Know Thy Foe: Kansas State Wildcats

At long last, it’s happening.

The UCF Knights play their first-ever Big 12 Conference game on Saturday against a charter member, the Kansas State Wildcats, in Manhattan, Kansas.

Here we go:

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Week 4: Kansas State Wildcats

Kickoff: Saturday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium — Manhattan, Kansas

TV: FS1 — Eric Collins (PxP) and Devin Gardner (analyst). Same crew as in the Kent State and Boise State games

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game — Marc Daniels (PxP), Gary Parris (analyst) and Scott Adams (sideline)

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History

Series: K-State leads, 1-0

Last Meeting: 2010 — 17-13 K-State in Manhattan

It was a tough one, not the least of which because of some epic weather:

It was a classic pre-2017 close call vs. a P5 team: Two missed field goals and the game-winning TD with 24 seconds left. Spleens were ruptured.

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About the Wildcats

This Season: 2-1. Picked second in the preseason conference poll.

Last Season: 10-4, 7-2 in the Big 12. Beat TCU in OT in the Big 12 Championship Game. Lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Also lost to Tulane, 17-10, at home in the regular season.

Last Week: Lost to Mizzou 30-27 on a 61-yard-field goal at the gun.

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Head Coach

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Chris Klieman

5th year at K-State | 104-34 (32-21 at KSU)

Klieman, who won four national titles in five years at FCS North Dakota State, is coming off his best season at K-State, where they won the conference over College Football Playoff participant TCU and finished with 10 wins. He took over for the legendary Bill Snyder after his second stint at K-State.

Fun Fact: In five seasons at North Dakota State, Klieman’s teams went 69-6 and only failed to win a natty once, losing in the semis in 2016 to James Madison, who is now in FBS. He went 15-0 in his last season at NDSU.

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Key Players

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Offense: RB Treshaun Ward

5-10 Senior | Plant City, Florida

Ward transferred to K-State from Florida State, where he ran for 1100+ yards and 11 TDs the last two seasons combined, second among FSU’s backs each of the last two seasons. He’s second on the Wildcats in rushing yards but first in carries

This season: 37 carries, 168 yards, 4.5 yards/rush, 1 TD

Defense: DE Khalid Duke

6-4 Senior | Atlanta, Georgia

Duke leads the Wildcats with three sacks on the year, already equal to his total from last year, which was second-best on the team. He also had 44 tackles (32 solo) in 2022.

This season: Six tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble

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In case you were wondering...

Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images

K-State’s stadium is named after their great head coach Bill Snyder, who led the Cats for two stints (1989-2005 and 2009-2018), going 215-117-1 in 27 total seasons.

Snyder led K-State to bowl games 19 times, won two Big 12 titles, and accounts for 38% of K-State’s total wins and 18 of the program’s 40 winning seasons over its 127 years playing football.

If you want a really good look back at how K-State became K-State, this documentary, “Miracle in Manhattan”, is worth a watch.