Kansas State Preview: 13 Days Until Kansas Football
Senior Day for the Kansas Jayhawks will feature one of the more intriguing matchups of the year when KU hosts its in-state rivals Kansas State on November 18 at David Booth Memorial Stadium. Get to know the 2023 version of the 2022 Big 12 champions.
Pre-Game Notes
If all goes according to expectations, this could be one of the best and most-hyped Sunflower Showdowns in recent memory. K-State is coming off a conference championship and ranked in the preseason AP poll, while Kansas has the most production returning from a team coming off a bowl game.
This is great for the rivalry. In recent history, these two squads just haven’t been very good at the same time. KU’s run with Mark Mangino in the late 2000s overlapped with the brief Ron Prince era in Manhattan. Then Bill Snyder came back and then Chris Klieman took over as Turner Gill, David Beaty, and Les Miles were setting the Jayhawks back a decade.
We’re due for a matchup where both teams are ranked and bowl eligible. This might be the year. K-State isn’t expected to take a step back, being picked second in the Big 12 media preseason poll behind only Texas, while receiving 14 first-place votes.
The Mike Plank Four-Down Scouting Report
First Down
Just like how this could be the best matchup in recent memory, these are also going to be two of the best quarterbacks facing off. Jalon Daniels is the preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, but KSU’s Will Howard is receiving plenty of praise. Howard took over for Adrian Martinez last year and finished with 1,633 passing yards and a 15:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in seven games.
Second Down
The smallest player on the offense last year left the biggest hole to fill. Deuce Vaughn is now in the NFL after compiling more than 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns a season ago. Backup DJ Giddens (518 yards and six TDs in 2022) will take on a bigger role, and the Wildcats also brought in Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward, who rushed for 628 yards on 95 carries for the Seminoles last year. The other help for KSU is that the entire offensive line returns.
Third Down
Who Howard will be throwing to is a bigger question. Malik Knowles is gone, and so is Kade Warner, which between the two of them is 94 catches, 1,181 yards, and seven touchdowns from last year that needs to be replaced. Phillip Brooks (45 catches, 587 yards, four TDs) could jump up into that top receiver spot, and it also seems likely that tight end/fullback Ben Sinnott builds on his 2022 campaign that saw 31 catches, 447 yards, and four TD catches.
Fourth Down
Opponents should also be glad they no longer have to see Felix Anudike-Uzomah lined up on defense against them. He’s onto the Kansas City Chiefs after recording 11 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last year. Austin Moore is back to help clog up running lanes after leading the Wildcats in tackles and coming in second in tackles for loss in 2022, but who will pressure the quarterback is still a bit of a question.
A larger unknown is in the secondary, as KSU only brings back one returner from last year in Kobe Savage. The Wildcats will need to replace Julius Brents and Cincere Mason, who combined for seven interceptions a year ago.
Matchup On Paper
K-State’s offensive breakdown could look a bit different from last year. The Wildcats were all in on the run in 2022, for good reason. Vaughn was one of the best backs in the country, and when Martinez started at QB, that provided another threat on the ground. Over the course of the season, KSU averaged 208 yards rushing per game on nearly 41 attempts, while just passing it 28 times per game for 211 yards.
That could shift back a bit this year. Howard attempted 27 or more attempts in five of the seven games in which he appeared, and while he also had three rushing touchdowns, he’s not a dual threat like Martinez. It’s reasonable to think that KSU will need Howard to do more this year, and how he responds to that challenge will be a big sign into how the Wildcats’ season plays out.
The other dynamic is if KSU can hold opponents to 224 yards passing per game again with a mostly new secondary. The defense gave up fewer than 220 yards eight times in 14 games, while allowing more than 300 yards through the air just three times.
What also might not be sustainable is the turnover margin. K-State turned opponents over 25 times while giving up the ball just 12 times while on offense. That’s a big jump from even the 2021 8-5 team that had 17 takeaways to 14 turnovers committed.
Final Whistle
This is a great year for football in the state of Kansas. Eight Jayhawks and Wildcats (four from each school) were members of the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team. For context, the state of Texas, which now has five Big 12 schools for one year (Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, and TCU), had 12 combined. Expectations and excitement is high and could culminate in a great game in November in Lawrence.
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