Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
K-State at Texas Tech
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Kickoff: 6 p.m.
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Stadium: Jones AT&T Stadium (56,200)
Series: K-State Leads, 14-9
TV: FS1 (watch)
Alex Faust (Play-by-Play)
Petros Papadakis (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. 382
X Updates: @KStateFB
THE TOP 5
1) Kansas State heads back out on the road in Big 12 play for the second straight week and will look to bounce back from a 29-21 loss to Oklahoma State, as the Wildcats face Texas Tech on Saturday. The game will kick at 6 p.m. from inside Jones AT&T Stadium and be televised nationally on FS1 with Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) calling the action.
2) The Cats currently rank 26th nationally and third in the Big 12 with 35.8 points per game while also checking in at No. 19 in rushing at 202.8 yards per game. Since Collin Klein took over as offensive coordinator for the 2021 Texas Bowl, K-State is averaging 33.7 points per game on offense. Last week's 21 points at Oklahoma State snapped a three-game Big 12 streak of scoring 40 or more points.
3) Senior quarterback Will Howard threw for at least 250 yards in the first four games, the longest streak ever by a Wildcat. Running back DJ Giddens stole the show against UCF, rushing for 207 yards and four touchdowns en route to Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. He produced the first 200-yard, four-touchdown rushing performance in school history.
4) The K-State defense enters the week ranked in the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss (7th – 8.6 TFLs per game) rushing defense (14th – 93.4 yds/gm) and first down defense (17th – 87). Since the Cats switched to a 3-3-5 alignment to start the 2021 season, K-State has allowed just 21.3 points per game to rank 22nd in the nation and second in the Big 12 (Iowa State – 20.6).
5) Senior linebacker Austin Moore leads the team with 30 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss to enter the week ranked 12th in the nation. Defensive end Khalid Duke – who has moved from linebacker back to his natural home at defensive end – has 4.0 sacks over the first five games to rank 21st in the nation, while Jacob Parrish ranks seventh in the country in passes defended with 1.5 per game.
STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS
207 – Rushing yards by DJ Giddens vs. UCF, the first Wildcat to rush for over 200 yards since Alex Barnes at Baylor in 2018.
134 – Number of Big 12 wins for K-State since the league was formed, which ranks third behind Texas and Oklahoma.
93.4 – Rushing yards per game given up by K-State this season, which ranks 14th nationally and is first in the Big 12.
75.0 – Career winning % by Chris Klieman, which ranks fourth nationally among FBS coaches with at least 10 years experience.
43 – Tackles for loss in the first five games this year, as K-State ranks seventh nationally in tackles for loss per game (8.6).
TEAM NOTES
RECENT RECAP
• In K-State's last home game, the Wildcats used a strong running attack from DJ Giddens to rush past UCF, 44-30, to open Big 12 play with a win and move to 3-1 on the year.
• Giddens' 207 yards and four touchdowns earned him Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• K-State registered 536 yards of total offense against UCF, the second time this season the Wildcats eclipsed the 500-yard mark (588 yards vs. SEMO), and it marked the first time K-State had two 500-yard games in the same season since 2019.
• Following a bye week, the Wildcats suffered a 29-21 loss at Oklahoma State last Friday despite allowing just one offensive touchdown. The Cowboys had a pick-six and five field goals as K-State held OSU to just one touchdown on six red zone appearances.
BIG 12 ROAD TESTS
• K-State had success in Big 12 road games last season as it went 4-1 away from home in league play en route to a Big 12 Championship.
• This week marks the second-straight road game and third overall for K-State as it seeks its first victory away from home this season.
• Last year K-State also had consecutive road games on two occasions as it won at Iowa State and lost at TCU in October before earning back-to-back wins at Baylor and West Virginia in November.
• Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, K-State has 55 league road wins to rank third in the conference behind Oklahoma (73) and Texas (64).
LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
• The Wildcats have already bounced back from a road loss at Missouri earlier this year with a convincing win over UCF the next week. K-State will be looking to do the same thing after an eight-point loss last Friday at Oklahoma State.
• Last year, K-State followed each of its three regular-season losses with wins, including two road victories. After a setback at home to Tulane, K-State earned a 41-34 victory at Oklahoma, while it bounced back from a home loss to Texas with a 31-3 win at Baylor.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
• K-State has a total of 216 victories since 1996, which ranks 23rd nationally and 16th among current Power 5 programs.
• Among current Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fifth behind Oklahoma (268), Texas (234), BYU (227) and TCU (227).
• Over the last 13 seasons, the Wildcats have won at least seven games 11 times.
POSTSEASON PROMINENCE
• Kansas State has a strong history of being in the postseason, having advanced to a bowl game 23 times since 1993, including 11 times in the last 13 years.
• K-State's 23 bowl trips since 1993 are tied for fourth among current Big 12 teams.
• In an era when over 80 teams play in a bowl game each year, the Cats are one of just 19 Power 5 teams to play in a bowl game 11 times in the last 13 years.
A WINNING TRADITION
• Kansas State has been one of the best Big 12 teams since the inception of the conference in 1996. The Wildcats are third with 134 conference victories, trailing only Oklahoma and Texas.
• The Wildcats are also third in the conference in winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. They sit at 59.1% (65-45), trailing only Oklahoma (78.2%; 86-24) and Oklahoma State (64.5%; 71-39).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 36-19 (65.5%) at home in Big 12 play and 29-26 (52.7%) on the road.
TAKING DOWN TOP 10s
• K-State picked up three victories over AP top-10 teams in 2022, which culminated with a 31-28 overtime win over No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship. It was the first time in school history the Cats took down multiple AP top-10 teams in one season.
• The Cats also defeated No. 6 Oklahoma, 41-34, in Norman, while they shut out No. 9 Oklahoma State, 48-0, at home.
• K-State was one of only two teams in the nation – along with Georgia – to post three wins over AP Top-10 teams.
• The Wildcats are now 6-3 in their last nine games against top-10 teams dating back to Nov. 18, 2017, a span that began with a 45-40 victory at No. 10 Oklahoma State. Prior to that, the Cats were just 1-15 in their previous 16 tries.
• Under head coach Chris Klieman, K-State has defeated five teams ranked in the top 10 by the Associated Press. No other current Big 12 team has more than three victories over AP Top 10 teams since 2019 (Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU all with three).
BIG 12 CHAMPS
• Kansas State earned its third Big 12 title with a 31-28 overtime victory over No. 3 TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship.
• It was the second for the Cats in a conference championship game as they took down No. 1 Oklahoma, 35-7, in 2003.
• Kansas State earned its first conference title since finishing with an 8-1 record in 2012 as there was no conference championship game conducted that year.
• The Wildcats are in search of winning a Big 12 title in consecutive years for the first time in school history. They are looking to become the second Big 12 program ever to defend its conference title (Oklahoma – 7 times).
TOUGH SLATE AHEAD
• In addition to having a target on their backs after winning the Big 12 in 2022 and entering the season ranked in the top 20, the Wildcats are facing a difficult schedule in 2023.
• The 12 opponents K-State will face during the regular season combined for a 60.8% winning clip in 2022, which is the 10th-highest percentage in the nation.
• K-State is one of just four teams in the nation to play 11 games in 2023 against teams that made the postseason in 2022. Two of the other three programs that will face 11 postseason teams from last year reside in the Big 12 in Iowa State and Texas, in addition to Ole Miss.
A WINNING HISTORY
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 104-35 career record, as his 75.0% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have led programs for at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 14 current Power 5 head coaches with at least 100 victories.
• Klieman, who is 33-22 since arriving at K-State, is 7-7 in his career against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 with six of the victories coming at K-State.
CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 24 seasons as it has 129 since 1999, six more than the next closest team (Alabama – 123).
• Of the 129 non-offensive scores since 1999, 44 have been punt returns, 40 interception returns, 33 kickoff returns, 10 fumble returns and 2 missed/blocked field goal returns.