K-State Set for a Battle in Lawrence
Nov 17, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
A sixth-year senior, Kansas State wide receiver Phillip Brooks has been a part of several teams that have dominated the Sunflower Showdown against in-state rival Kansas.
He hopes to continue those winning ways when the 21st-ranked Wildcats visit Memorial Stadium to face the 25th-ranked Jayhawks in Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff in Lawrence.
But Kansas is improved from past seasons, and this will mark the first time since 1995 that the teams will meet when both are nationally ranked. That makes Saturday's meeting — already bustling with in-state anticipation — a wildly intriguing matchup on a national scale.
Kansas' strides could make the task of keeping the Governor's Cup Trophy in Manhattan for a 15th straight year more challenging this time around.
"You just see a lot of K-State victories (on the trophy)," Brooks said. "We just have to continue that trend that we have set right there. But it's going to be a tough game. All year, they've come together well. We need to lock in on these guys."
During Brooks' career, K-State has outscored Kansas, 196-78, as the Wildcats have faced three different head coaches in David Beaty, Les Miles and Lance Leipold.
But Leipold, who turned a two-win Buffalo team into a consistent winner between 2015 and 2020, appears to be doing the same thing during his first three seasons at Kansas. The Jayhawks, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference, are guaranteed a bowl for the second straight year after posting just 12 victories over the previous seven campaigns. Leipold, with a 15-20 record, is the fastest Kansas coach to reach 15 victories since Mike Gottfried did so in 1983-85.
K-State and Kansas both will have at least seven wins this season for the first time since 1995.
"It's light years different," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "It's even light years different from Lance's first year. To see what they've done in the last few years has been really impressive."
However, Kansas hasn't been able to get over the hump against K-State. The Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 35-10 and 47-27 in the first two seasons under Leipold.
"We're just going to keep working on closing that gap, and we're going to see how it turns out on Saturday," Leipold said. "That's the way it should be."
K-State, 7-3 and 5-2, heads toward the matchup with a mathematical shot of earning another berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats finish out their regular season at home against Iowa State next Saturday.
K-State sits in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Texas is first place in the league.
"We always talk about just controlling what we can control," All-American left guard Cooper Beebe said. "We have a big game this week and a big game after that, so we're just going to do what we have to do to win and then let everything take care of itself."
Although K-State has been perfect at home, it has been challenged on the road. Most recently, it suffered a 33-30 overtime loss at No. 7 Texas before thumping Baylor, 59-25, last Saturday in Manhattan. The Wildcats have won four of their last five contests.
Kansas won two straight against No. 6 Oklahoma (38-33) and at Iowa State (28-21) prior to last Saturday's heartbreaking 16-13 home loss to Texas Tech on a last-minute field goal.
Each of the Jayhawks' last four games have been decided by a seven points or less.
K-State has won each of the last four meetings against Kansas by no fewer than 20 points.
"For us to play them and they're the defending conference champions and we're coming in with somewhat similar records, and it's a home game and all those things, I think we should play loose in this game," Leipold said.
Klieman said that he had several in-state Kansas players speak to their team on Monday about the significance of the Sunflower Showdown. There are more than 50 in-state players on the Wildcats' roster.
"We know how important the game is, and we have so many Kansas kids that it's really important," Klieman said. "They grew up around the rivalry. It still comes down to you'd better not take any shortcuts and be focused on your preparation and what we're going to do today to give us an opportunity to be successful on Saturday.
"We just have to attack today."
It remains to be seen if Kansas will move forward with sixth-year senior Jason Bean at quarterback after he left the game against the Red Raiders with an injury. Bean has completed 59.7% of his passes for 1,431 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
When Bean went down, freshman Cole Ballard filled in. He went 9-of-20 for 124 yards and an interception.
"Honestly we haven't talked about (who might be the quarterback) too much, as hard as it is to believe," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "I believe whoever it is, we have to play our game, our style, do our thing, execute all our calls. They have very similar skillsets no matter who plays.
"Watching Ballard last week, it seemed like he was very athletic, and the team didn't panic when he had a bunch of pressure. He threw a good ball and was able to run their offense. They didn't dumb anything down for him."
Kansas has a potent backfield duo in Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw. Neal has 965 rushing yards on 155 carries (6.2 yards per attempt) and 10 touchdowns, needing 35 more rushing yards to become the third player in Kansas history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Hishaw has 102 carries for 552 yards (5.4) and eight touchdowns.
The Jayhawks, who rank 32nd in the FBS in scoring offense (32.7) and 39th in total offense (425.0), will face a stiff test against a Wildcat defense that is allowing under 20 points per game (18.5) for the first time since 2003. The Wildcats have allowed just 20 touchdowns from scrimmage this year, which is tied for ninth nationally.
K-State ranks third in the league in turnover margin (plus-7) with Kansas just behind in sixth place (plus-3). The Wildcats have forced 13 turnovers over the past five games, which ranks first in the Power 5 over that span.
"We were emphasizing (takeaways) just as much when we were getting none," Klanderman said. "I have a theory that we've played a little bit more zone coverage, and I think when you have more eyes on the ball that lends itself to more interceptions as opposed to playing man when most people have their backs turned toward the ball.
"Part of it is I do think our guys are getting more comfortable and more experienced. When they get to the point of attack, they do so with better body control. That's probably got something to do with it, too. As far as us hammering it home every day, that hasn't changed since August 1. Sometimes they come in bunches. I hope they keep coming."
K-State comes armed with one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league, as senior Will Howard has thrown 12 touchdowns to just one interception over the past four games. That includes three touchdowns against the Bears, which made him the all-time leader in career passing touchdowns (45) at K-State.
Howard has enjoyed the best passing performance in the Big 12 so far in the month of November, throwing seven touchdowns to just one pick.
He's getting contributions from All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott, and running backs DJ Giddens and Treshaun Ward in the passing game, along with a bevy of wide receivers starting with Brooks, who is tied for seventh in the league with five touchdown catches to go along with 49 receptions for 554 yards. Brooks has had at least five receptions in each of the past three games.
Additionally, Brooks is one of two active FBS players with 2,000 career receiving yards, 800 kickoff return yards and 700 punt return yards. He needs less than 300 yards to move into the top-5 all-time in all-purpose yards at K-State and less than 30 yards to move into top-5 all-time in punt return yards, trailing on David Allen and Aaron Lockett.
"Phil is playing at a really, really high level right now," Howard said. "He's clicking right now. It's hard to guard that dude when he's playing like he is right now."
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Giddens, a sophomore, leads the Big 12 in receptions (26) and with 859 rushing yards nears 1,000 for the season. He had the first 200-yard, four-touchdown rushing game in school history against UCF.
K-State is enjoying one its best offensive explosions in school history this season. The Wildcats rank 12th in the FBS with 38.8 points per game, which ranks sixth in school history, and they rank 20th with 452.5 yards per game, which ranks second at K-State.
"I'm an idealist in always wanting more out there and always pushing for more and believing there's a lot more (to achieve)," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. "I don't know if I could ever tell you we're scratching the surface myself, but that's part of the journey and the grind part of it that I enjoy, and I know our guys enjoy."
The Wildcats also rank fourth in the nation with a red-zone touchdown rate of 80.0% (40-of-50).
They'll go against a Kansas defense that ranks 64th in scoring defense (26.2), 74th in total defense (385.8), 82nd in passing defense (225.0) and 88th in rushing defense (160.8).
"They're doing little things really, really well," Klein said. "You can tell lots of instruction, tackling in space, you can tell the confidence in their scheme and knowing what the other guy is doing and how they fit into that. That's improved. Obviously a lot of experience with their secondary. They're doing a nice job. It'll be a good challenge for us."
It all comes down to Saturday when two ranked teams meet in Lawrence for the first time in Sunflower Showdown history.
"Like I said, it was going to be our responsibility to make this rivalry a better game," Leipold said. "I think we're taking those steps, but we have to go out and play that way."
At least one K-State fan will stand in the stadium holding a sign that reads, "WE OWN THIS STATE," while other fans will bite their nails over what has suddenly become a heated rivalry again. The Governor's Cup Trophy will visit Memorial Stadium.
The Wildcats hope the trophy will return with them to Manhattan.
"They're a good team, man," Brooks said. "We have to work hard. We have to uphold that legacy."
A sixth-year senior, Kansas State wide receiver Phillip Brooks has been a part of several teams that have dominated the Sunflower Showdown against in-state rival Kansas.
He hopes to continue those winning ways when the 21st-ranked Wildcats visit Memorial Stadium to face the 25th-ranked Jayhawks in Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff in Lawrence.
But Kansas is improved from past seasons, and this will mark the first time since 1995 that the teams will meet when both are nationally ranked. That makes Saturday's meeting — already bustling with in-state anticipation — a wildly intriguing matchup on a national scale.
Kansas' strides could make the task of keeping the Governor's Cup Trophy in Manhattan for a 15th straight year more challenging this time around.
"You just see a lot of K-State victories (on the trophy)," Brooks said. "We just have to continue that trend that we have set right there. But it's going to be a tough game. All year, they've come together well. We need to lock in on these guys."
During Brooks' career, K-State has outscored Kansas, 196-78, as the Wildcats have faced three different head coaches in David Beaty, Les Miles and Lance Leipold.
But Leipold, who turned a two-win Buffalo team into a consistent winner between 2015 and 2020, appears to be doing the same thing during his first three seasons at Kansas. The Jayhawks, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference, are guaranteed a bowl for the second straight year after posting just 12 victories over the previous seven campaigns. Leipold, with a 15-20 record, is the fastest Kansas coach to reach 15 victories since Mike Gottfried did so in 1983-85.
K-State and Kansas both will have at least seven wins this season for the first time since 1995.
"It's light years different," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "It's even light years different from Lance's first year. To see what they've done in the last few years has been really impressive."
However, Kansas hasn't been able to get over the hump against K-State. The Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 35-10 and 47-27 in the first two seasons under Leipold.
"We're just going to keep working on closing that gap, and we're going to see how it turns out on Saturday," Leipold said. "That's the way it should be."
K-State, 7-3 and 5-2, heads toward the matchup with a mathematical shot of earning another berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats finish out their regular season at home against Iowa State next Saturday.
K-State sits in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Texas is first place in the league.
"We always talk about just controlling what we can control," All-American left guard Cooper Beebe said. "We have a big game this week and a big game after that, so we're just going to do what we have to do to win and then let everything take care of itself."
Although K-State has been perfect at home, it has been challenged on the road. Most recently, it suffered a 33-30 overtime loss at No. 7 Texas before thumping Baylor, 59-25, last Saturday in Manhattan. The Wildcats have won four of their last five contests.
Kansas won two straight against No. 6 Oklahoma (38-33) and at Iowa State (28-21) prior to last Saturday's heartbreaking 16-13 home loss to Texas Tech on a last-minute field goal.
Each of the Jayhawks' last four games have been decided by a seven points or less.
K-State has won each of the last four meetings against Kansas by no fewer than 20 points.
"For us to play them and they're the defending conference champions and we're coming in with somewhat similar records, and it's a home game and all those things, I think we should play loose in this game," Leipold said.
Klieman said that he had several in-state Kansas players speak to their team on Monday about the significance of the Sunflower Showdown. There are more than 50 in-state players on the Wildcats' roster.
"We know how important the game is, and we have so many Kansas kids that it's really important," Klieman said. "They grew up around the rivalry. It still comes down to you'd better not take any shortcuts and be focused on your preparation and what we're going to do today to give us an opportunity to be successful on Saturday.
"We just have to attack today."
It remains to be seen if Kansas will move forward with sixth-year senior Jason Bean at quarterback after he left the game against the Red Raiders with an injury. Bean has completed 59.7% of his passes for 1,431 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
When Bean went down, freshman Cole Ballard filled in. He went 9-of-20 for 124 yards and an interception.
"Honestly we haven't talked about (who might be the quarterback) too much, as hard as it is to believe," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "I believe whoever it is, we have to play our game, our style, do our thing, execute all our calls. They have very similar skillsets no matter who plays.
"Watching Ballard last week, it seemed like he was very athletic, and the team didn't panic when he had a bunch of pressure. He threw a good ball and was able to run their offense. They didn't dumb anything down for him."
Kansas has a potent backfield duo in Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw. Neal has 965 rushing yards on 155 carries (6.2 yards per attempt) and 10 touchdowns, needing 35 more rushing yards to become the third player in Kansas history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Hishaw has 102 carries for 552 yards (5.4) and eight touchdowns.
The Jayhawks, who rank 32nd in the FBS in scoring offense (32.7) and 39th in total offense (425.0), will face a stiff test against a Wildcat defense that is allowing under 20 points per game (18.5) for the first time since 2003. The Wildcats have allowed just 20 touchdowns from scrimmage this year, which is tied for ninth nationally.
K-State ranks third in the league in turnover margin (plus-7) with Kansas just behind in sixth place (plus-3). The Wildcats have forced 13 turnovers over the past five games, which ranks first in the Power 5 over that span.
"We were emphasizing (takeaways) just as much when we were getting none," Klanderman said. "I have a theory that we've played a little bit more zone coverage, and I think when you have more eyes on the ball that lends itself to more interceptions as opposed to playing man when most people have their backs turned toward the ball.
"Part of it is I do think our guys are getting more comfortable and more experienced. When they get to the point of attack, they do so with better body control. That's probably got something to do with it, too. As far as us hammering it home every day, that hasn't changed since August 1. Sometimes they come in bunches. I hope they keep coming."
K-State comes armed with one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league, as senior Will Howard has thrown 12 touchdowns to just one interception over the past four games. That includes three touchdowns against the Bears, which made him the all-time leader in career passing touchdowns (45) at K-State.
Howard has enjoyed the best passing performance in the Big 12 so far in the month of November, throwing seven touchdowns to just one pick.
He's getting contributions from All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott, and running backs DJ Giddens and Treshaun Ward in the passing game, along with a bevy of wide receivers starting with Brooks, who is tied for seventh in the league with five touchdown catches to go along with 49 receptions for 554 yards. Brooks has had at least five receptions in each of the past three games.
Additionally, Brooks is one of two active FBS players with 2,000 career receiving yards, 800 kickoff return yards and 700 punt return yards. He needs less than 300 yards to move into the top-5 all-time in all-purpose yards at K-State and less than 30 yards to move into top-5 all-time in punt return yards, trailing on David Allen and Aaron Lockett.
"Phil is playing at a really, really high level right now," Howard said. "He's clicking right now. It's hard to guard that dude when he's playing like he is right now."
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Giddens, a sophomore, leads the Big 12 in receptions (26) and with 859 rushing yards nears 1,000 for the season. He had the first 200-yard, four-touchdown rushing game in school history against UCF.
K-State is enjoying one its best offensive explosions in school history this season. The Wildcats rank 12th in the FBS with 38.8 points per game, which ranks sixth in school history, and they rank 20th with 452.5 yards per game, which ranks second at K-State.
"I'm an idealist in always wanting more out there and always pushing for more and believing there's a lot more (to achieve)," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. "I don't know if I could ever tell you we're scratching the surface myself, but that's part of the journey and the grind part of it that I enjoy, and I know our guys enjoy."
The Wildcats also rank fourth in the nation with a red-zone touchdown rate of 80.0% (40-of-50).
They'll go against a Kansas defense that ranks 64th in scoring defense (26.2), 74th in total defense (385.8), 82nd in passing defense (225.0) and 88th in rushing defense (160.8).
"They're doing little things really, really well," Klein said. "You can tell lots of instruction, tackling in space, you can tell the confidence in their scheme and knowing what the other guy is doing and how they fit into that. That's improved. Obviously a lot of experience with their secondary. They're doing a nice job. It'll be a good challenge for us."
It all comes down to Saturday when two ranked teams meet in Lawrence for the first time in Sunflower Showdown history.
"Like I said, it was going to be our responsibility to make this rivalry a better game," Leipold said. "I think we're taking those steps, but we have to go out and play that way."
At least one K-State fan will stand in the stadium holding a sign that reads, "WE OWN THIS STATE," while other fans will bite their nails over what has suddenly become a heated rivalry again. The Governor's Cup Trophy will visit Memorial Stadium.
The Wildcats hope the trophy will return with them to Manhattan.
"They're a good team, man," Brooks said. "We have to work hard. We have to uphold that legacy."
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