Kansas State University Athletics
Excited That It’s Finally Game Week
Aug 27, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman has led his program to at least eight wins each of the past three seasons, the only returning Big 12 Conference team to do so.
The 18th-ranked Wildcats, who open their season against UT Martin on Saturday, have no plans to take their foot off the accelerator this fall. And it starts with players stepping up on the football field.
"We've talked about it all fall camp and really all summer," Klieman said. "Our stars have to be stars. If you're a guy who's played two or three years of football, step up and show people, be the dude, be the guy."
Fortunately, it appears the Wildcats have a plethora of dudes.
From quarterback Avery Johnson, running backs DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, and a deep wide receiver unit, to a defense that returns eight starters – including five of its top six tacklers a year ago – these Wildcats could be the most talented group in Klieman's six seasons in Manhattan.
"Strengths offensively? We have skill," Klieman said. "We've got running backs, we've got receivers that can make big-time plays. We have to find ways to get guys touches. I've been pleased, each day there's been somebody else in the wide receiver crew that's stepped up, and there's been a bunch of running backs and tight ends that have made plays.
"What I thought going in on defense is it's a veteran group with a lot of guys on all three levels of defense that have played a lot of football, and we're continuing to try and provide depth in those three positions of defensive line, linebacker and secondary. The strength is the veteran players we have there."
What could help define the 2024 season?
"Hopefully, we can be more explosive on offense," Klieman said, "and on defense, I hope we can eliminate some of the explosive plays."
Last season, K-State ranked No. 23 in the FBS in averaging 445.2 yards per game, which ranked second in school history, while K-State's 6.04 yards per play ranked 10th. It ranked second in the FBS in allowing opponents to score touchdowns just 39.39% inside the red zone. That includes surrendering just 13 red-zone touchdowns, which also ranked second nationally.
There's always room to improve but the Wildcats will look to begin this campaign on a firm foundation in their first-ever meeting against the Skyhawks on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Skyhawks have won three-straight league championships under head coach Jason Simpson, who heads into his 19th season with a 115-87 record.
"We're excited about the opportunity," Klieman said at his weekly news conference on Monday. "We're getting a really good UT Martin team in here. Coach Simpson has done a great job. He's been there a long time. They have a great system, and he does a really good job of getting those guys to play within their schemes offensively and defensively.
"They've won their league three-straight years. As you know, that's my background and I know how good the football is, and our guys are going to know how good the football is as well."
But Monday, for at least a moment, was reserved for K-State players to relish in the fact that it's finally game week.
They enjoyed the heck out of it.
"It's exciting," senior linebacker Austin Moore said. "We had a lift at 8 o'clock, and the energy was super high in there. That's what we talked about: Game week. All the hard work we've been putting in, it's now time for it to come to fruition. It's exciting."
Johnson touts Giddens as among nation's best
Avery Johnson didn't hold back. Asked if there was a particular K-State player that wasn't necessarily getting a ton of attention, the sophomore quarterback pointed to junior running back DJ Giddens, who might not be a household name across the nation — but probably should be.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Giddens rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns on 223 carries last season, and he had 29 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
Giddens enters the season opener on a four-game streak of at least 100 rushing yards, and he is 466 rushing yards shy of tying for 10th in school history for a career.
"I feel like really the biggest person is DJ Giddens. Every K-State fan knows how talented DJ is, but I feel like he doesn't get talked about enough on the national level," Johnson said. "DJ is one of the best, if not the best, running back in college football, and nobody gives him enough credit for that. It might just be because he goes about his business in a different way, but he's special when he gets the ball into his hands. I really think he's going to have a great year for us and continue to be himself on Saturdays."
Running back room unlike any other in eyes of Willis
Senior right tackle Carver Willis played in every game last season with starts in the first seven contests, he played in seven games as a backup in 2022, and in four games as a true freshman in 2020.
The 6-foot-5, 291-pound Willis has been around a lot of football.
Willis hasn't seen anything quite like this.
"We have one of the most loaded running back rooms I've ever seen," he said.
There's Giddens, Dylan Edwards, Joe Jackson and La'James White.
"All those guys make blocking fun," Willis continued. "Hopefully, it doesn't happen, but if I make a mistake blocking, they're all good enough to get me out of my own mistake. It's nice having the confidence. Anyone they put in the backfield is going to be able to do the job to a very high level and have the knowledge of how to do it and how we want to do it. That makes it extremely fun.
"We have a lot of runs. We have a lot of runs and honestly none of them are tailored to a certain individual. We have plays that are downhill with Dylan and plays that are outside with DJ. It'll just be who's in the game at that moment."
Backup quarterback spot still open
Klieman said that K-State continues to use both Ta'Quan Roberson and Jacob Knuth at the No. 2 backup quarterback position.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Roberson has seen time in 18 career games with 11 starts over parts of five seasons at both Penn State and UConn, throwing for 2,170 yards and 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Knuth is a 6-foot-3, 213-pound sophomore who didn't see any action last season after transferring from Minnesota following a redshirt season of 2022.
One thing that Roberson brings to the table in particular?
"Experience," Klieman said. "He's played. He's learning our offense, and he's made some really good strides from practice one to where we're at now. I like the fact that he's continued to grow and get better. He knew when he came in here, we need him to perform and elevate Avery and Knuth, and we knew it wasn't going to be something overnight because our offense is probably a little more complex from what he's done. I don't know that, but from all the terminology we have, and the last few weeks he's been playing really well.
"In the same respect, Jacob Knuth has been playing really well. We're still battling for that second spot right now. We've put both of them at the ones at different times to give Avery a rest and to push those guys with the starting offense. They've both excelled. Then we've split the reps with the twos. It's a conversation Coach Matt Wells and I will have at the end of the week as to which guy will go in. But they both playing really well right now."
Mott lauds depth and energy at defensive end positions
Senior defensive end Brendan Mott, a 6-foot-5, 244-pound team captain who started all 13 games last season, is amazed.
Mott is around a lot of talent. And it shows on the depth chart.
There's Mott, then either Tobi Osunsanmi or Ryan Davis at one defensive end spot. There's Travis Bates or Chiddi Obiazor at another defensive end spot. And there's Cody Stufflebean in front of Jordan Allen at a third spot.
"The depth we have at defensive line is huge," Mott said. "A lot of good competition. At the end of the day, it's good to have that many guys because we all push each other and are getting better. Iron sharpens iron. To be able to bounce things off each other and to make each other better in the weight room and on the field, it makes our defensive line better and closer as a whole.
"We have a bunch of guys who will make an impact on the field in different situations. We just have a lot of guys who can go out and make plays. K-State fans should be really excited come Saturday on what the guys are going to be able to do."
Added Moore: "There's so much talent there. Those guys are fast, athletic, strong, too. They're going to be super effective in the run game as well."
Klieman offered a nod to Bates, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore transfer from Austin Peay. Bates earned 2023 FCS Freshman All-America honors from Phil Steele.
"Work ethic, blue-collar kid who goes to battle every day," Klieman said. "He's going to play a lot for us. You're going to see a lot of defensive linemen play. I'm excited because we've always had some good depth there, and this year at the defensive end spot we have great depth there.
"We wouldn't miss a beat by playing six or seven guys there, maybe some have a different skillset than others. I like what we have there, and we have to find ways to get multiple guys on the field and we're working on that with different packages right now."
Ilalio making a name for himself
Want to know a guy who just flat-out proved himself this training camp? Look no farther than nose tackle Damian Ilalio. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound junior from Manhattan played in 11 games with three starts last season and established himself as a starter heading into the 2024 season.
"He's one of our top leaders," Klieman said. "He wasn't elected captain, but he received a bunch of votes like a lot of guys did, but he's just been a really good leader on that side of the ball. He's been a consistent, consistent player at the nose position. Both he and Uso Seumalo are going to play a lot of football for us."
Ilalio's impact isn't lost on his teammates.
"Damion is just a solid hard-working kid who's also a really good leader," Mott said. "He's someone who comes in every day and leaves his emotions at the door and just comes in and works. He's not afraid to hold anyone accountable. He's a great leader in that way. He's someone I'm blessed to be able to have up front with me on the defensive line."
Moore added: "He's full of wisdom. He has a positive attitude and works really hard. He's taken it upon himself to learn stuff that maybe linebackers know so he can be one step ahead. I'm really happy with that."
Kickoff return and punt return duties should be exciting
Intrigue surrounds the K-State return game, as it appears three players are in the running to take kickoff-return duties and two are vying for the punt-return spot as well.
The early favorite to grab at least one kickoff or return a punt?
Dylan Edwards.
Edwards, a 5-foot-9, 167-pound Colorado transfer, is listed alongside Jayce Brown and Keagan Johnson as potential kickoff returners.
Edwards is also slated as punt returner alongside Sterling Lockett.
Edwards is the only player listed at both kickoff returner and punt returner, as Klieman looks to decide which players work best at which positions.
"We're going to kind of see how it goes with practice this week, but we feel comfortable really with Dylan Edwards or Sterling Lockett back there on punts and will probably see both of them back there at some point," Klieman said. "We've kind of pushed the envelope with Dylan, Jayce Brown and Keagan Johnson on kick returns. I'm not sure which way it'll go on Saturday but maybe everybody would get a shot back there. We do like the ability.
"We have a number of skill guys we need to get the ball into their hands, and that's an opportunity for them to do that. We'll just see how it plays out this week."
Who is a player to watch out for in 2024?
Name to watch out for in 2024? Mott has an idea.
"Anyone? I'd just say that a guy I haven't gotten to know the most but who has really stuck out on film making plays and big hits is Jordan Riley," Mott said. "I think he's going to be a stud. A lot of times on film, it's like, 'Dang, man. Who just made that hit?' It's Jordan Riley. He's someone K-State fans should be excited to watch this season."
Riley, a jack safety, is a 6-foot, 202-pound senior transfer from Ball State who played in 37 games with 24 starts over the last three seasons. He tied for 24th nationally with 5.1 solo tackles per game in 2022.
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman has led his program to at least eight wins each of the past three seasons, the only returning Big 12 Conference team to do so.
The 18th-ranked Wildcats, who open their season against UT Martin on Saturday, have no plans to take their foot off the accelerator this fall. And it starts with players stepping up on the football field.
"We've talked about it all fall camp and really all summer," Klieman said. "Our stars have to be stars. If you're a guy who's played two or three years of football, step up and show people, be the dude, be the guy."
Fortunately, it appears the Wildcats have a plethora of dudes.
From quarterback Avery Johnson, running backs DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, and a deep wide receiver unit, to a defense that returns eight starters – including five of its top six tacklers a year ago – these Wildcats could be the most talented group in Klieman's six seasons in Manhattan.
"Strengths offensively? We have skill," Klieman said. "We've got running backs, we've got receivers that can make big-time plays. We have to find ways to get guys touches. I've been pleased, each day there's been somebody else in the wide receiver crew that's stepped up, and there's been a bunch of running backs and tight ends that have made plays.
"What I thought going in on defense is it's a veteran group with a lot of guys on all three levels of defense that have played a lot of football, and we're continuing to try and provide depth in those three positions of defensive line, linebacker and secondary. The strength is the veteran players we have there."
What could help define the 2024 season?
"Hopefully, we can be more explosive on offense," Klieman said, "and on defense, I hope we can eliminate some of the explosive plays."
Last season, K-State ranked No. 23 in the FBS in averaging 445.2 yards per game, which ranked second in school history, while K-State's 6.04 yards per play ranked 10th. It ranked second in the FBS in allowing opponents to score touchdowns just 39.39% inside the red zone. That includes surrendering just 13 red-zone touchdowns, which also ranked second nationally.
There's always room to improve but the Wildcats will look to begin this campaign on a firm foundation in their first-ever meeting against the Skyhawks on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The Skyhawks have won three-straight league championships under head coach Jason Simpson, who heads into his 19th season with a 115-87 record.
"We're excited about the opportunity," Klieman said at his weekly news conference on Monday. "We're getting a really good UT Martin team in here. Coach Simpson has done a great job. He's been there a long time. They have a great system, and he does a really good job of getting those guys to play within their schemes offensively and defensively.
"They've won their league three-straight years. As you know, that's my background and I know how good the football is, and our guys are going to know how good the football is as well."
But Monday, for at least a moment, was reserved for K-State players to relish in the fact that it's finally game week.
They enjoyed the heck out of it.
"It's exciting," senior linebacker Austin Moore said. "We had a lift at 8 o'clock, and the energy was super high in there. That's what we talked about: Game week. All the hard work we've been putting in, it's now time for it to come to fruition. It's exciting."
Johnson touts Giddens as among nation's best
Avery Johnson didn't hold back. Asked if there was a particular K-State player that wasn't necessarily getting a ton of attention, the sophomore quarterback pointed to junior running back DJ Giddens, who might not be a household name across the nation — but probably should be.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Giddens rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns on 223 carries last season, and he had 29 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
Giddens enters the season opener on a four-game streak of at least 100 rushing yards, and he is 466 rushing yards shy of tying for 10th in school history for a career.
"I feel like really the biggest person is DJ Giddens. Every K-State fan knows how talented DJ is, but I feel like he doesn't get talked about enough on the national level," Johnson said. "DJ is one of the best, if not the best, running back in college football, and nobody gives him enough credit for that. It might just be because he goes about his business in a different way, but he's special when he gets the ball into his hands. I really think he's going to have a great year for us and continue to be himself on Saturdays."
Running back room unlike any other in eyes of Willis
Senior right tackle Carver Willis played in every game last season with starts in the first seven contests, he played in seven games as a backup in 2022, and in four games as a true freshman in 2020.
The 6-foot-5, 291-pound Willis has been around a lot of football.
Willis hasn't seen anything quite like this.
"We have one of the most loaded running back rooms I've ever seen," he said.
There's Giddens, Dylan Edwards, Joe Jackson and La'James White.
"All those guys make blocking fun," Willis continued. "Hopefully, it doesn't happen, but if I make a mistake blocking, they're all good enough to get me out of my own mistake. It's nice having the confidence. Anyone they put in the backfield is going to be able to do the job to a very high level and have the knowledge of how to do it and how we want to do it. That makes it extremely fun.
"We have a lot of runs. We have a lot of runs and honestly none of them are tailored to a certain individual. We have plays that are downhill with Dylan and plays that are outside with DJ. It'll just be who's in the game at that moment."
Backup quarterback spot still open
Klieman said that K-State continues to use both Ta'Quan Roberson and Jacob Knuth at the No. 2 backup quarterback position.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Roberson has seen time in 18 career games with 11 starts over parts of five seasons at both Penn State and UConn, throwing for 2,170 yards and 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Knuth is a 6-foot-3, 213-pound sophomore who didn't see any action last season after transferring from Minnesota following a redshirt season of 2022.
One thing that Roberson brings to the table in particular?
"Experience," Klieman said. "He's played. He's learning our offense, and he's made some really good strides from practice one to where we're at now. I like the fact that he's continued to grow and get better. He knew when he came in here, we need him to perform and elevate Avery and Knuth, and we knew it wasn't going to be something overnight because our offense is probably a little more complex from what he's done. I don't know that, but from all the terminology we have, and the last few weeks he's been playing really well.
"In the same respect, Jacob Knuth has been playing really well. We're still battling for that second spot right now. We've put both of them at the ones at different times to give Avery a rest and to push those guys with the starting offense. They've both excelled. Then we've split the reps with the twos. It's a conversation Coach Matt Wells and I will have at the end of the week as to which guy will go in. But they both playing really well right now."
Mott lauds depth and energy at defensive end positions
Senior defensive end Brendan Mott, a 6-foot-5, 244-pound team captain who started all 13 games last season, is amazed.
Mott is around a lot of talent. And it shows on the depth chart.
There's Mott, then either Tobi Osunsanmi or Ryan Davis at one defensive end spot. There's Travis Bates or Chiddi Obiazor at another defensive end spot. And there's Cody Stufflebean in front of Jordan Allen at a third spot.
"The depth we have at defensive line is huge," Mott said. "A lot of good competition. At the end of the day, it's good to have that many guys because we all push each other and are getting better. Iron sharpens iron. To be able to bounce things off each other and to make each other better in the weight room and on the field, it makes our defensive line better and closer as a whole.
"We have a bunch of guys who will make an impact on the field in different situations. We just have a lot of guys who can go out and make plays. K-State fans should be really excited come Saturday on what the guys are going to be able to do."
Added Moore: "There's so much talent there. Those guys are fast, athletic, strong, too. They're going to be super effective in the run game as well."
Klieman offered a nod to Bates, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore transfer from Austin Peay. Bates earned 2023 FCS Freshman All-America honors from Phil Steele.
"Work ethic, blue-collar kid who goes to battle every day," Klieman said. "He's going to play a lot for us. You're going to see a lot of defensive linemen play. I'm excited because we've always had some good depth there, and this year at the defensive end spot we have great depth there.
"We wouldn't miss a beat by playing six or seven guys there, maybe some have a different skillset than others. I like what we have there, and we have to find ways to get multiple guys on the field and we're working on that with different packages right now."
Ilalio making a name for himself
Want to know a guy who just flat-out proved himself this training camp? Look no farther than nose tackle Damian Ilalio. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound junior from Manhattan played in 11 games with three starts last season and established himself as a starter heading into the 2024 season.
"He's one of our top leaders," Klieman said. "He wasn't elected captain, but he received a bunch of votes like a lot of guys did, but he's just been a really good leader on that side of the ball. He's been a consistent, consistent player at the nose position. Both he and Uso Seumalo are going to play a lot of football for us."
Ilalio's impact isn't lost on his teammates.
"Damion is just a solid hard-working kid who's also a really good leader," Mott said. "He's someone who comes in every day and leaves his emotions at the door and just comes in and works. He's not afraid to hold anyone accountable. He's a great leader in that way. He's someone I'm blessed to be able to have up front with me on the defensive line."
Moore added: "He's full of wisdom. He has a positive attitude and works really hard. He's taken it upon himself to learn stuff that maybe linebackers know so he can be one step ahead. I'm really happy with that."
Kickoff return and punt return duties should be exciting
Intrigue surrounds the K-State return game, as it appears three players are in the running to take kickoff-return duties and two are vying for the punt-return spot as well.
The early favorite to grab at least one kickoff or return a punt?
Dylan Edwards.
Edwards, a 5-foot-9, 167-pound Colorado transfer, is listed alongside Jayce Brown and Keagan Johnson as potential kickoff returners.
Edwards is also slated as punt returner alongside Sterling Lockett.
Edwards is the only player listed at both kickoff returner and punt returner, as Klieman looks to decide which players work best at which positions.
"We're going to kind of see how it goes with practice this week, but we feel comfortable really with Dylan Edwards or Sterling Lockett back there on punts and will probably see both of them back there at some point," Klieman said. "We've kind of pushed the envelope with Dylan, Jayce Brown and Keagan Johnson on kick returns. I'm not sure which way it'll go on Saturday but maybe everybody would get a shot back there. We do like the ability.
"We have a number of skill guys we need to get the ball into their hands, and that's an opportunity for them to do that. We'll just see how it plays out this week."
Who is a player to watch out for in 2024?
Name to watch out for in 2024? Mott has an idea.
"Anyone? I'd just say that a guy I haven't gotten to know the most but who has really stuck out on film making plays and big hits is Jordan Riley," Mott said. "I think he's going to be a stud. A lot of times on film, it's like, 'Dang, man. Who just made that hit?' It's Jordan Riley. He's someone K-State fans should be excited to watch this season."
Riley, a jack safety, is a 6-foot, 202-pound senior transfer from Ball State who played in 37 games with 24 starts over the last three seasons. He tied for 24th nationally with 5.1 solo tackles per game in 2022.
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