Motived by the Past, Focused on the Present
Nov 29, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Revenge is on the mind of Kansas State football players as they prepare for the annual Farmageddon rivalry game at Iowa State on Saturday. Last season, the Wildcats suffered a 42-35 loss in a snowstorm, and the Cyclones scored on five plays of at least 60 yards to ruin Senior Night in Manhattan.
"Definitely, that stuff leaves a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of our players," K-State quarterback Avery Johnson said. "They came in here on Senior Night. I know the defense really looks at it because of how well Iowa State did offensively last year. (Senior linebacker) Austin Moore talks about it a lot. It fires him and fuels him up. It'll be my job with the rest of the group to get the offensive guys fired up to try and come out with a win."
While K-State, 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12 Conference, looks to improve its bowl destination and spoil Iowa State's Senior Night, the Cyclones, 9-2 and 6-2, seek their first 10-win season in their 133-year history and perhaps land a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Iowa State is in a four-way tie with Arizona State, BYU and Colorado atop the Big 12 standings in the final week of the regular season.
"I don't look at all that stuff," said Matt Campbell, who became Iowa State's winningest coach earlier this season. "My belief is if our football team takes care of business, then we will put ourselves in the best position to be successful, and we'll tell our story at the end of the football season.
"All that other stuff is a waste of time, effort and energy."
K-State started out with a 7-1 record and bounced back from back-to-back losses at Houston and against Arizona State by beating Cincinnati last Saturday.
The Wildcats put together their best football in a month and sent their senior class out in style with a dominant 41-15 win over the Bearcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Iowa State was 7-0 before it fell to Texas Tech and Kansas. But consecutive wins against Cincinnati and at Utah have put the Cyclones back in the thick of league title game hopes.
"It's the same confidence we've had all year with this team and coaches," said Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, who has thrown a touchdown pass in 15-straight games. "Nothing is going to change this week because we can't get our heads too big for what's to come. We just have to focus on Saturday night and getting a win for our seniors."
K-State and Iowa State will meet for the 108th time in series history and is the eighth-longest uninterrupted active series in the FBS.
Eight of the last 10 meetings have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
"They know us really well, and we know them really well," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "When we won there a couple years ago (10-9), it was a one-score game and both teams had to earn everything. When we've gotten into those games with them, we've played well. When we've given up the explosive play to those guys, snow or no snow, we have to eliminate the explosive play and they've been able to get it on us."
The high temperature in Ames is expected to hover around 25 degrees with a low of 10. The teams kick off at 6:30 p.m. (FOX) at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. It will mark the ninth night game the Wildcats will play this season, the most in a regular season in the Big 12 era.
"It'll be by far the coldest game we've played in this year, same with Iowa State, but once you get going in it, it's just another game," Klieman said. "I don't think there's precipitation (in the forecast), which would be good. With all the heaters and technology and cold-weather gear, it'll be cold, but both teams got to deal with it."
Iowa State and the league's best scoring defense (19.5 points per game) will have to deal with a healthy Johnson, whose game-opening 34-yard run against Cincinnati issued a message: Watch out.
Johnson is set to make his 13th career start at quarterback and is one of just four FBS players with at least 2,275 passing yards and 475 rushing yards. His 19 passing touchdowns are a new K-State sophomore record as he passed Josh Freeman and his 18 passing touchdowns in 2007.
"He's such a talented runner and really a talented football player in general," Campbell said. "Obviously, he presents a great challenge, and we have a lot of respect for him."
Junior running back DJ Giddens has rushed for 1,271 yards and seven touchdowns and has 21 catches for 258 yards and another score. Giddens ranks ninth in the FBS in rushing yards and is sixth with 1,529 scrimmage yards.
His 6.65 yards per rushing attempt is on pace to break Darren Sproles' school record of 6.49 in 2003.
Klieman earlier in the week said that "I think there's a pretty good chance we'll have Dylan" as sophomore running back Dylan Edwards missed the Cincinnati game with an undisclosed injury. Edwards has 53 carries for 345 yards and three touchdowns.
Another sophomore, Jayce Brown leads the receiving unit with 39 catches for 657 yards and three touchdowns. While Keagan Johnson was limited and Jadon Jackson did not play against Cincinnati, redshirt freshman Tre Spivey came to life with a career-high five catches for 63 yards and one touchdown.
The importance of Farmageddon isn't lost on Spivey.
"It's more motivation," Spivey said. "We're attacking every game the same way as we attack everything else, but in the back of everybody's mind, it's, 'Let's get to work.' We want to finish the season on a high note, get ready for a bowl game, and go into next season."
Becht heads toward the end of this season as one of the best quarterbacks in Iowa State history. He is just the fifth Iowa State quarterback to pass for 6,000 career yards. Against Utah, Becht led the Cyclones on his third fourth-quarter game-winning drive this season.
Utah blocked a punt for a touchdown and returned an interception 87 yards for another, but the Cyclones marched down the field to score a touchdown of their own with 1:31 remaining to win, 31-28.
It marked Becht's 12th win against conference foes, second all-time in school history behind Brock Purdy.
Iowa State has one of the best wide receiving duos in the FBS in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. In eight of 11 games, they have combined for at least 10 catches, 175 yards and a score, the most nationally by a set of teammates. Noel needs just 24 yards to surpass 1,000 this season, joining Higgins has the first set of Iowa State teammates to top the mark in the same season.
"They have the best wide receivers in the Big 12," Klieman said. "Those two kids are phenomenal players and have been there for a while. I've always been impressed with their quarterback. He's a really good player. That kid is a winner, and he's got a lot of moxie to him. He just makes plays."
It could be a hefty challenge for K-State, but the Wildcats have faced quality quarterbacks throughout the season. Senior defensive end Brendan Mott leads the Big 12 with 8.5 sacks and sophomore linebacker Austin Romaine has a team-high 77 tackles. Senior safety Marques Sigle's three interceptions rank sixth in the league.
The Wildcats' defense will look to make plenty of plays on Saturday.
"We have that bad taste in our mouth from last year on our Senior Night," Mott said. "You can talk about weather and conditions, but we didn't do what we knew we could do last year. To have another opportunity and go out there as a team is so special."
It's a game that the Wildcats have looked forward to for a year.
"We've had the game circled," senior tight end Will Swanson said. "Last game of the season, it's going to be cold, and we want to completely flip what we did last year."
Revenge is on the mind of Kansas State football players as they prepare for the annual Farmageddon rivalry game at Iowa State on Saturday. Last season, the Wildcats suffered a 42-35 loss in a snowstorm, and the Cyclones scored on five plays of at least 60 yards to ruin Senior Night in Manhattan.
"Definitely, that stuff leaves a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of our players," K-State quarterback Avery Johnson said. "They came in here on Senior Night. I know the defense really looks at it because of how well Iowa State did offensively last year. (Senior linebacker) Austin Moore talks about it a lot. It fires him and fuels him up. It'll be my job with the rest of the group to get the offensive guys fired up to try and come out with a win."
While K-State, 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12 Conference, looks to improve its bowl destination and spoil Iowa State's Senior Night, the Cyclones, 9-2 and 6-2, seek their first 10-win season in their 133-year history and perhaps land a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Iowa State is in a four-way tie with Arizona State, BYU and Colorado atop the Big 12 standings in the final week of the regular season.
"I don't look at all that stuff," said Matt Campbell, who became Iowa State's winningest coach earlier this season. "My belief is if our football team takes care of business, then we will put ourselves in the best position to be successful, and we'll tell our story at the end of the football season.
"All that other stuff is a waste of time, effort and energy."
K-State started out with a 7-1 record and bounced back from back-to-back losses at Houston and against Arizona State by beating Cincinnati last Saturday.
The Wildcats put together their best football in a month and sent their senior class out in style with a dominant 41-15 win over the Bearcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Iowa State was 7-0 before it fell to Texas Tech and Kansas. But consecutive wins against Cincinnati and at Utah have put the Cyclones back in the thick of league title game hopes.
"It's the same confidence we've had all year with this team and coaches," said Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, who has thrown a touchdown pass in 15-straight games. "Nothing is going to change this week because we can't get our heads too big for what's to come. We just have to focus on Saturday night and getting a win for our seniors."
K-State and Iowa State will meet for the 108th time in series history and is the eighth-longest uninterrupted active series in the FBS.
Eight of the last 10 meetings have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
"They know us really well, and we know them really well," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "When we won there a couple years ago (10-9), it was a one-score game and both teams had to earn everything. When we've gotten into those games with them, we've played well. When we've given up the explosive play to those guys, snow or no snow, we have to eliminate the explosive play and they've been able to get it on us."
The high temperature in Ames is expected to hover around 25 degrees with a low of 10. The teams kick off at 6:30 p.m. (FOX) at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. It will mark the ninth night game the Wildcats will play this season, the most in a regular season in the Big 12 era.
"It'll be by far the coldest game we've played in this year, same with Iowa State, but once you get going in it, it's just another game," Klieman said. "I don't think there's precipitation (in the forecast), which would be good. With all the heaters and technology and cold-weather gear, it'll be cold, but both teams got to deal with it."
Iowa State and the league's best scoring defense (19.5 points per game) will have to deal with a healthy Johnson, whose game-opening 34-yard run against Cincinnati issued a message: Watch out.
Johnson is set to make his 13th career start at quarterback and is one of just four FBS players with at least 2,275 passing yards and 475 rushing yards. His 19 passing touchdowns are a new K-State sophomore record as he passed Josh Freeman and his 18 passing touchdowns in 2007.
"He's such a talented runner and really a talented football player in general," Campbell said. "Obviously, he presents a great challenge, and we have a lot of respect for him."
Junior running back DJ Giddens has rushed for 1,271 yards and seven touchdowns and has 21 catches for 258 yards and another score. Giddens ranks ninth in the FBS in rushing yards and is sixth with 1,529 scrimmage yards.
His 6.65 yards per rushing attempt is on pace to break Darren Sproles' school record of 6.49 in 2003.
Klieman earlier in the week said that "I think there's a pretty good chance we'll have Dylan" as sophomore running back Dylan Edwards missed the Cincinnati game with an undisclosed injury. Edwards has 53 carries for 345 yards and three touchdowns.
Another sophomore, Jayce Brown leads the receiving unit with 39 catches for 657 yards and three touchdowns. While Keagan Johnson was limited and Jadon Jackson did not play against Cincinnati, redshirt freshman Tre Spivey came to life with a career-high five catches for 63 yards and one touchdown.
The importance of Farmageddon isn't lost on Spivey.
"It's more motivation," Spivey said. "We're attacking every game the same way as we attack everything else, but in the back of everybody's mind, it's, 'Let's get to work.' We want to finish the season on a high note, get ready for a bowl game, and go into next season."
Becht heads toward the end of this season as one of the best quarterbacks in Iowa State history. He is just the fifth Iowa State quarterback to pass for 6,000 career yards. Against Utah, Becht led the Cyclones on his third fourth-quarter game-winning drive this season.
Utah blocked a punt for a touchdown and returned an interception 87 yards for another, but the Cyclones marched down the field to score a touchdown of their own with 1:31 remaining to win, 31-28.
It marked Becht's 12th win against conference foes, second all-time in school history behind Brock Purdy.
Iowa State has one of the best wide receiving duos in the FBS in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. In eight of 11 games, they have combined for at least 10 catches, 175 yards and a score, the most nationally by a set of teammates. Noel needs just 24 yards to surpass 1,000 this season, joining Higgins has the first set of Iowa State teammates to top the mark in the same season.
"They have the best wide receivers in the Big 12," Klieman said. "Those two kids are phenomenal players and have been there for a while. I've always been impressed with their quarterback. He's a really good player. That kid is a winner, and he's got a lot of moxie to him. He just makes plays."
It could be a hefty challenge for K-State, but the Wildcats have faced quality quarterbacks throughout the season. Senior defensive end Brendan Mott leads the Big 12 with 8.5 sacks and sophomore linebacker Austin Romaine has a team-high 77 tackles. Senior safety Marques Sigle's three interceptions rank sixth in the league.
The Wildcats' defense will look to make plenty of plays on Saturday.
"We have that bad taste in our mouth from last year on our Senior Night," Mott said. "You can talk about weather and conditions, but we didn't do what we knew we could do last year. To have another opportunity and go out there as a team is so special."
It's a game that the Wildcats have looked forward to for a year.
"We've had the game circled," senior tight end Will Swanson said. "Last game of the season, it's going to be cold, and we want to completely flip what we did last year."
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