By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State coaches and players say they aren’t thinking about possibilities that could get them to the Big 12 championship game for a second straight year.
The No. 19 Wildcats know they can only focus on one thing.
Win “Farmageddon”.
Unlike last Saturday’s victory at Kansas to win the Governor’s Cup Trophy, there will be no hardware to hoist after K-State, 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12, lines up against Iowa State, 6-5, 5-3, in Saturday’s 7 p.m. (FOX) kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
But bragging rights will be on the line as the teams meet for 107th times in a series played continuously since 1917. K-State leads in the series by a margin of 52-50-4.
“Our rivalry with KU is special too, but people forget that one,” the quarterback said Will Howard said. “We’ve been playing against each other forever. I know how much it means to the fans.”
A total of 24 K-State players will be recognized on Senior Night before the final game of the regular season. Iowa State is coming off a 26-16 loss at home to No. 7 Texas, but it’s looking for four straight wins on the road for the first time in school history.
The Cyclones’ victories at Cincinnati (30-10), Baylor (30-18) and BYU (45-13) gave them their first three-game road winning streak since 1978.
“It’s our Senior Day and a chance to honor our seniors,” the K-State head coach said. Chris Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa. “It’s going to be emotional. I know our guys are going to be excited and ready to play. I know Iowa State is going to be excited and ready to play. It’s a great rivalry and a great game.”
K-State has won 12 of the last 15 battles by a margin of 403-378, and last season’s 10-9 victory marked the lowest-scoring game in the series since a 7-7 tie in Ames in 1984.
“You’re talking to a guy who loves tradition,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said. “You enjoy playing in these types of environments and games and the respect you have for the opponent because you know what they are and what they represent.
“To win matches like that is huge.”
K-State is aiming for double-digit wins for a second straight year, something the program last accomplished in 2011 and 2012. Iowa State, which began the season 2-3 after losing by 50 -20 at era #1. 14 Oklahoma, has continually improved and is seeking a better spot in the bowl pecking order.
The Wildcats are 6-0 at home and have won those games by a combined score of 272-72. They are seeking their seventh undefeated home season in school history and first since 2012.
“I’m fully aware of that,” the catcher said Philippe Brooks said. “Coach talked to us a little bit about it. Obviously you want to win every game. Our main goal is to be 1-0 against every team. We’re focused on winning against Iowa State. We’re focused on the task. at hand.”
Iowa State is also focused. His mid-season turnaround allowed him to reach bowl eligibility for the sixth time in seven seasons. Before Campbell led the program, Iowa State had made 12 bowl appearances in 124 seasons.
“The growth of this team thus far has been transformational,” Campbell said. “Everything will be defined by how we finish. There are still eight incredible quarters left for this football team to finish what they started, but literally the only thing this group has done is they grew up and got better. That’s really hard to do today. in age in college football.
The forecast for severe weather has been a topic of discussion throughout the week, as temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s with a risk of accumulating snow in Manhattan.
“It looks like it’s going to be a nice day Saturday, a late November game here at The Bill,” Klieman said. “It will be a lot of fun.”
K-State last played in a game featuring snow accumulation on November 11, 2000, during the final moments of a 29-28 victory over No. 4 Nebraska that clinched a Big 12 North Division championship for the Wildcats.
“We practice the wet ball drill,” Howard said. “We will be ready for any eventuality.”
Howard has thrown 13 touchdowns and three interceptions at home this season and his 47 career touchdown passes are the most in school history. It has a plethora of capable pass catchers, including Brooks (50 receptions, 563 yards and 5 touchdowns) and tight end. Ben Sinnott (39 catches, 540 yards and 5 touchdowns), who is the school’s first-ever semifinalist for the John Mackey Award.
Running backwards DJ Giddens is a threat out of the backfield, wide receivers Keagan Johnson (20 catches, 191 yards and 2 TDs), Jaden Jackson (17 catches, 244 yards and 2 TDs) and true freshman Jayce Brown (17 catches, 316 yards and 2 touchdowns) took turns making big plays for the Wildcats.
If the weather proves to affect the passing game, the Wildcats have the luxury of a veteran offensive line and a potent ground attack that averages 198.8 yards per game, ranking 16th.th nationally. Giddens, a sophomore, has 39 yards rushing for 1,000 yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry with eight touchdowns. Treshaun District has 595 rushing yards and six scores.
K-State has been largely effective offensively this season with an average of 37.9 points (13th nationally) and 441.5 yards per game (23rd nationally) under the direction of the second year offensive coordinator Colin Klein.
“We took the lead early on, and we want to get there this game and continue our momentum at home and use the crowd to our advantage, because it’s definitely an advantage,” Howard said.
The Wildcats will be tested against an Iowa State defense that has produced 15 interceptions, which ranks fourth nationally.
Meanwhile, Iowa State is led by quarterback Rocco Becht, who has a touchdown in 10 of his 11 starts and holds the school’s freshman records with 2,444 passing yards and 17 touchdowns – brands previously owned by current San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy.
Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel has emerged as a triple threat for the Cyclones. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 5.7 receptions per game while averaging 40.4 yards on five kickoff returns and averaging 8.5 yards on 14 punt returns.
The Cyclones have been inconsistent in running the football and their 118.3 rushing yards per game ranks 106th nationally. After rushing 37 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns at BYU, the Cyclones managed just nine rushing yards on 21 attempts a week later against Texas last Saturday.
“It’s going to be physical,” Iowa State offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhasse told reporters earlier this week. “Guys who are able to step up and make plays in moments will have the best chance of leading their team to victory, and it feels like in this one it won’t be any different than what he has been since I’ I came here.
“(K-State) has an identity. They know each other well. At the end of the year, they’re a team that’s growing and getting better.”
K-State will look to assert its identity on Saturday.
“(Iowa State) is probably the team that’s most like us,” the center said Hayden Gillum said. “It’s always a tough battle. It always feels like it’s a cold game, which it seems to be. I think we get along very well. They’re uncompromising. Their defense plays very well, and “They’re disciplined, they know the gaps and they attack really well. They do a lot of things that we’re proud of. It’s always like that.”
Which lends itself to the remarkably close scores between the rivals.
“It went right to the end,” Campbell said. “It’s a physical football game. Usually the team that really plays with the most detail in the game wins the football game. That’s probably why for me and for us it’s another big challenge .Can you be this team for four quarters?Especially on this road in this game, it’s one of the best places to play college football.
“I think their playing environment is electric and obviously the tradition that they’ve created there makes it that way and makes it a real challenge to play there.”
