K-State Wildcats at BYU Cougars: Five things to know about Big 12 football opener
Kansas State is about to experience Big 12 After Dark.
For years, the “after dark” slogan applied predominantly to the Pac-12 and its plethora of late-night games on the West Coast. But the Big 12 is now getting in on the action with Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Utah now in the conference.
K-State will play its next game against BYU at 9:30 p.m. (central time) on Saturday inside LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Both teams are off to 3-0 starts. The Wildcats are coming off a blowout victory over Arizona and the Cougars are coming off a lopsided win against Wyoming.
Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.
Kansas State at BYU: Game details
Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 7.5 with an O/U of 47.5
Five things to know
1. This is the conference opener for both teams. This is an important game for both teams. Finishing nonconference play with a perfect 3-0 record is nice. Both teams are off to impressive starts. But starting league play 1-0 is even better.
2. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is doing a little bit of everything for the Cougars. After three games, he is leading the team in both passing yards (841) and rushing yards (113). Former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon is also on the roster, but he has played second fiddle to Retzlaff this season.
3. K-State must prepare for a unique environment at BYU. The Cougars benefit from more than just a crowd advantage when they play in Provo. Sometimes, it also hard for visiting teams to adjust playing football in the mountains. The Wildcats will need to get acclimated to elevation quickly after they arrive in Utah. Perhaps playing late at night will help them in that regard.
4. The Wildcats have a trio of quality runners. DJ Giddens has been a workhorse running back for K-State this season, as he has already piled up 324 yards and a touchdown on the ground. But Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards have been eager to help him out in the backfield whenever defenses focus on stopping him. Johnson has rushed for 187 yards on 28 carries and Dylan Edwards has amassed 138 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. They will once again pose a rushing challenge against BYU.
5. BYU and K-State don’t have much football history. The Cougars will be an interesting challenge for the Wildcats, in part because these teams don’t have much familiarity with each other. K-State hasn’t played BYU since 1997 and it hasn’t traveled to Provo for a game since 1977. This will be their first meeting as conference opponents. For what it’s worth, the Wildcats won both of their games against new Big 12 teams last season. They beat UCF 44-31 and Houston 41-0.