A Homecoming Game in More Than One Sense
Oct 25, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
What does the Dillons Sunflower Showdown mean to Kansas State? It didn't take long for Marques Sigle, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, to grasp the importance of beating Kansas when the senior safety transferred from North Dakota State two years ago.
"It's huge," Sigle said. "It's who wins the state. Everybody looks forward to this game. They always circle it on the calendar. We look forward to it, the community looks forward to it, and we just want to make our community be able to brag about it."
K-State has had plenty to brag about. It has won a series-record 15 straight games against Kansas in the ninth-longest running rivalry in college football that dates back to 1902.
The Governor's Cup Trophy has been a fixture inside the Vanier Family Football Complex for more than a decade. In fact, sixth-year senior linebacker Austin Moore, a native of Louisburg, Kansas, was 8 years old the last time the Jayhawks prevailed in 2008.
"I think about the pride and effort that's gone in over the years to make sure we've kept the trophy for so many years," Moore said. "It makes me excited and want to work hard so we can keep it here."
No. 16 K-State, 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference, will get its chance to make it a series-record 16th consecutive win over Kansas, 2-5 and 1-3, when the teams meet for Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff (ESPN2) at a sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State, which is off to its best start in the Chris Klieman era, will celebrate its Homecoming game in more ways than one. It will mark its first home game since a 42-20 win over Oklahoma State on September 28. Since then, the Wildcats have rattled off two-straight road victories — 31-28 at Colorado and 45-18 at West Virginia — to remain in the thick of things in the Big 12 race.
"We're fortunate, and I'm proud of the guys for accomplishing what we've done with four conference games and three on the road and three at night," Klieman said. "That's difficult. We finally get a home game, which is exciting for our fan base and our players and families that are going to be able to come to the game, but we really haven't done anything yet."
They'll get their chance to make a statewide statement against a Kansas squad that handed Houston a 42-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium for the Jayhawks' first win since a 48-3 win over Lindenwood on August 29.
Four Kansas losses have come by single digits.
"Probably the bye week came at the right time for them after suffering some heartbreaking tough losses," Klieman said. "They were able to regroup, and I know Lance (Leipold) would have them ready to play, and the kids were ready to play, and they got after Houston.
"Kansas is good enough and talented enough to beat anybody in the country."
After facing K-State, the Jayhawks finish out the regular season against Iowa State, at BYU, Colorado and at Baylor, needing four victories to secure bowl eligibility.
The Jayhawks certainly took a positive step against Houston, as Jalon Daniels threw three touchdowns for an offense that racked up 467 total yards, and the defense forced four interceptions and recorded 12 tackles for loss.
"We've been waiting for a day like this where everything comes together for us, and I'm really proud of this group and this coaching staff for sticking together," fourth-year Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. "Everybody saw we had plenty of things to work on and get better at and nobody pointed fingers. We kept pounding away, and obviously we have some really good teams on the schedule coming at us. We're going to have to play some of our best football, but I'm excited about where this team's at right now."
Kansas senior cornerback Cobee Bryant was named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week after his three-interception performance against Houston. It was the first three-interception game by a Kansas player since Bill Crank did so on October 25, 1958.
"The No. 1 thing is they have experience. You look at some of the faces back there and it's like, 'Holy cow, we've been playing against some of these guys for a long time,'" K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley said. "Not only from their athleticism standpoint, because they are a very talented group, but it's the experience that they have. They have the ability to do some things that typical defensive backs aren't able to do because of that experience.
"The entire defense is going to present a challenge."
Offensively, Kansas is tied for No. 1 nationally in converting 50.0% on third downs (42-of-84) and is tied for the national lead in converting 100% inside the red zone (24-of-24).
Daniels ranks 13th in the Big 12 in averaging 187.4 passing yards per game. He has completed 56.6% (103-of-182) of his passes for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. After not throwing for 200 yards in any of his first five games, Daniels has enjoyed his best passing performances of the season at Arizona State (260 yards, 2 TD) and against Houston (247 yards, 3 TD).
"Daniels has quietly had good games against a lot of people," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "They executed really well against Houston. They were firing on all cylinders and were really confident. They got it going early and kept going. He has an incredibly strong arm, mobility, the ability to run, and they don't put him in tough situations. He knows what he's doing when he lines up. He's got a lot of advantages and the athleticism to take advantage of them."
Meanwhile, K-State sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson threw for a career-high 298 yards and three touchdowns while West Virginia keyed on stopping running back DJ Giddens.
Kansas ranks ninth in the Big 12 in allowing 148.71 rushing yards per game, but also ranks third in giving up just six rushing touchdowns.
Johnson, the only Big 12 quarterback to pass for 1,400 yards and rush for 300, has thrown 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He continues to improve by the game and leads an offense that is averaging 6.86 yards per play, which is on pace for the highest average per play in school history.
"Avery didn't attempt one carry (at West Virginia) and to see the expanse of our offense and how far it's come, and to see the growth not only of Avery, but our wide receivers and tight ends, that's pretty exciting for us, and it shows that we can do multiple things within our offense to be productive," Riley said.
Johnson, a native of Wichita, Kansas, understands the importance of the Sunflower Showdown. He witnessed the Wildcats' come-from-behind 31-27 victory last season in Lawrence.
"The biggest thing is not overhyping it and treating it like each and every week," Johnson. "Obviously, it's a big rivalry game. We're going to get KU's best and we're going to go out on the field and put our best on display. We're preparing like every other week, but obviously, this one means a little bit more to us."
K-State players have spent the week focused on going 1-0.
"What I tell myself is when I make a game out to be something bigger than it is, that's when you can trip up," said senior left guard Hadley Panzer, a native of Lakin, Kansas. "That's the biggest thing, is just looking to go 1-0 each day to give us the best opportunity on Saturday.
"It's the next-play mindset. We know there is still so much football to play, and we have to take it one game at a time. We want to accomplish a lot of things, but we can't look too far ahead."
All it will take Saturday is a glance across the sideline for K-State sixth-year senior cornerback Keenan Garber, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, to conjure old memories.
"Man, this rivalry means a lot to me," Garber said. "Just growing up in Lawrence, I used to always go to these games as a little kid and play tag football on the hill in Lawrence. Just to be able to play in it is an amazing experience.
"I probably thought I'd be playing for the Jayhawks, but things turned out different. I'm glad they turned out this way, for sure."
What does the Dillons Sunflower Showdown mean to Kansas State? It didn't take long for Marques Sigle, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, to grasp the importance of beating Kansas when the senior safety transferred from North Dakota State two years ago.
"It's huge," Sigle said. "It's who wins the state. Everybody looks forward to this game. They always circle it on the calendar. We look forward to it, the community looks forward to it, and we just want to make our community be able to brag about it."
K-State has had plenty to brag about. It has won a series-record 15 straight games against Kansas in the ninth-longest running rivalry in college football that dates back to 1902.
The Governor's Cup Trophy has been a fixture inside the Vanier Family Football Complex for more than a decade. In fact, sixth-year senior linebacker Austin Moore, a native of Louisburg, Kansas, was 8 years old the last time the Jayhawks prevailed in 2008.
"I think about the pride and effort that's gone in over the years to make sure we've kept the trophy for so many years," Moore said. "It makes me excited and want to work hard so we can keep it here."
No. 16 K-State, 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference, will get its chance to make it a series-record 16th consecutive win over Kansas, 2-5 and 1-3, when the teams meet for Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff (ESPN2) at a sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State, which is off to its best start in the Chris Klieman era, will celebrate its Homecoming game in more ways than one. It will mark its first home game since a 42-20 win over Oklahoma State on September 28. Since then, the Wildcats have rattled off two-straight road victories — 31-28 at Colorado and 45-18 at West Virginia — to remain in the thick of things in the Big 12 race.
"We're fortunate, and I'm proud of the guys for accomplishing what we've done with four conference games and three on the road and three at night," Klieman said. "That's difficult. We finally get a home game, which is exciting for our fan base and our players and families that are going to be able to come to the game, but we really haven't done anything yet."
They'll get their chance to make a statewide statement against a Kansas squad that handed Houston a 42-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium for the Jayhawks' first win since a 48-3 win over Lindenwood on August 29.
Four Kansas losses have come by single digits.
"Probably the bye week came at the right time for them after suffering some heartbreaking tough losses," Klieman said. "They were able to regroup, and I know Lance (Leipold) would have them ready to play, and the kids were ready to play, and they got after Houston.
"Kansas is good enough and talented enough to beat anybody in the country."
After facing K-State, the Jayhawks finish out the regular season against Iowa State, at BYU, Colorado and at Baylor, needing four victories to secure bowl eligibility.
The Jayhawks certainly took a positive step against Houston, as Jalon Daniels threw three touchdowns for an offense that racked up 467 total yards, and the defense forced four interceptions and recorded 12 tackles for loss.
"We've been waiting for a day like this where everything comes together for us, and I'm really proud of this group and this coaching staff for sticking together," fourth-year Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. "Everybody saw we had plenty of things to work on and get better at and nobody pointed fingers. We kept pounding away, and obviously we have some really good teams on the schedule coming at us. We're going to have to play some of our best football, but I'm excited about where this team's at right now."
Kansas senior cornerback Cobee Bryant was named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week after his three-interception performance against Houston. It was the first three-interception game by a Kansas player since Bill Crank did so on October 25, 1958.
"The No. 1 thing is they have experience. You look at some of the faces back there and it's like, 'Holy cow, we've been playing against some of these guys for a long time,'" K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley said. "Not only from their athleticism standpoint, because they are a very talented group, but it's the experience that they have. They have the ability to do some things that typical defensive backs aren't able to do because of that experience.
"The entire defense is going to present a challenge."
Offensively, Kansas is tied for No. 1 nationally in converting 50.0% on third downs (42-of-84) and is tied for the national lead in converting 100% inside the red zone (24-of-24).
Daniels ranks 13th in the Big 12 in averaging 187.4 passing yards per game. He has completed 56.6% (103-of-182) of his passes for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. After not throwing for 200 yards in any of his first five games, Daniels has enjoyed his best passing performances of the season at Arizona State (260 yards, 2 TD) and against Houston (247 yards, 3 TD).
"Daniels has quietly had good games against a lot of people," K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "They executed really well against Houston. They were firing on all cylinders and were really confident. They got it going early and kept going. He has an incredibly strong arm, mobility, the ability to run, and they don't put him in tough situations. He knows what he's doing when he lines up. He's got a lot of advantages and the athleticism to take advantage of them."
Meanwhile, K-State sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson threw for a career-high 298 yards and three touchdowns while West Virginia keyed on stopping running back DJ Giddens.
Kansas ranks ninth in the Big 12 in allowing 148.71 rushing yards per game, but also ranks third in giving up just six rushing touchdowns.
Johnson, the only Big 12 quarterback to pass for 1,400 yards and rush for 300, has thrown 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He continues to improve by the game and leads an offense that is averaging 6.86 yards per play, which is on pace for the highest average per play in school history.
"Avery didn't attempt one carry (at West Virginia) and to see the expanse of our offense and how far it's come, and to see the growth not only of Avery, but our wide receivers and tight ends, that's pretty exciting for us, and it shows that we can do multiple things within our offense to be productive," Riley said.
Johnson, a native of Wichita, Kansas, understands the importance of the Sunflower Showdown. He witnessed the Wildcats' come-from-behind 31-27 victory last season in Lawrence.
"The biggest thing is not overhyping it and treating it like each and every week," Johnson. "Obviously, it's a big rivalry game. We're going to get KU's best and we're going to go out on the field and put our best on display. We're preparing like every other week, but obviously, this one means a little bit more to us."
K-State players have spent the week focused on going 1-0.
"What I tell myself is when I make a game out to be something bigger than it is, that's when you can trip up," said senior left guard Hadley Panzer, a native of Lakin, Kansas. "That's the biggest thing, is just looking to go 1-0 each day to give us the best opportunity on Saturday.
"It's the next-play mindset. We know there is still so much football to play, and we have to take it one game at a time. We want to accomplish a lot of things, but we can't look too far ahead."
All it will take Saturday is a glance across the sideline for K-State sixth-year senior cornerback Keenan Garber, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, to conjure old memories.
"Man, this rivalry means a lot to me," Garber said. "Just growing up in Lawrence, I used to always go to these games as a little kid and play tag football on the hill in Lawrence. Just to be able to play in it is an amazing experience.
"I probably thought I'd be playing for the Jayhawks, but things turned out different. I'm glad they turned out this way, for sure."
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