Two Confident Teams Clash on Saturday
Sep 08, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
After sizzling in its season opener, No. 15 Kansas State braces for an opponent that is on fire as Troy brings its 12-game winning streak to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday.
The Trojans own the second-longest active winning streak in the FBS. No. 1 Georgia has won 18 straight games.
"These guys are legit," K-State senior quarterback Will Howard says.
K-State celebrated its 2022 Big12 Championship one final time in a ceremony in front of a sellout crowd before thumping Southeast Missouri, 45-0, in its opener.
Howard became the sixth quarterback in Big 12 history with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game while K-State, 1-0, racked up 588 total yards — its fifth-highest offensive output in history — while pitching a shutout against the 11th-ranked team in the FCS.
K-State improved to 81-9 in non-conference home games since 1990.
Troy, the defending Sun Belt Champion, last lost to Appalachian State, 32-28, on September 17, 2022.
"It's the same thing we talk about every week," fifth-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "You've got to prepare Monday through Friday in order to give yourself a chance to be successful on Saturday.
"Any team can beat you if you don't have your A game. This team is a really good football team."
K-State suffered a non-conference setback a year ago in a 17-10 loss to Tulane, which proved to be one of the most surprising teams in the country. The Green Wave went 12-2 and beat No. 10 USC in the Cotton Bowl.
"Troy is a really good football team," Howard says. "Nobody is going to take them lightly at all. We don't take anybody lightly. These guys are legit, and we've seen that in the film. It'll be a really good challenge."
K-State presents plenty of challenges of its own.
Wide receiver RJ Garcia II had 119 yards and one touchdown, and wide receiver Jadon Jackson had a 33-yard touchdown of his own in the opener. All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott had five catches for 100 yards, while the Wildcats unleashed its one-two punch on the ground against SEMO. Sophomore DJ Giddens had career highs with 15 carries and 128 rushing yards, and senior Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward added 11 carries for 56 yards and one touchdown.
K-State outgained SEMO, 588-227.
"Across the board, our competitive nature was the best I've seen in a Game 1 in a while here," says Howard, who completed 18-of-26 passes for 297 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. "That was really encouraging. We've finished it and now it's onto the next game."
K-State's 588 total yards marked its most since a school-record 658-yard output against North Texas in 2005.
"Overall, it was a clean effort for sure, but there's a lot of little things and teachable moments," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "Guys are taking it to heart and are excited to just become better and gel together as the offense of 2023.
"Troy is extremely well coached, and you don't see a lot of missed tackles that turn into big plays. They have a championship pedigree. It's going to be a big challenge for us."
Troy used four touchdown passes from Gunnar Watson and a school-record 248 rushing yards from Kimani Vidal in a 48-30 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Trojans, 1-0, now face a Power 5 team on the road in the 11 a.m. kickoff on FS1.
The Trojans have lost their last four against teams from Power 5 conferences since 2019 — Missouri (42-10), BYU (48-7), South Carolina (23-14) and Ole Miss (28-10).
"There's a lot to get ready for," second-year Troy head coach Jon Sumrall says. "If we don't play a lot better, it'll be a blowout against us. This is a legitimate top-20 football team, and we have a tremendous challenge and also a tremendous opportunity in front of us. If our guys aren't excited about getting ready for this game this week, then we have a problem."
Troy rolled to 540 total yards and average 8.4 yards per play in its opener. Arguably the biggest determining factor in this clash will be the Wildcats' ability to slow Vidal, who had 25 carries for 248 yards last Saturday and has rushed for more than 200 yards in three of the last four contests dating to last season. The 5-foot-8, 215-pound junior is the fastest Troy player at 22.87 miles per hour.
"Their running back is one of the best players in college football," Klieman says.
K-State held SEMO to just six rushing yards, the fewest surrendered in a game since Texas A&M had minus-13 yards in 2009. The Wildcats allowed 150.8 rushing yards per game last season.
"Really, it's going to be reading our keys and hitting the fits as fast as we can (against Troy)," K-State strong safety Kobe Savage says. "We have to gang tackle and smother (Vidal) in the running game."
K-State hasn't allowed an opposing player to reach 200 rushing yards since Texas' Bijan Robinson had 209 against the Wildcats last November.
"(Vidal) is one of the best in the country as far as I'm concerned," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman says. "He has incredible vision and incredible balance. He knows how to hit things and how things are going to move. He's just a really good football player, and I have a lot of respect for him.
"We've seen a lot of good backs before, but he's a special one. I don't know that we'll see too many better than him this year."
Troy has 18 transfers from four-year schools on its roster. That includes Eli Russ, an offensive lineman from an Oklahoma State team that suffered a 48-0 loss to the Wildcats last season in Manhattan.
"We almost have to be perfect," Russ says. "You can't be perfect but you almost have to be perfect walking into a place like Kansas State."
While Troy enjoyed its fifth-largest attendance in history as 28,179 filled Veterans Memorial Stadium, K-State boasted 52,066 last Saturday, its largest figure for a game since 2017.
Watson, a sixth-year senior and three-year starter, is 300 yards shy of reaching 7,000 career passing yards. He guides an offense that is 18-0 since 2015 when rushing for at least 200 yards in a game.
He is confident the Trojans have what it takes to knock off a top-15 team on the road.
"We're not going to have to do anything spectacular to win on Saturday," Watson says. "We just have to play within ourselves and play like we know how to play, and I think we'll be just fine."
After sizzling in its season opener, No. 15 Kansas State braces for an opponent that is on fire as Troy brings its 12-game winning streak to Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday.
The Trojans own the second-longest active winning streak in the FBS. No. 1 Georgia has won 18 straight games.
"These guys are legit," K-State senior quarterback Will Howard says.
K-State celebrated its 2022 Big12 Championship one final time in a ceremony in front of a sellout crowd before thumping Southeast Missouri, 45-0, in its opener.
Howard became the sixth quarterback in Big 12 history with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game while K-State, 1-0, racked up 588 total yards — its fifth-highest offensive output in history — while pitching a shutout against the 11th-ranked team in the FCS.
K-State improved to 81-9 in non-conference home games since 1990.
Troy, the defending Sun Belt Champion, last lost to Appalachian State, 32-28, on September 17, 2022.
"It's the same thing we talk about every week," fifth-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "You've got to prepare Monday through Friday in order to give yourself a chance to be successful on Saturday.
"Any team can beat you if you don't have your A game. This team is a really good football team."
K-State suffered a non-conference setback a year ago in a 17-10 loss to Tulane, which proved to be one of the most surprising teams in the country. The Green Wave went 12-2 and beat No. 10 USC in the Cotton Bowl.
"Troy is a really good football team," Howard says. "Nobody is going to take them lightly at all. We don't take anybody lightly. These guys are legit, and we've seen that in the film. It'll be a really good challenge."
K-State presents plenty of challenges of its own.
Wide receiver RJ Garcia II had 119 yards and one touchdown, and wide receiver Jadon Jackson had a 33-yard touchdown of his own in the opener. All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott had five catches for 100 yards, while the Wildcats unleashed its one-two punch on the ground against SEMO. Sophomore DJ Giddens had career highs with 15 carries and 128 rushing yards, and senior Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward added 11 carries for 56 yards and one touchdown.
K-State outgained SEMO, 588-227.
"Across the board, our competitive nature was the best I've seen in a Game 1 in a while here," says Howard, who completed 18-of-26 passes for 297 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. "That was really encouraging. We've finished it and now it's onto the next game."
K-State's 588 total yards marked its most since a school-record 658-yard output against North Texas in 2005.
"Overall, it was a clean effort for sure, but there's a lot of little things and teachable moments," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "Guys are taking it to heart and are excited to just become better and gel together as the offense of 2023.
"Troy is extremely well coached, and you don't see a lot of missed tackles that turn into big plays. They have a championship pedigree. It's going to be a big challenge for us."
Troy used four touchdown passes from Gunnar Watson and a school-record 248 rushing yards from Kimani Vidal in a 48-30 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Trojans, 1-0, now face a Power 5 team on the road in the 11 a.m. kickoff on FS1.
The Trojans have lost their last four against teams from Power 5 conferences since 2019 — Missouri (42-10), BYU (48-7), South Carolina (23-14) and Ole Miss (28-10).
"There's a lot to get ready for," second-year Troy head coach Jon Sumrall says. "If we don't play a lot better, it'll be a blowout against us. This is a legitimate top-20 football team, and we have a tremendous challenge and also a tremendous opportunity in front of us. If our guys aren't excited about getting ready for this game this week, then we have a problem."
Troy rolled to 540 total yards and average 8.4 yards per play in its opener. Arguably the biggest determining factor in this clash will be the Wildcats' ability to slow Vidal, who had 25 carries for 248 yards last Saturday and has rushed for more than 200 yards in three of the last four contests dating to last season. The 5-foot-8, 215-pound junior is the fastest Troy player at 22.87 miles per hour.
"Their running back is one of the best players in college football," Klieman says.
K-State held SEMO to just six rushing yards, the fewest surrendered in a game since Texas A&M had minus-13 yards in 2009. The Wildcats allowed 150.8 rushing yards per game last season.
"Really, it's going to be reading our keys and hitting the fits as fast as we can (against Troy)," K-State strong safety Kobe Savage says. "We have to gang tackle and smother (Vidal) in the running game."
K-State hasn't allowed an opposing player to reach 200 rushing yards since Texas' Bijan Robinson had 209 against the Wildcats last November.
"(Vidal) is one of the best in the country as far as I'm concerned," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman says. "He has incredible vision and incredible balance. He knows how to hit things and how things are going to move. He's just a really good football player, and I have a lot of respect for him.
"We've seen a lot of good backs before, but he's a special one. I don't know that we'll see too many better than him this year."
Troy has 18 transfers from four-year schools on its roster. That includes Eli Russ, an offensive lineman from an Oklahoma State team that suffered a 48-0 loss to the Wildcats last season in Manhattan.
"We almost have to be perfect," Russ says. "You can't be perfect but you almost have to be perfect walking into a place like Kansas State."
While Troy enjoyed its fifth-largest attendance in history as 28,179 filled Veterans Memorial Stadium, K-State boasted 52,066 last Saturday, its largest figure for a game since 2017.
Watson, a sixth-year senior and three-year starter, is 300 yards shy of reaching 7,000 career passing yards. He guides an offense that is 18-0 since 2015 when rushing for at least 200 yards in a game.
He is confident the Trojans have what it takes to knock off a top-15 team on the road.
"We're not going to have to do anything spectacular to win on Saturday," Watson says. "We just have to play within ourselves and play like we know how to play, and I think we'll be just fine."
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