Game 12nr/rv/rv K-State at 22/17/17 Iowa State
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Ames, Iowa
Stadium: Jack Trice Stadium (61,500)
Series: Iowa State Leads, 53-50-4
TV: FOX (watch)
Connor Onion (Play-by-Play)
Mark Helfrich (Analyst)
Radio: K-State Sports Network; k-statesports.com (Listen)
Wyatt Thompson (Play-by-Play)
Stan Weber (Analyst)
Matt Walters (Sidelines)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 388, and on the SiriusXM App
X Updates: @KStateFB and @KStateStatsInfo
THE TOP 51) Coming off a convincing 41-15 win over Cincinnati in the home finale, Kansas State will close out the 2024 regular season on the road as the Wildcats travel to face 17th-ranked Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium. The game, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night, will be shown nationally on FOX with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst) on the call.
2) Quarterback Avery Johnson is set to make his 13th career start as he has thrown for 2,297 yards and 19 TDs on 190-of-314 aim while adding 484 rushing yards and six scores. He is one of only four players in the country and the only Big 12 QB with at least 2,275 passing yards and 475 rushing yards. His 19 passing touchdowns are a new K-State record for a sophomore as he passed Josh Freeman (18 in 2007).
3) Junior running back DJ Giddens has rushed for 1,271 yards and seven touchdowns on 191 carries to go along with 21 receptions for 258 yards and another score. Giddens ranks ninth nationally in rushing yards, while he is sixth in the nation with 1,529 scrimmage yards thanks to his 258 receiving yards. He is the fourth player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
4) K-State has seven players with 40 or more tackles this season, led by linebacker Austin Romaine, whose 77 tackles rank 13th in the Big 12. Senior defensive end Brendan Mott has 10.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks, the latter ranking 16th in the nation and tops int he Big 12. Six Wildcats have carded an interception this season, led by Marques Sigle's three to rank sixth in the Big 12.
5) Chris Tennant has been true on 16-of-19 field goals, including a 51-yarder with 1:42 left to give the Wildcats a 29-27 win over Kansas. Tennant ranks in the top 10 in school history in eight career categories. Simon McClannan is tied for sixth in the Big 12 with 14 punts that have ended inside the opponent 20-yard line. Dylan Edwards has recorded 336 total return yards to rank sixth in the Big 12.
STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS231 ā Opponents' lost yardage on K-State's 30 sacks this season, which is tied for ninth in the nation.
144 ā Big 12 victories by K-State since the conference's inception in 1996, the most among active programs.
9 ā Number of night games the Cats will have played this season, the most in a regular season in the Big 12 era (since 1996).
7 ā Number of 200-plus yard rushing games this season, which are the most in the Big 12 Conference.
3 ā DJ Giddens became the third player in school history to eclipse the 3,000-yard rushing mark for a career.
TEAM NOTESRECENT RECAP
ā¢ K-State got back on track in the win column last weekend as the Wildcats dominated Cincinnati, 41-15, on Senior Night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
ā¢ DJ Giddens rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while Avery Johnson was 13-of-23 through the air for 147 yards and two scores and also added 72 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
ā¢ K-State had suffered back-to-back losses as the Wildcats dropped a 24-14 decision to Arizona State, which came on the heels of a 24-19 loss at Houston prior to its second bye week of the season.
ā¢ The Wildcats entered the game at Houston on a four-game winning streak, capped by a dramatic 29-27 dramatic win over Kansas ā its 16th-straight win over the Jayhawks ā as linebacker Austin Romaine forced a fumble on defense before Chris Tennant nailed a 51-yard field goal with 1:42 left for the two-point win.
ā¢ The defense settled in and held the Jayhawks scoreless in their final four drives with the Romaine forced fumble and Brendan Mott recovery leading to the game-winning drive.
BACK ON THE BOWL SCENE
ā¢ With its sixth victory of the year at West Virginia, Kansas State will be playing in the postseason for a fourth-straight season and the 13th time in the last 15 years.
ā¢ Entering the year, K-State was one of just 16 Power 4 programs to play in a bowl game at least 12 times in the previous 14 years.
AMONG THE NATIONāS BEST
ā¢ K-State has a total of 230 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.
ā¢ Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (237), TCU (236) and Utah (232).
ā¢ Over the last 15 seasons ā including 2024 ā the Wildcats have won at least seven games on 13 occasions.
EIGHT IS GREAT, BUTā¦
ā¢ K-State has now won at least eight games in each of the last four seasons, including 2024. It is the Wildcats' longest streak since doing so over the 2011 (10), 2012 (11), 2013 (8) and 2014 (9) seasons.
ā¢ The Wildcats are tied for the fifth in the country with their four-straight seasons of at least eight wins.
ā¢ K-State has 35 wins since 2021, which is tied for 14th nationally and first among active Big 12 teams.
... NINE WOULD BE DIVINE
ā¢ Kansas State is looking for its ninth regular-season win this Saturday at Iowa State.
ā¢ It would be the second time in the last three seasons that K-State won nine regular season games (2022).
ā¢ Kansas State has produced 14 years with at least nine regular seasons wins: 1910 (10), 1994 (9), 1995 (9), 1996 (9), 1997 (10), 1998 (11), 1999 (10), 2000 (10), 2002 (10), 2003 (10), 2011 (10), 2012 (11), 2014 (9) and 2022 (9).
A WINNING TRADITION
ā¢ Kansas State has totaled 144 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 60.0% (75-50), trailing only Oklahoma State (61.6%; 77-48).
ā¢ During that stretch, the Wildcats are 42-21 (66.7%) at home in Big 12 play and 33-29 (5.32%) on the road.
REGULARLY IN THE AP POLL
ā¢ K-State fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 last week as the Wildcats were ranked in the previous 12 polls.
ā¢ It was the first time K-State had been ranked in the first 12 AP polls of a season since appearing in all 17 polls in 2014.
ā¢ K-State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 on 243 occasions since 1993, the most among active Big 12 teams and ranked 22nd nationally.
NOCTURNAL CATS
ā¢ Kansas State is playing its ninth night game this Saturday, including six that will have kicked off after 7 p.m. local time.
ā¢ It is the most night games in a season since the 2012 season saw the Wildcats also play in nine night games, but one of those was the Fiesta Bowl.
ā¢ This is the first time the Wildcats will have played nine night games during the regular season in the Big 12 era (1996).
NEW OPPONENTS
ā¢ K-State is only playing four opponents from last yearās schedule ā Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Oklahoma State ā in 2024.
ā¢ It is the fewest amount of carryover opponents from one year to the next since only three rematches from 1918 to 1919.
ā¢ Additionally, half of the Wildcatsā schedule is against teams in which they have not faced in at least 10 years, if ever. Those are UT Martin (First Meeting), Arizona (1978), BYU (1997), Colorado (2010), Arizona State (2002) and Cincinnati (1996).
A TRACK RECORD OF WINNING
ā¢ A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 119-40 career record, as his 74.8% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have led programs for at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 18 current Power 4 head coaches with at least 100 career victories.
ā¢ Klieman, who is 47-26 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.
TOās MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
ā¢ Kansas State ranked in the top 10 nationally in turnover margin each of the last two years as the Wildcats finished eighth in 2022 and fifth in 2023, which marked the first time in the top 10 in consecutive seasons since 2011 (9th) and 2012 (3rd).
ā¢ After sitting at minus-2 in turnover margin and ranking 93rd in the nation entering the Oklahoma State game, the Wildcats are now +1 on the year and ranked 57th.
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 135 since 1999, nine more than the next closest team (Alabama ā 125).
ā¢ K-State has recorded four non-offensive scores this season, its most since also recording four in 2020.
ā¢ The four non-offensive TDs this year are: a Ty Bowman blocked punt against UT Martin that was returned for a score by Colby McCalister, a 60-yard rumble return by Jack Fabris at Tulane, a 71-yard punt return by Dylan Edwards against Arizona, and a 43-yard interception return by Marques Sigle at West Virginia.
CARDIAC CATS
ā¢ Kansas State is 3-1 in one-possession games this season, with all three of its wins being in comeback fashion.
ā¢ The Wildcats' three wins this season when trailing in the fourth quarter are the most since 2017.
ā¢ K-State trailed Kansas, 27-26, until Chris Tennant's 51-yard field goal with 1:42 left sparked a K-State win.
ā¢ K-State trailed 28-24 at Colorado before the game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to Jayce Brown with 2:14 left.
ā¢ In Week 2 at Tulane, K-State rallied from a 20-10 halftime deficit to take a 34-27 win, which included a Dylan Edwards touchdown run and a Jack Fabris fumble return to erase a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit.
ā¢ Of K-State's three one-possession victories this year, two were on the road against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (No. 16 Colorado and No. 20 Tulane).
FILL THE BILL
ā¢ With Kansas State selling out of its entire six-game home slate this season, the Wildcats will enter next season with a streak of 20-consecutive sellouts dating back to the beginning of 2022.
ā¢ Kansas State is one of only three schools in the nation to rank in the top 20 of percentage of capacity filled each of the last 10 seasons, joining Ohio State and Oklahoma.
ā¢ K-State ranks 10th nationally by filling its stadium to 103.07% capacity.
OFFENSIVE NOTESGROUND AND POUND
ā¢ K-State enters this week's matchup ranking 16th nationally by averaging 210.0 rushing yards per game, while the Cats are fourth in the country by averaging 5.95 rushing yards per carry.
ā¢ K-State's school record for average yards per rush is 5.27 yards in 2016.
ā¢ The average is driven by 80 rushes of at least 10 yards to tie for sixth in the nation, while K-State's 27 rushing plays of 20 or more yards this season rank are tied for fourth in the nation.
ā¢ The Cats have rushed for at least 200 yards in seven games this year, the most in the Big 12. The Wildcats have already surpassed last year's regular-season total (6), which was the most since doing so in eight regular-season games in 2016.
TOTAL OFFENSEā¢ K-State has totaled at least 375 yards of offense in 31 of the last 38 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season, including nine of 11 games this season.
ā¢ During that stretch, the Cats held a 10-game streak against Big 12 foes with 375 or more yards, the longest in school history.RED ZONE SUCCESSā¢ The 2024 season is a continuation of red-zone success under Chris Klieman, as the Wildcats rank first among active Big 12 programs by scoring on 90.1% (264-of-293) of their overall red-zone trips since 2019 with 197 touchdowns (67.2%).
ā¢ Last season, the Cats ranked second nationally by finding paydirt on 78.5% of their red-zone possessions (51-of-65), and they narrowly finished behind Oregon State by 0.11%. K-State would have led the nation last year had the Cats not been in the red zone when taking a knee to close out the Pop-Tarts Bowl win.
ā¢ K-State enters play this week ranked 42nd nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in red zone scoring at 88.1% (37-of-42) with one of those failed attempts being a kneel down at the end of the West Virginia game.RED ZONE THREATSā¢ Kansas State's tight end unit has combined for 11 touchdown receptions this year, tied for the most in the nation.
ā¢ The 11 touchdowns have come from four different players in Will Anciaux, Will Swanson and Garrett Oakley with three apiece, while Brayden Loftin has two.OFFENSIVE LINE STEPPING UPā¢ Although the offensive line lost four starters from a year, the current group is stepping up. In addition to its rushing rankings, K-State also ranks in the top 25 nationally in fewest sacks allowed (7th; 0.91 per game) and fewest tackles for loss allowed (19th; 4.09 per game).
ā¢ Despite limited starts at K-State entering the season, the current starting unit is experienced overall as the six players that have made start this year have combined for 129 starts and 8,907 career offensive snaps. The leaders in those departments are on the left side in tackle Easton Kilty (48 starts, 3,006 snaps) and guard Hadley Panzer (37 starts, 2,393 snaps).A GREAT STARTā¢ Quarterback Avery Johnson has started 12 career games under center with the Wildcats going 9-3 those games. Included in those victories are three wins over ranked teams ā No. 19 NC State in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl in addition to No. 20 Arizona and No. 20 Oklahoma State this season ā and a win at Tulane, which checks in at No. 18 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25.
ā¢ Johnson's nine victories as a starting quarterback are already tied for the 12th most by a Wildcat since 1990, while his 75.0% winning percentage is tied for sixth among signal callers with at least 10 starts.BY AIR AND GROUNDā¢ Quarterback Avery Johnson was the top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023, and he's putting that on display during his true sophomore season as he is one of only four quarterbacks nationally and the only Big 12 player with at least 2,275 rushing yards and 475 passing yards.
ā¢ If he were to stay at his current averages, Johnson would end the season as just the 18th quarterback in Big 12 history and just the second K-State quarterback ever with at least 2,700 passing yards and 550 rushing yards. The other Wildcat to hit those marks was Michael Bishop in 1998.MULTIPLE TDsā¢ Avery Johnson is one of 21 Power 4 quarterbacks and one of six in the Big 12 to throw at least 19 touchdown passes and rush for at least six scores this season.
ā¢ His 25 touchdowns responsible for this season rank 10th in school history and are the most ever by a sophomore.
ā¢ Johnson threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two others in K-State's 42-20 victory over No. 20 Oklahoma State en route to Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
ā¢ He was the first K-State signal caller to have at least three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a conference game since Collin Klein at West Virginia in 2012.
MULTIPLE 1,000-YARD SEASONSā¢ Running back DJ Giddens, a semifinalist for the 2024 Doak Walker Award, notched his second-straight season with 1,000 rushing yards, as he now has 1,271 rushing yards to rank eighth in school history overall and fourth among juniors.
ā¢ He is just the fourth player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons, joining Darren Sproles (2002, 2003, 2004), Daniel Thomas (2009, 2010) and Deuce Vaughn (2021, 2022).
GIDDENS GETTING IT DONEā¢ Running back DJ Giddens ranks ninth nationally with 1,271 rushing yards, while he is sixth with 1,529 scrimmage yards when adding in his 258 yards receiving.
ā¢ A native of Junction City, Kansas, Giddens currently holds the school record for single-season rushing yards per carry at 6.65, just ahead of Darren Sproles' mark of 6.49 yards per carry in 2003.
ā¢ Giddens' high average is due to the fact that he ranks third nationally in rushes of at least 30 yards (9), ranks fourth in rushes of at least 20 yards (16) and is tied for fourth in rushes of at least 40 yards (5).
ā¢ Additionally, Giddens is the only Power 4 player in the country with three runs of at least 50 yards and two receptions of at least 40 yards.
UP THE CAREER CHARTSā¢ DJ Giddens enters this week's game with 3,015 career rushing yards, which ranks third in school history, while his 5.99 career yards per rush ranks second at K-State only behind Darren Sproles (6.11; 2001-04).
ā¢ Giddens also ranks in the top 10 in program history for a career in receiving yards by a running back (4th; 679), rushing yards per game (5th; 79.3), 100-yard rushing games (3rd; 13) and career rushing attempts (9th; 503).
DEFENSIVE NOTESLIMITED POINTS PER GAMEā¢ Since the K-State defense switched from a four-man front to a 3-3-5 alignment at the beginning of the 2021 season (61 games), the Cats are allowing just 21.3 points per game, which ranks 21st nationally and third among active Big 12 teams.
ā¢ Additionally, the Wildcats have allowed 123 offensive touchdowns over that time, which is tied for 23rd in the nation.
ā¢ The Wildcats have finished each of the three previous seasons by allowing less than 22.0 points per game, their longest streak since going 13-straight year from 1991 through 2003.
ā¢ Since head coach Chris Kliemanās first year of 2019, the Wildcats have held 40 of their 52 Big 12 opponents under their season average at the time it faces the Wildcats.
BEHIND THE LINEā¢ K-State is ranked 23rd nationally and second in the Big 12 with 2.73 sacks per game, while they are 31st in the country and third in the conference with 6.8 tackles for loss per game.
ā¢ The Wildcats have tallied at least 4.0 tackles for loss in eight games this year ā including 11 TFLs in each of the first two contests ā while they have at least two sacks in six contests ā including a season-high six at Colorado.
HIGH SACK YARDAGEā¢ Kansas State's 30 sacks this season have resulted in 231 lost yardage, which is tied for ninth in the nation and leads the Big 12.
ā¢ It is the most by the Wildcats since 2003 (345) and already the sixth most by a K-State team since 1996.
ā¢ K-State's six sacks at Colorado resulted in 74 yards of loss, the fourth-most ever by a Big 12 team in a conference game and second most by a Big 12 team in any game since 2012.
ā¢ It was the most sack yardage accumulated by the Wildcats in a single game since at least 1995. Their previous best over that timeframe was 72 yards against Baylor in 2002.
STINGY AGAINST THE RUNā¢ K-State enters this week ranking 19th in the country and tops in the Big 12 by allowing only 108.4 rushing yards per game.
ā¢ The Cats have limited opponents to under 100 rushing yards four times, including -29 at Colorado.
ā¢ It was the second fewest rushing yards allowed by an FBS team this season, the fewest allowed in a Big 12 game since 2006 and the fourth fewest allowed by any team in the nation over the last seven seasons.
CREATING TURNOVERSā¢ K-State has totaled 78 forced turnovers since the beginning of the 2021 season, which is tied for second among active Big 12 teams and 11th among Power 4 teams.
ā¢ Of the 78 turnovers, 49 have been via interceptions to tie for 16th among Power 4 teams and rank third among active Big 12 programs.
OFF THE EDGEā¢ Sixth-year senior Brendan Mott is making the most of his final year of college football as he ranks 16th nationally and leads in the Big 12 with 0.77 sacks per game.
ā¢ Mott also ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 9.5 tackles for loss.
ā¢ A former walk-on from Iowa City, Iowa, Mott needs 2.0 sacks to enter the school's top-10 list for a single season. His 8.5 sacks this season are the most since current Kansas City Chief Felix Anudike-Uzomah also had 8.5 in 2022, a year after he had 11.0 sacks to tie for fifth in school history.
ā¢ Mott's 8.5 sacks have resulted in 55 lost yards, as no Wildcat has had more in a season since Jordan Willis in 2016 (84 yards).
ROMAINE LEADS THE WAYā¢ Sophomore Austin Romaine leads the Wildcats and ranks 13th in the Big 12 with 77 tackles (7.0 per game). He is looking to become the first Wildcat with at least 90 tackles in a season since Jayd Kirby had 99 in 2017.
ā¢ A native of Hillsboro, Missouri, Romaine had two sacks at Tulane, the second of which caused a fumble that was returned for a 60-yard, game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
ā¢ It was his first of two forced fumbles this season that led directly to the game-winning points, as he had one against Kansas prior to the game-winning field goal.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTESSCORING IN THE THIRD PHASEā¢ The Wildcats continue to lead the nation in total return touchdowns since 2005 with 62, which is 22 more than the next closest team in Alabama (40) and 28 more than the next closest Big 12 programs, Oklahoma State and TCU (34).
ā¢ Of the 62 total returns, a nation-leading 31 are on kickoff returns, and the next closest team is Houston with 21.
ā¢ The 2023 season marked the first time since 2004 in which the Wildcats did not score via a kickoff or punt return, but the Wildcats got off the schneid with a blocked punt that was returned for a score against UT Martin and a 71-yard punt return touchdown against Arizona.
SEVEN STRAIGHTā¢ K-State has blocked a punt in seven-straight seasons, tied for the longest streak in the nation with San Diego State.
ā¢ Oregon and Iowa State are tied for third at five-straight years.
TEANNANT FROM DEEPā¢ Senior Chris Tennant connected on a game-winning 51-yard field goal against Kansas with 1:42 left in the game, sending the Wildcats to a 29-27 victory.
ā¢ It was the longest game-winning field goal with under two minutes remaining in regulation in school history, while it was the fourth-longest game-winner in the nation this season.
ā¢ Tennant, who had another field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
ā¢ A native of Shawnee, Kansas, Tennent now has three career field goals of 50 or more yards to rank fifth in school history. He also ranks in the top 10 in school history for a career in field goals made (4th; 41), field goals attempted (4th; 55), kick scoring (4th; 256), extra points attempted (4th; 137), extra points made (T4th; 133), extra point percentage (5th; 97.1%) and overall in points scored (7th).
NEW MAN BACK DEEPā¢ Sophomore transfer Dylan Edwards made a splash on just his third punt-return attempt of the season as he took one 71 yards for a touchdown against Arizona en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
ā¢ It was the Wildcats' first non-blocked punt-return touchdown since the second game of the 2022 season.
ā¢ 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.
DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNSā¢ K-State has not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2013 season, going the last 149 games and 441 returns without allowing its opponent to find paydirt.
ā¢ The streak is the longest among the active Big 12 teams, 268 more than the next closest team (Arizona State ā 173).