Game 10
K-State at Oklahoma State
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Location: Stillwater, Okla.
Stadium: Boone Pickens Stadium (52,168)
Series: Oklahoma State Leads, 43-28
TV: ESPNU (watch)
Richard Cross (Play-by-Play)
Charles Arbuckle (Analyst)
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. 382, and on the SiriusXM App
X Updates: @KStateFB and @KStateStatsInfo
THE TOP 51) Following its third and final bye of the 2025 season, Kansas State begins the final stretch of the regular season looking for bowl eligibility beginning with the first of two-straight road games at Oklahoma State on Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 a.m., and will be shown on ESPNU with Richard Cross (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst) on the call.
2) After starting the season with four-straight one possession games and going 1-3 in those contests, the Wildcats have gone 3-2 in their last five games with all three victories coming by multiple scores. The Wildcats have averaged 34.2 points per game over their last five games, as K-State is ranked 10th in scoring among Power 4 teams since September 27.
3) Quarterback Avery Johnson is set to make his 24th-career start under center having thrown for 1,991 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, while he has rushed for seven touchdowns. He is one of only four Power 4 quarterbacks with 16 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores this season. Johnson has thrown scoring strikes to six different players, with Garrett Oakley (5) and Jayce Brown (4) leading the way.
4) Austin Romaine leads the team with 66 tackles followed by 50 from Des Purnell, who over the last three games has 18 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, two picks, five passes defended and a forced fumble. Cornerback Zashon Rich is tied for second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with nine pass breakups, and the Cats rank seventh in the country in turnovers gained (19) and third in fumble recoveries (10).
5) Kicker Luis Rodriguez is 10-for-11 on field goals, ranking 15th in the country with a 90.9% conversion rate as his only miss was a blocked 56-yard attempt at the end of the Baylor game. Punter Simon McClannan ranks sixth in the Big 12 with a 41.7-yard average. The Cats rank ninth nationally with a 26.9-yard kickoff return average, led by Bryce Noernberg, who ranks third in the country with a 29.9-yard average.
STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS60 ā Big 12 road victories by K-State since the conferenceās inception in 1996, the most among active programs.
33.3 ā Points per game by the Wildcats in conference play since 2022, the sixth-highest average among Power 4 teams.
19 ā Number of turnovers the Wildcats have forced this season, which ranks seventh in the nation.
16 ā Games with multiple touchdown passes over the last two seasons by Avery Johnson, the third most in the nation.
5 ā Receiving touchdowns this season by Garrett Oakley, tied for the third most in the nation among tight ends.
TEAM NOTESRECENT RECAP
ā¢ Kansas State enters the home stretch of the season following its third and final bye week of the season. This is the first time K-State has had three byes in a season since the COVID season of 2020, while the time before that was 2014.
ā¢ Last time out, K-State suffered a 43-20 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech, a game that got away from the Wildcats after they had the ball down nine points (29-20) with seven minutes remaining in the game.
ā¢ Prior to that game, Kansas State earned a dominating 42-17 win at Kansas, its 17th straight wins over the Jayhawks.
ā¢ Avery Johnson was 11-of-17 for 231 yards and accounted for four touchdowns against the Jayhawks, while Jayce Brown caught four passes for 160 yards, including a 78-yard score.
ā¢ Defensively, the Wildcats forced four total turnovers and pressured quarterback Jalon Daniels most of the day. Kansas averaged just 3.2 yards per snap in the contest.
ā¢ The win at KU came on the heels of a 41-28 victory over TCU, a game that featured defensive touchdowns by safety Wesley Fair (15-yard fumble return) and linebacker Des Purnell (25-yard interception return).
ā¢ Purnellās pick-6 came on the very next play after he had a sack and was part of a two-interception game with four total passes defended en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
ā¢ Johnson threw three touchdown passes against the Horned Frogs, including two to tight end Garrett Oakley, which gave him 11 in his career to set the school record by a tight end.
LOOKING FOR THE RARE WIN IN STILLWATER
ā¢ Kansas State is just 9-24 all-time against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Its last win at Boone Pickens Stadium was a 45-40 upset over the 10th-ranked Cowboys in 2017.
ā¢ In that contest, Byron Pringle had three receiving touchdowns in addition to an 89-yard kickoff return score.
ā¢ The victory in 2017 was the Wildcatsā first in Stillwater since 1999 as the Wildcats have only won once at Oklahoma State in the last 26 years.
FIVE ONE-SCORE GAMES
ā¢ Of Kansas Stateās last 22 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. In four of those games, the Wildcats had the ball with a chance to either tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
ā¢ K-Stateās five one-score games this year are tied for the sixth most among Power 4 teams (Iowa State ā 7, Arizona State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Virginia ā 6; Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, Penn State, Texas, Virginia, UCLA ā 5).
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 second among current Big 12 teams and 19th among Power 4 teams with 32 total wins since the beginning of 2022.
AMONG THE NATIONāS BEST
ā¢ K-State has a total of 235 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.
ā¢ Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (247), TCU (244) and Utah (240).
A WINNING TRADITION
ā¢ Kansas State has totaled 147 Big 12 victories since the conferenceās formation in 1996, which stands as the most among active Big 12 programs.
ā¢ The Cats are also rank first among active Big 12 members in winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. They sit at 59.1% (78-54), just ahead of Oklahoma State (58.3%; 77-55).
ā¢ During that stretch, the Wildcats are 44-22 (66.7%) at home in Big 12 play and 34-32 (51.5%) on the road/neutral.
A TRACK RECORD OF WINNING
ā¢ A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 124-46 career record, as his 72.9% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have completed at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 15 current Power 4 full-time head coaches with at least 100 career victories.
ā¢ Klieman, who is 52-33 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 at Oklahoma State ranked second nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.22) and seventh in fewest penalty yards per game (31.56).
ā¢ Since 2022, the Wildcats have averaged 41.78 penalty yards per game (49 games) to rank sixth among Power 4 teams, while their 4.84 penalties per game rank seventh.
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 139 since 1999, 11 more than the next closest team (Alabama ā 128) and 20 more than the next Big 12 program (Utah ā 119).
ā¢ K-State recorded four non-offensive scores during the 2024 season ā its most since also recording four in 2020 ā and has equaled that mark in 2025.
ā¢ The first non-offensive score of the year was Bryce Noernbergās 99-yard kickoff return against Army.
ā¢ Against TCU, Wesley Fair had a 15-yard fumble return touchdown in the second quarter before Des Purnell recorded a 25-yard interception return. It was the first time since the 2023 Baylor game that the Wildcats had two defensive touchdowns in one contest.
ā¢ Ralph Ortiz scooped up an errant snap on a punt and returned it 20 yards for a score at Kansas.
OFFENSIVE NOTESHIGH POINT TOTAL vs. BIG 12ā¢ Kansas State has averaged 33.3 points per game in conference play since the beginning of 2022, ranking 13th in the nation, sixth among Power 4 teams and tops in the Big 12.
ā¢ The Cats have hit the 30-point mark in 22 of their 33 Big 12 games since the start of 2022, including four times this season with a highwater mark of 42 points at Kansas.
ā¢ K-State had a four-game streak scoring at least 30 points against UCF (34), Baylor (34), TCU (41) and Kansas, its longest streak overall since doing so in six-straight games during the 2003 season.TOTAL OFFENSEā¢ K-State has totaled at least 375 yards of offense in 36 of the last 49 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.
ā¢ The 36 games with at least 375 yards are tied for 10th in the Power 4 and rank second among Big 12 schools (TCU ā 40).
ā¢ Georgia and USC lead the way with 42, followed by Ole Miss with 41, TCU with 40, Oregon and Tennessee with 39, Washington Texas with 38 and Ohio State with 37.
ā¢ During that stretch, K-State holds a 28-8 record when totaling at least 375 yards, while the Wildcats are 4-9 when going under that mark. Two of their wins when going under 375 yards of offense have come this season.RED ZONE SUCCESSā¢ Kansas State enters the week ranked 12th nationally and third in the Big 12 by converting on 92.6% (25-of-27) of its red zone opportunities.
ā¢ That included a streak of 22-straight red-zone scores, which was the second-longest active streak in the Big 12 until taking a knee at the end of the Kansas game to run out the clock.
ā¢ 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 92.2% (294-of-326) success rate in the red zone since 2019, just ahead of Texas Tech (88.0%), Colorado (86.8%) and Oklahoma State (86.8%).
ā¢ K-State also ranks first in the league in touchdown success rate at 67.2% (219-of-326), ahead of Kansas (66.2%) and Utah (65.9%).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 85 games.
ā¢ K-State entered the week ranked eighth in the nation by allowing 0.89 sacks per game this season.MULTIPLE SCORING STRIKESā¢ Quarterback Avery Johnson has produced 16 games with multiple passing touchdowns since 2024, which is the third most in the nation among active players.
ā¢ When adding in his two scoring strikes in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl, Johnsonās 17 multi-touchdown games are the most ever by a K-State quarterback, one more than Will Howard. Jake Waters is next on the list with 15 games, followed by Josh Freeman (13), Michael Bishop (12) and Skylar Thompson (11).
ON THE BRINKā¢ Avery Johnson ranks second in school history with 46 career touchdown passes, just two shy of tying the record held by Will Howard (2020-23).
ā¢ His 16 passing touchdowns this season are tied for third in school history by a junior ā four shy of the record ā and two shy of entering the schoolās top-10 list among all passers.5,000/1,000ā¢ During the Texas Tech game, Avery Johnson eclipsed the 5,000-yard passing mark to become just the third quarterback in program history to pass for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career.
ā¢ A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson joined Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Skylar Thompson (2017-21) on the list, but Johnson was the fastest of the three to reach those numbers. He hit the marks in his 30th career game, while it took Thompson 36 games and Roberson 41 games to reach the milestone.VERY EFFICIENTā¢ Avery Johnson tallied a career-best pass efficiency rating of 217.7 at Kansas. It was the 10th-best mark by a K-State quarterback 1996 (minimum 15 attempts), the best since Jesse Ertz had a 319.8 rating against Central Arkansas in 2017 and the best in a Big 12 game since Jake Waters had a 218.1 mark against Kansas in 2014.
ā¢ Johnsonās mark against Kansas was the third best by a Big 12 quarterback in a conference game this season (min. 15 attempts).AVERY ON THE RUNā¢ Avery Johnson ranks fifth in school history among quarterbacks with 1,244 career rushing yards, while his 5.06-yard career average on 246 carries ranks eighth in school history among all players and second among quarterbacks (Jesse Ertz, 2014-17 ā 5.46).
ā¢ When taking away sack yardage, Johnson has rushed for 1,418 yards on 224 true rushing attempts, good for a 6.33-yard clip.
BROWN DELIVERSā¢ Wide receiver Jayce Brown leads the Wildcats this season with 38 receptions for 630 yards and four touchdowns.
ā¢ He had his best game as a Wildcat at Kansas, catching four passes for 160 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown. It was the most receiving yards by a Wildcat since Byron Pringle had 166 yards at Oklahoma State in 2017.
ā¢ Brownās 40.0-yard average was the fourth-highest average nationally in a game this season (minimum four catches) and the third-highest average by a Big 12 player since 2018.
ā¢ A native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Brown has a career receiving average of 16.88 yards to rank eighth in school history and fourth in the nation among active players.
CAREER RECORD FOR OAKLEYā¢ Tight end Garrett Oakley has tallied 12 career receiving touchdowns, which is the most ever by a K-State tight end and tied for 10th in school history overall.
ā¢ The previous record of 10 was shared by current Washington Commander Ben Sinnott (2021-23) and Henry Childs (1971-73).
ā¢ Oakley, a product of Columbus, Nebraska, has five receiving touchdowns this season, which is tied for third in the nation among tight ends and second in school history at the position. Each of his five scores have come since September 27, which is tied for the most in the nation at the position.
ā¢ Two of Oakleyās touchdowns came against TCU as he is one of two Big 12 tight ends with a multi-touchdown game in conference play this season.
ā¢ Oakley also ranks fifth in school history among tight ends in career catches (63) and yards (723). He has 30 catches this year, just three shy of entering the top-five list in school history at the position.
TOUGH RUNNING BY JACKSONā¢ Running back Joe Jackson tallied the first 100-yard rushing game of his career against TCU, going for 110 yards on a career-high 27 attempts. It shattered his previous bests of 61 yards on 13 carries the week prior at Baylor.
ā¢ Most of Jacksonās damage against the Horned Frogs came in the second half when he tallied 88 yards on 21 carries.
ā¢ He backed that up with another solid outing at Kansas, rushing for 69 yards on 20 carries, including 35 yards on 13 attempts in the second half to help run out the clock.
DEFENSIVE NOTESOPENING DRIVE DEFENSEā¢ Kansas State has allowed points only three times on opponentsā first drive of the game or second half, which was a field goal to open the game at Baylor, a short-field touchdown by Kansas following a fumble on the opening kickoff and a score by Texas Tech to start the second half.
ā¢ Of the 18 total drives to start a half, the K-State defense has forced 12 punts ā including seven 3-and-outs ā an interception, a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.
ā¢ Five of the 3-and-outs have come on opponentsā initial drives of the second half. K-Stateās opponents have only managed five first downs and 106 total yards on the nine opening drives of the second half (0.6 first downs and 11.8 yards per game).
LIMITED POINTS PER GAMEā¢ Since the 2021 season (62 games), the Cats are allowing 22.7 points per game, which ranks fourth among current Big 12 teams and 21st among Power 4 teams (minimum 40 games).
ā¢ Since head coach Chris Kliemanās first year of 2019, the Wildcats have held 47 of their 59 Big 12 opponents under their season average at the time it faces the Wildcats (excluding 2025 season opener against Iowa State).
TURNOVER TURNAROUNDā¢ After beginning the year with just three takeaways in the first three games, K-State has turned the tide on turnovers.
ā¢ K-State has forced multiple turnovers in each of the last six games, totaling 16 in those games with nine interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
ā¢ The Wildcats enter the week ranked seventh nationally and second in the Big 12 with 19 total turnovers gained this season.
CREATING TURNOVERSā¢ The turnover theme over the last six game mirrors what K-State has done over the last three-plus seasons as K-State has forced 81 turnovers since 2022, which is the most among active Big 12 teams and tied for eighth among Power 4 teams.
ā¢ Of the 81 turnovers, 48 have been via interception to rank second among active Big 12 programs and tie for 17th among Power 4 teams.
JUMPING ON THE BALLā¢ The K-State defense has had a propensity of falling on fumbles this season as it ranks third nationally with 10 recoveries.
ā¢ The 10 fumble recoveries this season are the most through the first nine games of a season since the 2012 team had 11 recoveries in the first nine games. Last year, the Wildcats only had five fumble recoveries over 13 games.
ā¢ K-Stateās 10 recoveries this season have come from 10 different players in Austin Romaine (Iowa State), Chiddi Obiazor (Iowa State), Tobi Osunsanmi (North Dakota), long snapper Mason Olguin (Arizona), Justice Clemons (UCF), Asa Newsom (Baylor), Wesley Fair (TCU), Ralph Ortiz (Kansas), Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder (Kansas) and Ryan Davis (Texas Tech).
ROMAINE LEADING THE WAYā¢ After leading the team in tackles last season en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors, Austin Romaine is at it again in 2025.
ā¢ A product of Hillsboro, Missouri, Romaine has a team-leading 66 tackles, ranking 10th in the Big 12 with 7.3 tackles per game.
ā¢ Romaine has at least four tackles in every game this season, including a season-high 11 against Texas Tech and 10 apiece 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.
ON A HEATERā¢ Senior linebacker Des Purnell has been outstanding in the last three games, totaling 18 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 tackles, two interceptions, five total passes defended and a forced fumble.
ā¢ Against TCU, Purnell had nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions ā including on he returned 25 yards for a touchdown ā and two other passes defended. For his effort, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
PURNELL THE PLAYMAKER
ā¢ Des Purnellās sack and pick-6 against TCU came on consecutive plays, the first K-State player since at least 1989 to have both on consecutive plays and the only player in the nation to accomplish the feat this season.
ā¢ He is the only Big 12 player with a pick-6 and a sack in the same game this season and one of nine in the country.
ā¢ His four total passes defended are tied for sixth in the country for a single game this season and tied for the most among linebackers. He was the first Wildcat with four passes defended in a game since safety Russ Yeast against West Virginia in 2021 and the first K-State linebacker to do so since at least 2003.
ā¢ His pick-6 against TCU was the third time in his career he found paydirt as he returned a fumble for a touchdown against Baylor in 2023 and a blocked punt for a score against South Dakota in 2022. He is one of only two players in school history to have a pick-6, fumble return touchdown and a punt return score in a career (Courtney Herndon, 2006-09).
ā¢ A native of Topeka, Kansas, Purnell ranks fifth nationally among active players with three career non-offensive touchdowns. He ranks sixth with two defensive touchdowns, and he is the only active Big 12 player with a fumble return score and a pick-6 in Big 12 games in his career.
BREAKING UP THE PASS
ā¢ Sophomore cornerback Zashon Rich has nine pass breakups in nine games this season to tie for second in the Big 12 and 11th in the country.
ā¢ His nine pass breakups are the most since Jacob Parrish and Marques Sigle each had nine in 2023. Both of those players were drafted this past year as Parrish was selected in the third round by Tampa Bay and Sigle was taken in the fifth round by San Francisco.
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.
HIGH AVERAGE ON RETURNSā¢ Kansas State enters the week ranked ninth nationally and tops in the Big 12 with a 26.86-yard average on kickoff returns, a mark that ranks fifth in school history.
ā¢ The Wildcats are looking to rank in the top-15 nationally in kickoff return average for the first time since 2021 (9th ā 27.22). In head coach Chris Kliemanās first year of 2019, K-State led the nation with a 29.50-yard average, which was the top mark in school history.
ā¢ The high average is boasted by a 99-yard touchdown by Bryce Noernberg against Army, the 12th kickoff return of at least 99 yards in school history.
ā¢ Noernberg ranks third in the country with a 29.9-yard average.
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, Toledo and UNLV are tied for third with five-consecutive years.
RODRIGUEZ CONNECTSā¢ 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 nine games is connect on 10-of-11 field goal and all 32 extra-point attempts. His lone miss this season was a blocked 56-yard attempt as time expired at Baylor.
ā¢ Rodriguez ranks 15th nationally and third in the Big 12 by connecting on 90.9% of his field goal attempts. He also has the seventh-longest streak in school history of extra-point connections to start a season.
HIGH AVERAGE BY McCLANNANā¢ Sophomore punter Simon McClannan ranks sixth in the Big 12 with a 41.7-yard average on 36 punts. His average is boosted by nine punts that have traveled at least 50 yards after only six such punts over 13 games last year.
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¢ 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 25th-career game with a 42.06-yard average on 83 career punts, which ranks eighth in school history.
DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNSā¢ K-State has not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2013 season, going the last 160 games and 459 returns without allowing its opponent to find paydirt.
ā¢ The streak is the longest among the active Big 12 teams, 260 returns better than the next closest team (Arizona State ā 199).
ā¢ Since K-State allowed its last kickoff-return touchdown, the Wildcats have scored 15 of their own.