Five things to know about Kansas State’s regular-season finale against Colorado
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kickoff 11 a.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium; FS1, KCSP carry.
- K-State needs one win to secure bowl eligibility and extend its streak.
- K-State rides record rushing output while Johnson’s passing production has dipped.
The Kansas State football team will play its final game of the regular season when it hosts Colorado at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) can clinch bowl eligibility with a win. Colorado (3-8, 1-7 Big 12) will be playing mostly for pride.
Here’s everything you need to know to start getting ready for Saturday’s game:
K-State vs. Colorado game details
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan
TV/Stream: FS1
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 17.5 with an over/under points total of 51.5
Five things to know before Saturday
1. An emotional season is coming to an end for Chris Klieman. This has been a trying season for K-State’s head coach. The Wildcats opened with a crushing loss to Iowa Sate in Dublin and then lost as favorites against both Army and Arizona. K-State has played better since then, but narrow losses against Baylor and Utah have kept it out of Big 12 championship contention. Injuries have piled up along the way. Fans aren’t happy. Klieman got emotional about everything after the Utah loss. How will he respond this week?
2. K-State is coming off its best rushing performance in school history. It won’t be easy for Joe Jackson to top the 293 yards he rushed for against Utah. That was a school record, after all. It will also be difficult for the Wildcats to exceed the 472 yards they rushed for as a team against the Utes. That was also a school record. But when Jackson was asked if K-State could continue running the ball with authority he responded with just one word — “yes.”
3. Avery Johnson’s passing numbers have been on the decline. The junior quarterback hasn’t thrown for 200 yards in a month. In his past three games, Johnson threw for 199 yards against Texas Tech, 177 yards against Oklahoma State and 102 yards against Utah. He has three passing touchdowns and four interceptions during that time.
4. Colorado and Coach Prime have lost four straight games. It’s been a long season for the Buffaloes. They enter this game with a 3-8 record. Their wins have come against Delaware, Wyoming and Iowa State. Last time out, Colorado lost 42-17 at home against Arizona State.
5. The Wildcats need one more win to reach bowl eligibility. K-State (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) can keep its bowl streak alive by winning at home against Colorado. Fans had higher hopes at the beginning of the year, but Johnson says the Wildcats are motivated to end the regular season on a high note.
Said Johnson: “There’s a bunch of things you get if you win six games. You get a bowl game, you get extra time to work on your craft. You get extra time to get young guys kind of accustomed to K State football. There’s a lot of practices that we can get in that will help us jump start next season.”