Excitement builds for surreal K-State football opener as Wildcats arrive in Dublin
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas State and Iowa State open 2025 college football season in Dublin, Ireland
- Wildcats adjust to six-hour time change after long overseas flight and practice
- Thousands of fans travel abroad as K-State eyes strong start in Big 12 rivalry game
Dylan Edwards is the type of football player who thinks no game is too big for him or his unique skill set as a playmaking running back.
He has played in hyped games for Deion Sanders at Colorado. He has played in must-see games for Chris Klieman at Kansas State. He was even involved in some high-profile games as a high school recruit at Derby.
With that in mind, the Kansas State junior did his best to play it cool as he walked into Aviva Stadium with his teammates on Thursday and took part in a practice on foreign soil before the Wildcats play Iowa State on Saturday in the very first college football game of the 2025 season. But even he was a bit awestruck by his surroundings.
“I’m ready to roll, but this is just a blessing,” Edwards said. “It’s my first time outside the country, same for a lot of guys on the team. Coming out here and being in this environment is something special.”
The Wildcats were definitely excited to be in Dublin on Thursday afternoon. But they were also noticeably fatigued after taking a nine-hour flight to Ireland and then hitting the practice field on limited sleep.
Jet lag is a real issue for every team that plays in this game. K-State is no different.
“It’s pretty crazy being six time zones away from home,” K-State linebacker Austin Romaine said. “But it feels pretty good.”
K-State football coach Chris Klieman said his team’s practice went as well as he could have expected given the circumstances.
Even though he isn’t used to traveling this far for a regular-season game, he was eager to make adjustments when this game first appeared on his radar. Playing in a marquee game like this at the beginning of the year was something he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s one of the big reasons that I wanted to play in this game,” Klieman said. “With the landscape of college football changing, the Big 12 needs to be a showcase on Week Zero. I’m excited that they chose Kansas State and that we happened to be able to get a really good rivalry with Iowa State over here.
“Great match for both schools and both universities and both fan bases to come here. All the eyes are on us. I think that’s a great thing. You can let it be a negative, if you allow it, but we’re treating it like nothing but positives.”
Both K-State and Iowa State fans are traveling to Dublin by the thousands. A walk through the historic Temple Bar District on Thursday revealed lots of purple and cardinal. Pints of Guinness that featured a Wildcat or Cyclone logo on top of the beverage were selling like hot cakes at the famous local brewery.
Klieman has been impressed by the sheer number of photos he has already seen on social media from K-State fans who made the trip over.
He joked that “all the pubs are going to find out why” the K-State fan base is well known for traveling long distances for games.
One thing that will make this trip more fun for everyone involved: a victory.
Iowa State has won of the past five against K-State. Ending that trend and beginning the season with a Big 12 victory would mean the world for the Wildcats. That should help them keep things in perspective this week.
“It’s going to be really cool,” Edwards said. “But I’m really just working on the little details going into the game, not trying to think about it too much. I’ve been playing football since I was little, so every football game to me is just football. They have got to put their pads on just like we do. We’re going to go out there and try to beat them.”