error committed and seven left on base.
• Holy Cross registered 11 runs with 14 hits and one error, leaving runners stranded.
• Three Wildcats homered (Lobliner, Rivera, Pelletier)
• Lobliner went 3-for-4 with a game-high five RBI.
• Each player in the Cats lineup generated a hit.
• K-State drew nine walks, with four batters hit by a pitch.
• Wildcats hit 7-for-17 (.412) with runners and 6-for-16 (.375) in scoring position.
• Seven RBI came with two outs; hit .462 (6-for-13) with two outs.
• Holy Cross was 6-for-15 (.400) with men on base and 5-for-15 (.333) with runs in scoring position.
• K-State stole a season-high eight bases, including a triple steal.

NOTES

• Cats won the first-ever meeting against Holy Cross
• K-State moves to 3-0 against teams from the Patriot League
• Lobliner is the first Wildcat to drive in five RBI since May 26, 2023 (Kaelen Culpepper v. KU)
• First time a Cat has stolen home April 8, 2018 (Will Brennan v. Oklahoma State)
• K-State is 5-1 in home openers in the Pete Hughes era.
• Highest scoring and most runs scored in a home opener since 2002, vs. Doane (21-8)

UP NEXT
Game two against Holy Cross is slated for Saturday with a 4:05 first pitch inside Tointon Family Stadium. Saturday’s game will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

How to follow the ‘Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team’s social media channels on Facebook, X formally known as Twitter and Instagram.

The post No. 24 K-State Wins Slugfest Over Holy Cross in Home Opener appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV 

5. Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden – ESPN

Bob Wischusen is a familiar name in Big 12 country as he calls a lot of the big basketball games in the conference too. Wischusen and Orlovsky were on the call of K-State’s big wins at Mississippi State and at home against Oklahoma in 2019 and both are very talented.

4. Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill – ESPN

Dave Pasch carries this team, but I also enjoy what Dusty Dvoracek brings to the table. Pasch is well deserving of a good college football team for having to put up with Bill Walton during basketball season. Pasch is one of ESPN’s most underrated assets.

3. Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Molly McGrath – ESPN

Sean McDonough will get a bad rap in his career for getting knocked out of the Monday Night Football booth and the college game is definitely a better fit for his style. I have always enjoyed him and I also don’t have any faults with his partner Todd Blackledge. Blackledge also shares the food review passion I have with his “taste of the town” segment in each game he does. Molly McGrath started her ascent on FS1 and when she moved to ESPN has continued her rise. She welcomed folks into a broadcast at Bill Snyder Family Stadium one season on the back of a motorcycle for Harley Day, fitting.

2. Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft – FOX

Even though this crew has done very few Big 12 games this season and plenty of Michigan blowouts of bad teams, they are still in the rotation and will be on the call of Texas Tech at TCU this weekend. Gus Johnson will forever be known as Mr. Energy and for K-Staters the man that let us know Jacob Pullen was “in shape.” As for Joel Klatt, he has overtaken Kirk Herbstreit in some peoples’ eyes as the best analyst in college football.

1. Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams – FOX

Maybe some recency bias is tossed in here, but Jason Benetti is great whether it is being the voice of the White Sox or calling college football and basketball. He has the right balance of being a great broadcaster and knowing when to keep it loose and have fun. His partner, Brock Huard, might be the best at breaking down the how and why in every game. Roaming the sidelines for this crew is Allison Williams who was great when she did games at ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky, and fits like a glove with this crew.

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Kansas State is ranked No. 13 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on ESPN on Tuesday night.

“It’s something that somebody will tell me that we’re ranked somewhere,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “It really matters at the end. Whoever the top-4 teams are at the end, they’ll talk about that a bunch. There’s so much football left to be played inside that top 25 and even outside of it. You’re trying to focus on the things you can control and for us it’s not getting caught up in that. That would be the easy thing, to get caught up with where you’re at. As soon as you start thinking about that you’re going to get beat. We need to keep focused on ourselves and getting better.”

The Wildcats are 6-2 this season and 4-1 in the Big 12, both of their losses are to teams who are ranked in the first CFP rankings. The Wildcats lost to No. 19 Tulane in their final nonconference game of the season. Kansas State also lost to No. 7 TCU on the road.

Kansas State is the second-highest-ranked Big 12 team behind TCU Other Big 12 teams ranked include No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 24 Texas. The Longhorns come to Kansas State on Saturday for 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Klieman’s team controls its own destiny in the Big 12 title race. Should Kansas State win out, the Wildcats would play in the Big 12 title game, most likely setting up a rematch against TCU for the conference title.

K-State’s rushing offense is the best in the Big 12 conference this season averaging 228.0 yards per game. The Wildcat defense has held two Big 12 opponents without a touchdown this season, including Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

Kansas State is ranked No. 13 in the AP top-25 and No. 14 in the AFCA Coaches Poll heading into their game against Texas this weekend.

The first @CFBPlayoff rankings are here and Tennessee is in the No. 1 spot.

Do you agree with the committee? pic.twitter.com/uFpRT1j5q3

— Rivals (@Rivals) November 1, 2022

MANHATTAN, Kansas (Kansas State Athletics) – K-State used a 64 percent effort from the field in the fourth quarter to secure a 74-63 win over Fort Hays State on Monday night in Bramlage Coliseum.

HOW IT HAPPENED
– K-State held a one-point lead, 47-46, entering the final quarter.
– The Wildcats used an 8-0 run to jump start its hot shooting in the final quarter and increased its lead to nine, 55-46, with 6:57 remaining in the fourth. Eliza Maupin started the run with an old-fashioned three-point play. Shematsi buried her third 3-pointer of the second half before Gabby Gregory and Maupin each added a free throw.
– The Wildcats completed the final stanza with a 7-of-11 (.636) effort from the field, including a 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc.
– K-State held Fort Hays State without a made field goal for over five and a half minutes to open the fourth quarter before a layup by the Tigers with 4:20 left brought the margin to 60-50.
– An old-fashioned three-point play from Jaelyn Glenn and a corner three-pointer from Brylee Glenn increased K-State’s lead to a healthy 71-55 with 1:39 remaining.

QUICK FACTS
– Gregory led all scorers with 22 points and pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.
– Brylee Glenn added 15 points.
– Serena Sundell registered a diverse stat line of seven points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals.
– The Wildcats finished the night with a 12-of-31 (.387) effort from 3-point range. A season ago, K-State tallied four games with 10 or more connections.

FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
Opening Statement…
“????Well, good to get on the floor against somebody else and kind of get some film to see some things that we can get better at. I thought we played, like a lot of exhibition games, a lot of rotations tonight that we’ll take a look at to see which ones we end up liking. It’s always tough to play a lot of people for both teams. But I thought for an exhibition game, both of us I mean, they only had 12 turnovers and we only had 10. That’s a pretty clean exhibition game for the most part.”

On the biggest improvement since the start of practice…
“Well, honestly, probably our conditioning level in terms of playing at the pace we’re trying to play at and get the shots up. It takes us some time to get that and so I feel like we’re in a better place there. I liked our early push up the floor. What I thought we struggled with was we took too many guarded shots in stretches and we took some off balance rushed shots, so we’ve got to be able to separate that pace with better poise at the end. And that’s what we’ve got to get better at from an offensive standpoint.”

On what they did best tonight…
“You get to see how they respond to another team making a run at them. Until you do, you don’t know how you’re going to do and you’ve got be able to handle those things. I’ve been in this long enough that exhibition games are what they are. You don’t know what you’re going to get. We know we’re getting a really good Hays team, this is a team that was top-five in the country last year. They’re going to be somewhere around in that top-10, top-15 mark this year. So, we know we’re going to get a good quality coached team. But I was pleased to see our group respond when they made a run at us and I was pleased to see our group make some big shots.”

On Gabby Gregory…
“Gabby two years ago was one of the leading scorers in the Big 12, played 36 minutes a game. She had some health things last year that really hampered her and she just never got on track. We’ve got a healthy Gabby Gregory and what you saw tonight is not a surprise. I saw it from the other bench. This is a player that can score at all three levels. She brings a swagger, she thinks every shot is going to go in, loves to compete, loves to play. Lot of really good things. I think her, the Glenn twins and Serena (Sundell) with that small ball are really going to be a tough group to defend.”

UP NEXT
K-State concludes its exhibition schedule on Friday against Newman at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com. Friday’s game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Originally posted on emawonline.com

by Mason Voth (@TheRealMasonV)

Originally posted on kstateonline.com

By Derek Young

KSO will look at a handful of categories each week when previewing the Kansas State game on Saturday. What are the factors to keep in mind for the Wildcats, what K-State needs to learn, the players to watch and a final prediction.

FOUR FACTORS FOR KANSAS STATE

1. FAST START: There hasn’t been a more anticipated game in Manhattan since I began covering Kansas State in 2017. It has a chance to be at a fever pitch by kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium if the weather cooperates. A good way to draw the crowd in even more and make them an integral factor and have it be tough on Missouri is to jump out to a fast start just like they did versus South Dakota.

2. TRENCHES: The Wildcats will be a man down on the offensive line. Taylor Poitier’s injury forces Hadley Panzer into the starting lineup at right guard. KT Leveston receives his first real test. Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers have three defensive linemen that they believe will play on Sundays. On the other end, Missouri is concerned about how right tackle Zeke Powell will hold up versus Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Each team has a handful of future pros on the defensive line. Who wins those battles will go a long way in determining Saturday’s winner.

3. ADRIAN MARTINEZ: Missouri can’t think there’s any other way to defend the Wildcats than to make Adrian Martinez beat them. They just saw him throw for only 53 yards on 11 completions, and they are well aware of his past where he has been prone to mistakes in crucial situations of critical ball games. How he plays under pressure is an important item. We didn’t see any explosives from him personally against the Coyotes, but he will need a few through the air when they host Missouri.

4. DON’T GIVE AWAY POINTS: Much to the pleasure of head coach Chris Klieman, K-State has yet to turn the ball over this year. They played a clean game in that respect last Saturday. Doing so again could be the difference between winning and losing during week two. Not only that, but special teams could play a role. While the Tigers have one of the best kickers in the country, Chris Tennant is slumping a bit for the Wildcats.

WHAT THE WILDCATS NEED TO LEARN

1. OFFENSIVE LINE: We liked what we saw from KT Leveston last week, but it’ll be much different for him this week. The player across from him will be quicker and more skilled. We will find out if he is indeed the answer at left tackle this week. Hayden Gillum is quick and athletic, but his snaps scared me a bit last week. And how does he play versus someone much larger across the line of scrimmage? It’s a big moment for Hadley Panzer, as he replaces Poitier. We’ll learn a lot about this group.

2. THROW GAME: They won’t defeat Missouri if they throw for 53 yards again. Then again, perhaps Mother Nature will tell me to hold her beer. They have to learn that they have a competent passing attack and can trust the arm of Martinez, the mind of Collin Klein and the experienced receivers that seem prepared to handle the majority of the snaps.

SATURDAY STARS

Adrian Martinez: Drinkwitz is no dummy. He will force Martinez to make plays to win. Is he up to the task?

Felix Anudike-Uzomah: It is just a very, very good matchup for Anudike-Uzomah. The Tigers are forced into playing their back-up right tackle in Zeke Powell, and he has struggled for much of his career despite the experience that he possesses. If they have to devote more help to that side of the line, it could even expose them in other areas.

Seth Porter: As alluded to earlier, Missouri has an excellent kicker in Harrison Mevis. Not only is he excellent on field goals, he’s a weapon in producing touchbacks as well. That eliminates the kick return game for the Wildcats. That’s why Seth Porter on the punt block teams, after nearly getting three in the opener, is the special teams player to watch.

PREDICTION

If Kansas State plays up to their standard, they should win on Saturday when the regional rivalry with Missouri is re-booted. The matchup plays in their favor, as long as they defend the run and the offensive line holds up versus the Tigers’ pass-rushers.

I anticipate seeing much more from the passing game. Martinez should be cut loose and show off his wide skill-set in a way that we didn’t see a week ago. Missouri will force him to do so, and he is the kind of dynamic and explosive athlete with both his arm and legs to make them pay for it.

Although the Tigers defended the run beautifully against Louisiana Tech, it was a struggle for them most of last season. That plays to K-State’s advantage. On the flip side, I’m not a believer in the Missouri passing game, and that also works out in favor of the Wildcats.

I’m a little concerned about the passing windows that they surrendered versus South Dakota, though that could have been only a first game issue and they were without a few starters on that side of the ball as well.

Missouri wants to run the ball more than anything, and the Kansas State defensive line should be built to stop it in its tracks. But it will require discipline from the likes of Anudike-Uzomah, Nate Matlack, Khalid Duke and Brendan Mott on the edge.

K-State moves to 2-0 on the year with a 28-17 victory.

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The four newest schools in the Big 12 haven’t even joined yet, and commissioner Brett Yormark is already looking at potential new members.

Yormark said he wanted to add a team from “out west” that has “national recognition” on Wednesday at the University of Cincinnati. Along with BYU, UCF, and Houston, Cincinnati is one of four schools who will join the Big 12 in 2023.

When it joins the conference, BYU will be the only team in the Mountain Time Zone among those four teams that is located west of the Central Time Zone.

“Well, I don’t want to get into the specifics and I appreciate the question,” Yormark said via the Athletic when asked about further Big 12 expansion. “But obviously going out west is where I would like to go, entering that fourth time zone. A program that has national recognition. One that competes at the highest level in basketball and football, stands for the right things, is a good cultural fit. Because our alignment right now and the like-mindedness of all of our member institutions is fantastic. It’s never been better. So I don’t want to compromise that and that’s critically important that there is the right cultural fit when you think about coming in and being part of what we’re building here.”

When Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC and the four newcomers join, the Big 12 will have 12 teams. If the Longhorns and Sooners don’t leave earlier than 2024, the conference might end up fielding 14 teams for the 2023 football season.

Would the Big 12 ultimately be better off with 14 teams? Teams from the Pac-12 would be any apparent expansion prospects west of the Mississippi River. After its existing television contracts expire in 2024, the Pac-12 is expected to lose USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. New TV contracts have not yet been announced by the conference, and those discussions may be conditioned on its sustainability.

Since the Big Ten hasn’t publicly courted other Pac-12 clubs, the conference’s remaining 10 teams have so far appeared to be working together to maintain its unity. Even the commissioner, George Kliavkoff, has made expansion suggestions. Kliavkoff retorted that the Pac-12 hadn’t “determined whether we’re going shopping there or not” when Yormark stated earlier this summer that the Big 12 was “open for business” about conference expansion.

Is it possible for the Big 12 and Pac-12 to grow simultaneously without adding teams from the opposing conference? The national recognition Yormark mentions is a priority, as evidenced by the previous rounds of conference realignment. And there aren’t many nationally renowned teams that are now playing in Power Five conferences.

Because of this, it appears that acquiring teams from the rival conference would be the greatest way for the Big 12 and the Pac-12 to grow. They could all stay the same and maintain some semblance of the Power Five as we know it, but Yormark doesn’t sound like a man who would be willing to retain his conference at 12 teams if OU and UT leave.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The expectations when Kansas State coach Chris Klieman was plying his trade at North Dakota State began and ended with winning the FCS national championship, and he managed to pull off the feat four times in five years.

While they’ll never be so lofty with the Wildcats, that doesn’t mean soaring expectations do not exist in Manhattan.

Especially this season.

After Klieman’s second eight-win season in his first three years, the Wildcats are poised to push Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas for the top of the Big 12 this season. They have All-America candidate Deuce Vaughn in the backfield, potential first-round draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah at defensive end, and a bevy of talent just about everywhere else on the roster.

That includes quarterback, where Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez is taking over for the graduated Skyler Thompson, and is intent on overcoming the turnover trouble that plagued his otherwise prolific passing numbers with the Huskers.

“We have very optimistic, high expectations, as everybody does this time of year,” Klieman said, “but we have a lot of work to do. Have a number of guys back on both sides of the ball. But as the landscape of college football is right now, it’s going to be new players that you’ve got to mesh with the returning players that are going to be the key to your success.”

Klieman might as well have been calling out Martinez by name.

During his four seasons at Nebraska, he threw for 8,491 yards and 45 touchdowns while also running for 2,301 yards and 35 scores. But he also threw 30 interceptions, and it seemed that most of them came in crucial situations.

Now he gets a fresh start under the watchful eye of former Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, who begins his first full year as offensive coordinator. Much like Martinez, Klein was a dual-threat quarterback who is expected to implement an offensive system similar to the one he operated for Bill Snyder a decade ago.

“He’s gotten better the last few weeks,” Klein said. “He’s gotten comfortable in what we’re asking him to do.”

Martinez will have the benefit of having Vaughn lining up behind him. The 5-foot-6 dynamo is coming off a season in which he totaled 1,872 yards from scrimmage and scored 22 touchdowns.

“The people see him and how he handles himself every day. He’s a consummate pro,” running backs coach Brian Anderson said. “He takes care of his body. He attacks the workouts in fall camp. He sits in the meetings and takes notes. Guys see that and try to be like him, and that helps our locker room.”

WHAT A RUSH

Anudike-Uzomah made a splash as a sophomore last season, piling up four sacks in a game against TCU and finishing with 52 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. His prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds has made him an early favorite of NFL scouts, even though he was a lightly recruited prospect coming out of high school.

ELSEWHERE ON D

Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman’s bunch got a big lift when defensive tackle Eli Huggins and linebacker Daniel Green decided to return for their senior seasons. The Wildcats also return talented cornerbacks Ekow Boye-Doe and Julius Brents, though they’ll be breaking in a pair of new safeties in transfers Kobe Savage and Josh Hayes.

TRIED AND TRUE

The Wildcats return a trio of senior wide receivers in Phillip Brooks, Malik Knowles and Kade Warner along with another senior in tight end Sammy Wheeler. But there is plenty of depth with junior Keenan Garber and freshman RJ Garcia getting rave reviews in camp, and Ole Miss transfer Jadon Jackson fighting for playing time.

GETTING SPECIAL

Knowles returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns last season while Brooks has returned three punts for touchdowns, and that gives the Wildcats a big advantage on special teams. They also have Chris Tennant back to handle kicking duties and Ty Zentner back to handle punts.

THE SCHEDULE

The Wildcats should be comfortable favorites in their first three games against South Dakota, former Big 12 rival Missouri and Tulane. And if they get off to a 3-0 start, that would set up a big showdown at No. 9 Oklahoma to start conference play.

The rest of the schedule sets up favorably for the Wildcats. They get Oklahoma State and Texas at home, though they do visit Baylor, and finish with games against West Virginia and Kansas in which they should be favorites.

___

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