Kansas State University Athletics
Playing with an Underdog Mentality
Nov 21, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
A preseason favorite to represent the Big 12 Conference in the College Football Playoffs, Kansas State now looks toward bowl eligibility, while No. 13 Utah, a five-win team a year ago, has launched itself into discussion to play past December.
Welcome to the Big 12 in 2025, where anything can happen, nobody is safe, and the only certainty is that the league title game will be a battle.
While K-State, 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12, is out of the running for a second Big 12 title game appearance in four years, the Wildcats will gain bowl eligibility for a fifth straight season if they can win one of their final two games. They could do it Saturday if they topple the Utes, 8-2 and 5-2, which would mark the Wildcats' first Top 25 road victory since a 41-34 win at No. 6 Oklahoma on September 24, 2022.
The first-ever meeting between K-State and Utah kicks off on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, marking Senior Day for a Utes squad that went 10-4, 8-5 and 5-7 in the previous three seasons, and now is on the cusp of a 10th 10-win season since 2003. The final home game could bring down the house at 51,000-capacity Rice-Eccles Stadium, which is regarded as one of the most daunting venues in the Big 12 and has 94 consecutive sellouts.
K-State enters the contest as a decided underdog.
"When a lot of people doubt us and we come over the top and kick somebody's butt, that's always a really good thing," K-State senior offensive lineman Taylor Poitier said. "It's what we've been faced with this whole year. We've been underdogs this whole year. We try to prove people wrong with the type of team we are."
K-State comes off a 14-6 win at Oklahoma State last Saturday, its fewest points in a win since a 10-9 victory at Iowa State on October 8, 2022. Although the Wildcats beat the Cowboys for just the third time in 27 years in Stillwater, Poitier in rehashing the mild performance said that "nobody was really there."
"The whole vibe, nobody was really there at Oklahoma State," Poitier said. "That energy was lacking. Just the vibe wasn't there."
The vibes and excitement will need to be at a season high in Salt Lake City.
"We're going into a top-10 environment in college football against a top-10 team," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "What an opportunity for our guys to have a chance at a big-time, marquee win for this 2025 team."
Added freshman tight end Linkon Cure: "I don't think a lot of people have picked us to win a lot of games, and that's motivated us every time and it's going to do a lot for us, too."
K-State has won three of its last four games with victories against TCU (41-28), at Kansas (42-17) and at Oklahoma State (14-6) sandwiching the season's most-lopsided loss against then-No. 13 Texas Tech (43-20). The Wildcats' 32.8 points per game in conference play since the beginning of 2022 ranks 12th in the nation, sixth among Power 4 teams and tops in the Big 12.
K-State's four-game streak scoring at least 30 points against UCF (34), Baylor (34), TCU (41) and Kansas (42) marked its longest streak overall since doing so in six-straight games in 2003.
The Wildcats have done so in large part behind the arm and legs of junior quarterback Avery Johnson, whose 16 games with multiple touchdown passes since 2024 ranks third among active FBS players. Just the third K-State quarterback to reach 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career — joining Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Skylar Thompson (2017-21) — Johnson has 47 career touchdown passes, which is one shy of tying the record held by Will Howard (2020-23).
Johnson will duel a pair of Utah quarterbacks who have led the Utes to three consecutive wins after last Saturday's 55-28 road victory at Baylor and have won five of the last six contests overall.
While Devon Dampier completed 6-of-13 passes for 80 yads and two touchdowns at Baylor, true freshman Byrd Ficklin stole the show. Ficklin had 166 rushing yards, including a 74-yarder and a 67-yarder, to break his own school record for single-game rushing yards by a Utah quarterback. Ficklin has rushed for at least 150 yards twice this season after rushing for 151 yards in his first career start against Colorado.
"Dampier is really a terrific football player and went to New Mexico and had a really good career and went to Utah," Klieman said. "He has the experience factor for sure, and he's made them instantly a lot better because of experience and knowing that offense and being able to run the football. He runs and throws it really well. The freshman is a really special talent and can throw and run it well and they're using both guys.
"They make it challenging with the amount of formations they give you. They may lead the country in the number of different kids who've touched the football. They have a bunch of them and they're all really talented."
Utah scored rushing touchdowns of 74, 67 and 64 yards and added a 65-yard pick-six, needing just 59 plays to rack up 483 yards of total offense while averaging 8.2 yards per play against Baylor.
The Utes amassed 380 rushing yards against the Bears, giving them at least 300 rushing yards three times this season and at least 200 in nine of 10 games, including each of the last six outings.
Wayshawn Parker added 129 rushing yards on 15 carries and a score against Baylor to eclipse 100 rushing yards for a third game in a row.
The Dampier-Ficklin duo has helped Utah to outscore opponents by an average of 25.5 points. Utah ranks No. 2 in the FBS with 278.4 rushing yards, No. 6 with 41.1 points, and No. 10 with 477.8 total yards of offense. It also ranks No. 10 in allowing just 15.6 points per contest.
This is one of the most dominant teams in the 21-year career of Kyle Whittingham, who is 175-88 overall to rank third in career victories among active FBS head coaches.
"Kyle is one of the icons of the game and one of the best coaches in the country," Klieman said. "They struggled last season, but they weren't going to struggle two years in a row, not with that coach and that tradition of what Utah football is. They're rolling right now."
Whittingham in his weekly news conference tabled any talk of the College Football Playoffs.
"You know what, we're going to take things one game at a time and see how we do against Kansas State, but I tell you right now, this team has a lot of confidence, we have a lot of momentum going right now, the leadership is outstanding, and we think we're playing good football," Whittingham said. "Is it good enough? We'll find out. We have to take care of our business first, starting with this week, and when the dust settles and the regular season is over, we'll see where we're at and what kind of opportunities are there."
Meanwhile, K-State has a shot at gaining bowl eligibility with a win over either Utah or against Colorado on Senior Day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on November 29.
"There's a different mentality being the underdog," K-State defensive end Jordan Allen said. "K-State has always had that underdog mentality. When we see adversity, it challenges our players to play harder with that chip on the shoulder.
"This team still has a lot to play for. We'll be ready on Saturday."
A preseason favorite to represent the Big 12 Conference in the College Football Playoffs, Kansas State now looks toward bowl eligibility, while No. 13 Utah, a five-win team a year ago, has launched itself into discussion to play past December.
Welcome to the Big 12 in 2025, where anything can happen, nobody is safe, and the only certainty is that the league title game will be a battle.
While K-State, 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12, is out of the running for a second Big 12 title game appearance in four years, the Wildcats will gain bowl eligibility for a fifth straight season if they can win one of their final two games. They could do it Saturday if they topple the Utes, 8-2 and 5-2, which would mark the Wildcats' first Top 25 road victory since a 41-34 win at No. 6 Oklahoma on September 24, 2022.
The first-ever meeting between K-State and Utah kicks off on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, marking Senior Day for a Utes squad that went 10-4, 8-5 and 5-7 in the previous three seasons, and now is on the cusp of a 10th 10-win season since 2003. The final home game could bring down the house at 51,000-capacity Rice-Eccles Stadium, which is regarded as one of the most daunting venues in the Big 12 and has 94 consecutive sellouts.
K-State enters the contest as a decided underdog.
"When a lot of people doubt us and we come over the top and kick somebody's butt, that's always a really good thing," K-State senior offensive lineman Taylor Poitier said. "It's what we've been faced with this whole year. We've been underdogs this whole year. We try to prove people wrong with the type of team we are."
K-State comes off a 14-6 win at Oklahoma State last Saturday, its fewest points in a win since a 10-9 victory at Iowa State on October 8, 2022. Although the Wildcats beat the Cowboys for just the third time in 27 years in Stillwater, Poitier in rehashing the mild performance said that "nobody was really there."
"The whole vibe, nobody was really there at Oklahoma State," Poitier said. "That energy was lacking. Just the vibe wasn't there."
The vibes and excitement will need to be at a season high in Salt Lake City.
"We're going into a top-10 environment in college football against a top-10 team," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "What an opportunity for our guys to have a chance at a big-time, marquee win for this 2025 team."
Added freshman tight end Linkon Cure: "I don't think a lot of people have picked us to win a lot of games, and that's motivated us every time and it's going to do a lot for us, too."
K-State has won three of its last four games with victories against TCU (41-28), at Kansas (42-17) and at Oklahoma State (14-6) sandwiching the season's most-lopsided loss against then-No. 13 Texas Tech (43-20). The Wildcats' 32.8 points per game in conference play since the beginning of 2022 ranks 12th in the nation, sixth among Power 4 teams and tops in the Big 12.
K-State's four-game streak scoring at least 30 points against UCF (34), Baylor (34), TCU (41) and Kansas (42) marked its longest streak overall since doing so in six-straight games in 2003.
The Wildcats have done so in large part behind the arm and legs of junior quarterback Avery Johnson, whose 16 games with multiple touchdown passes since 2024 ranks third among active FBS players. Just the third K-State quarterback to reach 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career — joining Ell Roberson (2000-03) and Skylar Thompson (2017-21) — Johnson has 47 career touchdown passes, which is one shy of tying the record held by Will Howard (2020-23).
Johnson will duel a pair of Utah quarterbacks who have led the Utes to three consecutive wins after last Saturday's 55-28 road victory at Baylor and have won five of the last six contests overall.
While Devon Dampier completed 6-of-13 passes for 80 yads and two touchdowns at Baylor, true freshman Byrd Ficklin stole the show. Ficklin had 166 rushing yards, including a 74-yarder and a 67-yarder, to break his own school record for single-game rushing yards by a Utah quarterback. Ficklin has rushed for at least 150 yards twice this season after rushing for 151 yards in his first career start against Colorado.
"Dampier is really a terrific football player and went to New Mexico and had a really good career and went to Utah," Klieman said. "He has the experience factor for sure, and he's made them instantly a lot better because of experience and knowing that offense and being able to run the football. He runs and throws it really well. The freshman is a really special talent and can throw and run it well and they're using both guys.
"They make it challenging with the amount of formations they give you. They may lead the country in the number of different kids who've touched the football. They have a bunch of them and they're all really talented."
Utah scored rushing touchdowns of 74, 67 and 64 yards and added a 65-yard pick-six, needing just 59 plays to rack up 483 yards of total offense while averaging 8.2 yards per play against Baylor.
The Utes amassed 380 rushing yards against the Bears, giving them at least 300 rushing yards three times this season and at least 200 in nine of 10 games, including each of the last six outings.
Wayshawn Parker added 129 rushing yards on 15 carries and a score against Baylor to eclipse 100 rushing yards for a third game in a row.
The Dampier-Ficklin duo has helped Utah to outscore opponents by an average of 25.5 points. Utah ranks No. 2 in the FBS with 278.4 rushing yards, No. 6 with 41.1 points, and No. 10 with 477.8 total yards of offense. It also ranks No. 10 in allowing just 15.6 points per contest.
This is one of the most dominant teams in the 21-year career of Kyle Whittingham, who is 175-88 overall to rank third in career victories among active FBS head coaches.
"Kyle is one of the icons of the game and one of the best coaches in the country," Klieman said. "They struggled last season, but they weren't going to struggle two years in a row, not with that coach and that tradition of what Utah football is. They're rolling right now."
Whittingham in his weekly news conference tabled any talk of the College Football Playoffs.
"You know what, we're going to take things one game at a time and see how we do against Kansas State, but I tell you right now, this team has a lot of confidence, we have a lot of momentum going right now, the leadership is outstanding, and we think we're playing good football," Whittingham said. "Is it good enough? We'll find out. We have to take care of our business first, starting with this week, and when the dust settles and the regular season is over, we'll see where we're at and what kind of opportunities are there."
Meanwhile, K-State has a shot at gaining bowl eligibility with a win over either Utah or against Colorado on Senior Day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on November 29.
"There's a different mentality being the underdog," K-State defensive end Jordan Allen said. "K-State has always had that underdog mentality. When we see adversity, it challenges our players to play harder with that chip on the shoulder.
"This team still has a lot to play for. We'll be ready on Saturday."
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