Game 7
rv/rv TCU at K-State
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)
Series: K-State Leads, 10-8
TV: FOX (Watch)
Tim Brando (Play-by-Play)
Devin Gardner (Analyst)
Josh Sims (Sidelines)
K-State Radio: K-State Sports Network; k-statesports.com (Listen)
Wyatt Thompson (Play-by-Play)
Stan Weber (Analyst)
Matt Walters (Sidelines)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 160 or 199, and on the SiriusXM App
X Updates: @KStateFB and @KStateStatsInfo
THE TOP 51) Following a heartbreaking 35-34 loss at Baylor, Kansas State looks to regroup as it returns home this week in Big 12 play with TCU visiting Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Homecoming game kicks off at 2:30 p.m., and will be shown on FOX with Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst) and Josh Sims (sidelines) on the call.
2) Five of K-Stateās first six games this year have been decided by one score as the first three games were by a field goal, its game at Arizona was a six-point loss and last weekās game at Baylor was a one-point loss. The Wildcats are the only team in the nation to already have five games decided by one possession. They were 4-2 last season when the final margin was eight or less points and are 1-4 this season.
3) Quarterback Avery Johnson is set to make his 21st-career start under center having thrown for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first six games. His favorite target has been wide receiver Jayce Brown, who has 29 catches for 390 yards and three touchdowns. Brown ranks sixth in the Big 12 in receptions per game (4.83), and he is coming off his second 100-yard game of the year at Baylor.
4) Linebackers Austin Romaine and Des Purnell lead the Wildcats in tackles with 45 and 32, respectively. Romaine ranks ninth in the Big 12 with 7.5 tackles per game, while his average of 5.00 solo tackles per game ranks 14th in the nation and third in the Big 12. Cornerback Zashon Rich is tied for second in the Big 12 with six pass breakups, and the Cats rank second in the country with six fumble recoveries.
5) K-Stateās specialists have started the year strong. Kicker Luis Rodriguez is 8-for-9 on field goal attempts ā including a 51-yarder at Arizona ā and 19-for-19 on extra points. Punter Simon McClannan ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a 44.3-yard average. Bryce Noernberg returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score against Army, and Garrett Harstad blocked a punt at Arizona.
STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS344 ā Passing yards last week by Avery Johnson, the most in a Big 12 game in the Chris Klieman era at K-State.
13 ā Combined points in all of K-Stateās four losses this season ā two by three points, one by six point and one by a single point.
8 ā Consecutive years K-State has blocked at least one punt, the longest streak in the nation.
5 ā Quarterbacks in school history to passing for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards, the newest one being Avery Johnson.
2 ā Number of Obiazor brothers playing in Saturdayās game ā Chiddi for the Wildcats and Namdi for the Horned Frogs.
TEAM NOTESRECENT RECAP
ā¢ Kansas State had one of its best offensive performances of the season ā topping the 500-yard mark ā and won the turnover battle, but a late 53-yard field goal gave Baylor a 35-34 win over the Wildcats last week.
ā¢ Avery Johnson threw for 344 yards, and Jayce Brown topped the 100-yard receiving mark in the contest.
ā¢ The week prior, Kansas State took advantage of the first of three bye weeks in the 2025 season with a 34-20 win over UCF.
ā¢ It was a solid all-around performance as the offense rushed for 266 yards ā including 166 yards from Dylan Edwards ā Johnson threw for two scores, and the defense forced three UCF turnovers en route to the win.
ā¢ Five of K-Stateās six games this season have been decided by one possession. In four of the five games, the Wildcats trailed late in the fourth quarter and had the ball with a chance to either tie or take the lead.
ā¢ K-State was able to put together a 10-play, 81-yard drive over 1:03 against North Dakota, scoring a touchdown with 42 seconds remaining to swing a 35-31 deficit into a 38-35 victory.
ā¢ The next week against Army, K-State had the ball with less than two minutes remaining and got into plus territory until an interception sealed the Black Knightsā three-point win.
ā¢ Six days later at Arizona, K-State had the ball near midfield with just over one minute remaining, but a turnover on downs ended the contest in a six-point defeat.
ā¢ Last week against Baylor, the Wildcats had a 56-yard field goal attempt blocked on the final play of the game.
OBIAZOR vs. OBIAZOR
ā¢ K-State and TCU will see siblings go head-to-head as Chiddi Obiazor and his brother Namdi will face off.
ā¢ Chiddi, a sophomore, is in his third year in the program and has started seven career games, including all six this season.
ā¢ Namdi is a senior linebacker for the Horned Frogs who is in his fourth season at TCU after spending the 2021 season at Iowa Western Community College.
ā¢ K-Stateās next game ā October 25 at Kansas ā will see the same as Wildcat freshman tight end Linkon Cure will face his older brother, Jayhawk tight end Leyton.
FIVE ONE-SCORE GAMES
ā¢ Of Kansas Stateās last 19 games dating back to Week 2 of the 2024 season, 11 have been decided by just one score.
ā¢ Last year, the Wildcats went 4-2 in one-possession games. All four of the victories were fourth-quarter comebacks, which ranked second in the nation to Illinoisā five.
ā¢ This season, K-State has played five one-possession games but has only come out on the winning side one time.
ā¢ The five one-score games this year are the most in the nation, one ahead of K-Stateās season-opening opponent, Iowa State.
TOWARD THE TOP IN CONSISTENCY
ā¢ K-State is one of only 10 Power 4 schools that have won at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.
ā¢ Among those teams, only Kansas State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oregon have accomplished that feat in addition to winning a conference championship during that time frame.
ā¢ The Wildcats are tied for 18th among Power 4 teams and rank second among current Big 12 programs with 30 total wins since the beginning of 2022.
AMONG THE NATIONāS BEST
ā¢ K-State has a total of 233 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.
ā¢ Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (244), TCU (242) and Utah (237).
A WINNING TRADITION
ā¢ Kansas State has totaled 145 Big 12 victories since the conferenceās formation in 1996, which stands as the most among active Big 12 programs.
ā¢ The Cats are also second among active Big 12 members in winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. They sit at 58.9% (76-53), trailing only Oklahoma State (60.2%; 77-51).
ā¢ During that stretch, the Wildcats are 43-21 (67.2%) at home in Big 12 play and 33-32 (50.7%) on the road/neutral.
STATE PRIDE
ā¢ Kansas State has 13 returning starters from a year ago, including seven that hail from the state of Kansas.
ā¢ On offense, the Kansans are quarterback Avery Johnson (Wichita), running back Dylan Edwards (Derby) and offensive linemen Taylor Poitier (Kansas City) and Sam Hecht (Shawnee).
ā¢ Defensively, the list includes defensive tackle Damian Ilalio (Manhattan), linebacker Des Purnell (Topeka) and defensive end Cody Stufflebean (McPherson).
A TRACK RECORD OF WINNING
ā¢ A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 122-45 career record, as his 73.1% career winning percentage ranks fifth among current FBS coaches that have completed at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 16 current Power 4 full-time head coaches with at least 100 career victories.
ā¢ Klieman, who is 50-32 since arriving at K-State, has led the Cats to five victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25, the most of any active Big 12 program since 2019.
FEW PENALTIES
ā¢ K-State enters this weekās game against TCU ranked second nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.00) and 10th in fewest penalty yards per game (32.30).
ā¢ Since 2022, the Wildcats have averaged 42.54 penalty yards per game (46 games) to rank seventh among Power 4 teams. Their 4.91 penalties per game over that stretch ranks ninth among Power 4 teams.
CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
ā¢ K-State is the nationās best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 25-plus seasons as it has 136 since 1999, 10 more than the next closest team (Alabama ā 126) and 18 more than the next Big 12 program (Utah ā 119).
ā¢ K-State recorded four non-offensive scores during the 2024 season, its most since also recording four in 2020.
ā¢ The Wildcats got on the board in 2025 thanks to Bryce Noernbergās 99-yard kickoff return against Army.
OFFENSIVE NOTESTOTAL OFFENSEā¢ K-State has totaled at least 375 yards of offense in 36 of the last 46 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.
ā¢ The 36 games with at least 375 yards are tied for sixth among Power 4 programs and ranks second among Big 12 schools (TCU ā 37).
ā¢ Georgia leads the way with 40, followed by USC (39), Oregon (38), TCU (37) and Ole Miss (37).
ā¢ During that stretch, K-State holds a 28-8 record when totaling at least 375 yards, while the Wildcats are 2-8 when going under that mark.RED ZONE SUCCESSā¢ Since Chris Kliemanās first season at K-State in 2019, the Wildcats have been the best in the Big 12 in terms of converting red-zone opportunities into points.
ā¢ The Wildcats rank first in the Big 12 with a 90.2% (285-of-316) success rate in the red zone since 2019, just ahead of Texas Tech (88.1%) and Oklahoma State (87.6%).
ā¢ K-State also ranks first in the league in touchdown success rate at 67.1% (212-of-216), ahead of Utah (65.8%) and Kansas (65.8%).LIMITED SACKS PER GAMEā¢ K-State has been one of the nationās best in terms of limiting sacks since head coach Chris Kliemanās first season of 2019.
ā¢ The Wildcats rank fifth among Power 4 teams and second in the Big 12 by allowing only 1.44 sacks per game over the last six-plus seasons, a span of 82 games.FEW INTERCEPTIONSā¢ Thanks to only three interceptions through six games this season, the Wildcats have only thrown 13 picks since Avery Johnsonās first start under center in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
ā¢ The 13 interceptions thrown rank fourth among Big 12 teams since the 2023 bowl season.4,000/1,000ā¢ Quarterback Avery Johnson became the fifth quarterback in program history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career as he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark against UCF.OVER 300 AGAIN
ā¢ Avery Johnson passed for 344 yards at Baylor, a new career high, the 17th-most passing yards in a game in school history and the second time this season he threw for over 300 yards in a game (318 yards vs. North Dakota).
ā¢ His 344 passing yards were part of a 416-yard output in total offense, which ranked as the sixth most in school history.
ā¢ He is the first K-State quarterback with multiple 300-yard passing games in a season since Skylar Thompson in 2021 against Oklahoma (320 yards) and Texas Tech (306).
ā¢ Johnson needs one more 300-yard passing game to tie for second in school history for a season. The record is four held by Josh Freeman in 2007.AVERY 1Kā¢ Avery Johnson achieved a career milestone against UCF by eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark, becoming the seventh quarterback in school history to hit that mark.
ā¢ A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson now ranks fifth in school history among quarterbacks with 1,110 career rushing yards.
ā¢ Johnson has averaged 5.23 yards on his 212 career rushes, ranking seventh in school history among all players in yards per attempt, while he is second among quarterbacks (Jesse Ertz, 2014-17 ā 5.46).
ā¢ When taking away sack yardage, Johnson has rushed for 1,262 yards on 194 true rushing attempts, good for a 6.51-yard clip.VERY RESPONSIBLEā¢ Avery Johnson has been responsible for 57 total touchdowns in his 27 career games played to rank eighth in school history.
ā¢ His career total ranks 27th nationally among active players but sixth among non-seniors.
ā¢ A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson has 40 career passing touchdowns to tie for fourth in school history, while his 17 career rushing touchdowns rank ninth in program history among quarterbacks.
BROWN DELIVERSā¢ Wide receiver Jayce Brown leads the Wildcats this season with 29 receptions for 390 yards and three touchdowns.
ā¢ He has 4.83 receptions per game this season rank sixth in the Big 12, while his 16.0-yard career average ranks sixth nationally among active players.
ā¢ Brown hauled in 12 catches against North Dakota, which tied for the seventh-most in a single game in school history.
ā¢ He tallied at least 100 scrimmage yards in the final two games of 2024 and in four of the first six games of 2025 after only one such performance in the first 21 games of his career.
TO THE HOUSEā¢ Jayce Brown opened the second half at Arizona with a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. It was the Wildcatsā longest rush since Deuce Vaughn had an 88-yard score against Alabama in the 2022 Sugar Bowl.
ā¢ It was the longest rush by a K-State wide receiver since Malik Knowles had a 75-yard score on the first play from scrimmage of the 2022 season against South Dakota.
THE RETURN OF EDWARDSā¢ Kansas State received a boost against UCF as running back Dylan Edwards played his first full game of the season, rushing for 166 yards and one touchdown.
ā¢ It was the second-most rushing yards of his career, just behind a 196-yard output against Rutgers in the 2024 Rate Bowl.
ā¢ His rushing output against the Knights was highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the longest rush of his career. His previous long rush was a 65-yard touchdown in last yearās Rate Bowl.
ā¢ Paired with Jayce Brownās 75-yard run in the previous contest at Arizona, it marked the first time in school history that K-State had a rush of at least 75 yards in consecutive games.
DEFENSIVE NOTESCONTINUITY ON THE STAFFā¢ Each of the Wildcatsā full-time coaches on the defensive side of the ball have been the same since 2020, as Kansas State and Iowa are the only two programs in the country to lay that claim.
ā¢ However, Iowa utilizes four positional coaches on defense, whereas K-State employs five.
ā¢ Safeties coach Joe Klanderman was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020, the same year that cornerbacks coach Van Malone was elevated to assistant head coach and Steve Stanard joined the staff to coach the linebackers. Defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo and defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt ā along with Klanderman and Malone ā were members of Chris Kliemanās original staff at K-State in 2019.
LIMITED POINTS PER GAMEā¢ Since the 2021 season (59 games), the Cats are allowing 22.3 points per game, which ranks third among current Big 12 teams and 19th among Power 4 teams.
ā¢ Additionally, the Cats have allowed 149 offensive touchdowns (2.5 per game) over that time to rank 21st among Power 4 schools (minimum 40 games).
ā¢ The Wildcats have finished each of the previous three seasons allowing less than 24.0 points per game, their longest streak since going 13-straight years from 1991 through 2003.
ā¢ Since head coach Chris Kliemanās first year of 2019, the Wildcats have held 44 of their 56 Big 12 opponents under their season average at the time it faces the Wildcats (excluding 2025 season opener against Iowa State).
CREATING TURNOVERSā¢ Since the beginning of 2022, K-State has forced 72 turnovers, which is the most among active Big 12 teams and tied for 10th among Power 4 teams.
ā¢ Of the 72 turnovers, 43 have been via interception to rank fourth among all active Big 12 programs and tied for 21st among Power 4 teams.
JUMPING ON THE BALLā¢ The Wildcats have four interceptions through the first six games, but K-State has done the most damage in the turnover department by falling on fumbles as it ranks second nationally and tops in the Big 12 with six recoveries.
ā¢ The six fumble recoveries this season are the most through the first six games of a season since the 2017 team also had six recoveries in the first half of the regular season. Last year, the Wildcats only had five fumble recoveries in 13 games.
ā¢ K-Stateās six recoveries this season have come from six different players. Austin Romaine and Chiddi Obiazor each had one in the season opener against Iowa State, Tobi Osunsanmi recovered one against North Dakota, long snapper Mason Olguin recovered a muffed punt at Arizona, Justice Clemons had one against UCF and Asa Newsom had one at Baylor.
GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACKā¢ K-State finished the 2024 season ranked 25th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 2.69 sacks per game.
ā¢ It was the Wildcatsā best national ranking since 2015 (No. 9) and highest sacks-per-game mark since 2020 (2.80).
ā¢ Kansas Stateās 35 sacks a year ago resulted in 249 lost yards, which ranked 11th in the Power 4 and first in the Big 12.
ā¢ It was the most sack yardage by the Wildcats since 2003 (345) and tied for the fifth most by any K-State team in the Big 12 era (since 1996).
ā¢ K-State recorded seven sacks in its first two games before being shut out against Army. The Wildcats have come back with six over the last three games.
ROMAINE LEADING THE WAYā¢ After leading the Wildcats in tackles last season en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors, linebacker Austin Romaine is back at it again in 2025.
ā¢ A product of Hillsboro, Missouri, Romaine has a team-leading 45 tackles, ranking ninth in the Big 12 with 7.5 tackles per game. The junior has collected 5.00 solo tackles per game through six contests to rank 14th nationally and third in the conference.
ā¢ Romaine has at least eight tackles in four games this season, including a pair of 10-tackle performances against North Dakota and Army.
ā¢ Last season, Romaine led the Wildcats and ranked ninth in the conference with 96 tackles (7.38 per game). He was the first Wildcat with at least 90 tackles in a season since Jayd Kirby had 99 in 2017.
SENIOR STANDOUT
ā¢ Ranking second in the tackle department is senior Des Purnell, who has totaled 32 stops this season.
ā¢ A native of Topeka, Kansas, Purnell recorded a career-high 10 tackles against Army and topped that mark six days later with 11 stops at Arizona.
FROM LB TO DE
ā¢ Junior Tobi Osunsanmi has made the most of his transition from linebacker to defensive end earlier in his career as he leads the Wildcats and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 4.0 sacks this season (0.67 per game).
ā¢ A native of Wichita, Kansas, Osunsanmi began the year with a pair of sacks against Iowa State and added one apiece against North Dakota and UCF.
ā¢ Osunsanmi entered the 2025 season with 4.5 career sacks, including 3.5 last season.
BREAKING UP THE PASS
ā¢ Sophomore cornerback Zashon Rich has six pass breakups in six games this season to tie for seventh in the country and second in the Big 12.
ā¢ His six pass breakups are already one shy of the top mark by a Wildcat last year. Jacob Parrish had seven pass deflections in 2024 before going on to be selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay.
ā¢ A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rich added to his repertoire against UCF when he had a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss, including his first-career sack.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTESSCORING IN THE THIRD PHASEā¢ The Wildcats continue to lead the nation in total kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005 with 63, which is 23 more than the next closest team in Alabama (40) and 29 more than the next closest Big 12 programs, Oklahoma State and TCU (34).
ā¢ Of the 63 total returns, a nation-leading 32 are on kickoff returns, and the next closest team is Houston with 21.
TO THE HOUSEā¢ Redshirt freshman Bryce Noernberg returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Army. It was Kansas Stateās first kickoff-return score since Malik Knowles went 93 yards against Oklahoma in 2021.
ā¢ Noernbergās return was the longest by a Wildcat since Knowles went 99 yards earlier in the 2021 season at Oklahoma State.
ā¢ A product of Olathe, Kansas, who was a quarterback at Olathe South High School, Noernberg recorded Kansas Stateās 12th kickoff return of at least 99 yards.
ā¢ Noernberg holds a 32.3-yard average on his 12 kickoff returns this season, which ranks fifth in the nation and seventh in school history.
EIGHT STRAIGHTā¢ With Garrett Harstadās blocked punt at Arizona, K-State has now blocked a punt in eight-straight seasons, which is the longest streak in the nation.
ā¢ San Diego State is next on the list with seven-straight years, while Iowa State, Michigan, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Carolina and Toledo are tied for third with five-consecutive years.
RODRIGUEZ FROM DISTANCEā¢ Due to injuries at kicker late in the summer, the Wildcats scrambled to find a replacement, and they landed community-college transfer Luis Rodriguez from College of the Canyons.
ā¢ After arriving in Manhattan just as preseason practices commenced, all Rodriguez has done over his first four games is connect on 8-of-9 field goal and 15 extra-point attempts. His lone miss this season was a blocked 56-yard attempt at the end of the Baylor game.
ā¢ At Arizona, Rodriguez opened the gameās scoring by connecting on a season-long 51-yard field goal. It tied for the 25th-longest field goal in school history and was the longest in a road game since Ty Zentner was true on a 53-yarder at West Virginia in 2022.
ā¢ Rodriguez came to K-State after being named to the 2024 California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) All-America Team. In his lone season playing for the Cougars, he was true on 21-of-25 field goals with a long of 54 yards, while he connected on 31-of-34 extra points.
HIGH AVERAGE BY McCLANNANā¢ Sophomore punter Simon McClannan has gotten off to a great start in 2025, ranking fourth in the Big 12 with a 44.3-yard average on 23 punts. His high average is due to eight punts that have traveled at least 50 yards, which ranks third in the Big 12. Last year, McClannan only had six punts of 50 or more yards over 13 games.
ā¢ A native of Omaha, Nebraska, McClannan recorded a career-best 50.8-yard average on five punts at Arizona and came back with a 51.0-yard average on four punts against UCF. Following the game against the Knights, he was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.
ā¢ He is one of five punters in the nation with an average of at least 50.0 yards (minimum 4 attempts) in multiple games this season, joining Michigan Stateās Ryan Eckley, Western Kentuckyās Cole Maynard, Oklahomaās Grayson Miller and Eastern Michiganās Mitchell Tomasek.
ā¢ It was the first time in the Big 12 era that Kansas State had a punter average at least 50.0 yards on at least four punts in consecutive games.
ā¢ McClannan enters his 22nd-career game with a 42.99-yard average on 70 career punts, which would rank fourth in school history if he had five more punts to meet the minimum amount of attempts. His 44.3-yard average this season would rank sixth if he had two more punts to reach the minimum.
DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNSā¢ K-State has not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2013 season, going the last 157 games and 450 returns without allowing its opponent to find paydirt.
ā¢ The streak is the longest among the active Big 12 teams, 261 returns better than the next closest team (Arizona State ā 189).
ā¢ Since K-State allowed its last kickoff-return touchdown, the Wildcats have scored 15 of their own.