2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 2: Washington State
The Week 2 matchup against Washington State isn't the biggest game of the season for K-State, but it is a step up in competition after the Wildcats host Nicholls in the opener. The Cougars went 7-6 last season and were able to get a win against Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to cap the year off right.
The matchup will be the first between the two schools, with the Wildcats scheduled to return to Pullman in 2029. In today's college football, teams are buying out of future games and changing their schedules, so this is the only guaranteed matchup between the two schools.
Here's what Collin Klein and K-State can expect in the matchup against its Pac-12 foe.
Offense
The Cougars will have a new quarterback running the show, as Caden Pinnick transferred from UC Davis after an extremely impressive freshman campaign. He finished 2025 with 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns, while also rushing for another 437 yards and three more scores. Pinnick was extremely accurate, completing just under 70% of his passes.
Pinnick was a huge get in the transfer portal for the Cougars, as he fits the offense that first-year coach Kirby Moore will be running. Moore helped the Missouri Tigers, behind star running back Ahmad Hardy, have one of the best rushing attacks in the country. It is a heavy-gap scheme rushing attack that uses a lot of eye-candy to get defenses out of position.
One guy who figures to benefit from Moore's offense is running back Kirby Vorhees, who led the Cougars last season with 576 yards and five touchdowns. Vorhees is not the player that Hardy is, but he has a nearly identical frame and should benefit from playing in Moore's system.
The Cougars have many new wide receivers coming in, and Moore will look to establish his team's identity as a tough, physical rushing team. For K-State, winning the line of scrimmage and making them become a pass-first team will play a huge role in the Wildcats getting the win.
Defense
The Cougars were outstanding on defense last season, ranking 15th in total defense. They will have a new defensive coordinator in Pullman native Trent Bray, who was the head coach at Oregon State the last two seasons. There is familiarity with many of the Cougars' returning players, as the two teams were the only schools in the conference for the last two years.
The talk of spring football for the Washington State defense was the play of the defensive line. Last season, the Cougars played a 4-3 defense, but they will be switching to a 4-2-5 this season. Transfers Linus Zunk and Matyus McLain were causing a ton of havoc, and the ability to get after the quarterback with only four pass rushers is pivotal in college football.
A huge part of the defense figures to be linebacker Keith Brown, who missed all of last season with an injury. He will be one of the leaders of the defense and will help bring the new guys up to speed, while also learning the new defense.
Schedule
The argument could be made that no team in FBS has as difficult a first two games as the Cougars do. In Week 1, they are on the road against Washington in the Apple Cup. For Moore, those two games are a rude introduction to being a head coach.
For the Wildcats, this is the second of three consecutive home games against non-Power 4 teams. Getting off to a fast start under Klein will help the Wildcats build off a great off-season that has seen the team do an outstanding job of getting commits in the 2027 class.
Outlook
While the Cougars are a step up in competition, this is a game that the Wildcats absolutely have to win. After losing to Iowa State in the opener last season, K-State also lost non-conference games to both Army and Arizona. Those two losses put a huge damper on the season, and the Wildcats were never able to recover.
With Klein back as the coach, excitement is high in Manhattan right now. Between how beloved he was as a player and how well he has done recruiting early in his tenure, fans are excited for the season to start. A loss wouldn't put him on the hot seat or anything like that, but it would be a disappointing start to his time as the coach.
Game Info
Date: Saturday, September 12
Time: 11 a.m.
TV: TNT/HBO Max
Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Series history: First matchup
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Mark has over a decade of experience as a reporter, with his content being on numerous websites including, ESPN, Newsweek and Cleveland.com among many others. His career started at K-State as the sports editor for the K-State Collegian. He also coaches high school basketball at Blue Valley West in Overland Park. KC Sports Network is the premier destination for Kansas City sports fans with podcasts, YouTube and social media content. Stay connected with the latest news and analysis by following KCSN on all social media platforms.
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