K-State Hosts UCF in Big 12 Home Opener

Game 5
rv/nr UCF at K-State
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Stadium: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)
Series: K-State Leads, 2-0
TV: FS1 (Watch)
            Connor Onion (Play-by-Play)
            Mark Helfrich (Analyst)
K-State Radio: K-State Sports Network; k-statesports.com (Listen)
            Wyatt Thompson (Play-by-Play)
            Stan Weber (Analyst)
            Matt Walters (Sidelines)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 83, and on the SiriusXM App
Big 12 Radio on TuneIn
X Updates: @KStateFB and @KStateStatsInfo

THE TOP 5
1) Coming off its first of three bye weeks during the 2025 season, Kansas State looks to regroup in its Big 12 home opener when the Wildcats host UCF on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 a.m., and will be shown nationally on FS1 with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst) on the call.

2) Each of Kansas State's first four games this season have been decided by one score as the first three games were by a margin of a field goal, while its game at Arizona was decided by six points. K-State is the only team in the nation to already have four games decided by one possession. The Wildcats were 4-2 last season when the final margin was eight or less points.

3) Quarterback Avery Johnson is set to make his 19th-career start under center having thrown for 851 yards and six touchdowns through the first four games. His favorite target has been wide receiver Jayce Brown, who has 25 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Brown ranks 21st nationally and third in the Big 12 in receptions per game (6.25), while he has a catch in each of the last 25 games dating back to 2023.

4) Linebackers Austin Romaine and Des Purnell lead the Wildcats in tackles with 37 and 28, respectively. Romaine ranks 22nd in the country and fourth in the Big 12 with 9.3 tackles per game, while his average of 5.75 solo tackles per game ranks 11th in the nation. Cornerback Zashon Rich is tied for the Big 12 lead with five pass breakups, and the Wildcats rank seventh in the country with four fumble recoveries.

5) K-State's specialists have started the year strong. Kicker Luis Rodriguez drilled a 51-yard field goal at Arizona, and he is 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and 11-for-11 on extra points. Punter Simon McClannan ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a 43.5-yard average. Bryce Noernberg returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score against Army, and Garrett Harstad blocked a punt at Arizona.

STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS
25 – Consecutive games that Jayce Brown has recorded at least one catch, which dates back to the 2023 Texas Tech game.
13 – This is K-State's first 11 a.m. kickoff in its last 13 games, the last being a 42-20 win over Oklahoma State last year on Sept. 28.
8 – Consecutive years K-State has blocked at least one punt, the longest streak in the nation.
4 – One-possession games played by the Wildcats this season, the most in the nation this season.
1.46 – Sacks per game allowed by K-State since the beginning of 2019, the fifth-best mark among Power 4 teams.

TEAM NOTES
RECENT RECAP
• Kansas State's first of three bye weeks in the 2025 season came at a time when the Wildcats are looking to rebound from a 1-3 start to the season.
• All four of K-State's games this season have been decided by one possession. In three of the four games, the Wildcats trailed late in the fourth quarter and had the ball with a chance to either tie or take the lead.
• K-State was able to put together a 10-play, 81-yard drive over 1:03 against North Dakota, scoring a touchdown with 42 seconds remaining to swing a 35-31 deficit into a 38-35 victory.
• The next week against Army, K-State had the ball with less than two minutes remaining and got into plus territory until an interception sealed the Black Knights' three-point win.
• Six days later at Arizona, K-State had the ball near midfield with just over one minute remaining, but a turnover on downs ended the contest in a six-point defeat.

CATS IN BIG 12 HOME OPENERS
• Kansas State is 18-11 all-time in its Big 12 home openers, including wins in each of its last three opportunities against Texas Tech (2022), UCF (2023) and Oklahoma State (2024).
• The Wildcats' first Big 12 home contest was the first ever Big 12 Conference game when they defeated Texas Tech, 21-14, at then-KSU Stadium on August 31, 1996.

A MORNING CONTEST
• Saturday's game against UCF is the first time K-State will kick off in the morning (local time) since almost exactly one year to the day.
• The last time the Wildcats played a game that kicked off at 11 a.m., was a 42-20 home victory over Oklahoma State on September 28, 2024.
• K-State has played 12-straight games that kicked off in the afternoon or evening, including 10 that began at 6 p.m. or later local time.
• The Wildcats' 2025 season opener in Dublin, Ireland, against Iowa State kicked off at 11 a.m. in the Central Time Zone but began at 5 p.m. in Irish Standard Time.

FOUR ONE-SCORE GAMES
• Of Kansas State's last 16 games dating back to Week 2 of the 2024 season, 10 have been decided by just one score.
• Last year, the Wildcats went 4-2 in one-possession games. All four of the victories were fourth-quarter comebacks, which ranked second in the nation to Illinois' five.
• This season, K-State has played four one-possession games but has only come out on the winning side one time.
• The four one-score games this year are the most in the FBS. Second on the list is Iowa State Army and UConn as each have played three one-score games.

TOWARD THE TOP IN CONSISTENCY
• K-State is one of only 10 Power 4 schools that have won at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.
• Among those teams, only Kansas State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oregon have accomplished that feat in addition to winning a conference championship during that timeframe.
• The Wildcats are tied for 17th among Power 4 teams and are second among current Big 12 programs with 29 total wins since the beginning of 2022.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
• K-State has a total of 232 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.
• Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (242), TCU (241) and Utah (236).

A WINNING TRADITION
• Kansas State has totaled 144 Big 12 victories since the conference's formation in 1996, which stands as the most among active Big 12 programs.
• The Cats are also second among active Big 12 members in winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. They sit at 59.1% (75-52), trailing only Oklahoma State (61.1%; 77-49).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 42-21 (66.7%) at home in Big 12 play and 33-31 (51.6%) on the road/neutral.

STATE PRIDE
• Kansas State has 13 returning starters from a year ago, including seven that hail from the state of Kansas.
• On offense, the Kansans are quarterback Avery Johnson (Wichita), running back Dylan Edwards (Derby) and offensive linemen Taylor Poitier (Kansas City) and Sam Hecht (Shawnee).
• Defensively, the list includes defensive tackle Damian Ilalio (Manhattan), linebacker Des Purnell (Topeka) and defensive end Cody Stufflebean (McPherson).

A TRACK RECORD OF WINNING
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman holds a 121-44 career record, as his 73.8% career winning percentage is tied for fourth among current FBS coaches that have completed at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 17 current Power 4 head coaches with at least 100 career victories.
• Klieman, who is 49-31 since arriving at K-State, has led the Cats to five victories over teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25, the most of any active Big 12 program since 2019.

FEW PENALTIES
• K-State enters this week's game against UCF ranked fifth nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.25) and 13th in fewest penalty yards per game (32.25).
• Since 2022, the Wildcats have averaged 43.00 penalty yards per game (45 games) to tie for eighth among Power 4 teams.

CATS TOPS IN NON-OFFENSIVE TDs
• K-State is the nation's best in non-offensive touchdowns over the last 25-plus seasons as it has 136 since 1999, 10 more than the next closest team (Alabama – 126) and 18 more than the next Big 12 program (Utah – 119).
• K-State recorded four non-offensive scores during the 2024 season, its most since also recording four in 2020.
• The Wildcats got on the board in 2025 thanks to Bryce Noernberg's 99-yard kickoff return against Army.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
TOTAL OFFENSE
• K-State has totaled at least 375 yards of offense in 34 of the last 44 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.
• The 34 games with at least 375 yards are tied for 10th among Power 4 programs and ranks second among Big 12 schools.
• Georgia leads the way with 39, followed by USC (38), Oregon (37), TCU (37), Ole Miss (36), Texas (36), LSU (35) and Washington (35).
• During that stretch, K-State holds a 27-7 record when totaling at least 375 yards, while the Wildcats are 2-8 when going under that mark.

RED ZONE SUCCESS
• Since Chris Klieman's first season at K-State in 2019, the Wildcats have been the best in the Big 12 in terms of converting red-zone opportunities into points.
• The Wildcats rank first in the Big 12 with an 89.9% (277-of-308) success rate in the red zone since 2019, just ahead of Texas Tech (88.1%) and Oklahoma State (87.5%).
• K-State also ranks first in the league in touchdown success rate at 66.9% (206-of-308), ahead of Kansas (66.3%) and Utah (65.6%).

LIMITED SACKS PER GAME
• K-State has been one of the nation's best in terms of limiting sacks since head coach Chris Klieman's first season of 2019.
• The Wildcats rank fifth nationally and second in the Big 12 by allowing only 1.46 sacks per game over the last six-plus seasons, a span of 80 games.

FEW INTERCEPTIONS
• Thanks to only one interception through four games this season, the Wildcats have only thrown 11 picks since Avery Johnson's first start under center in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
• The 11 interceptions thrown are tied for third among Big 12 teams since the 2023 bowl season.

THROWING FOR 300
• Quarterback Avery Johnson produced the first 300-yard passing game of his career against North Dakota when he totaled 318 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns on 28-of-43 aim. His completion and attempt totals were also a career high.
• It was the 46th 300-yard passing game in school history and the first since Will Howard went for 327 yards during an overtime contest at Texas in 2023.

VERY RESPONSIBLE
• Avery Johnson has been responsible for 52 total touchdowns in his 25 career games played to rank ninth in school history.
• His touchdown responsibility total is tied for 27th nationally among active players but ranks sixth among non-seniors.
• A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson has 36 career passing touchdowns to tie for sixth in school history – two shy of taking over sole possession of fifth place – while his 16 career rushing touchdowns rank ninth in school history among quarterbacks.

NEARING 1,000
• Avery Johnson has rushed for 963 yards in his career, just 37 yards shy of becoming the seventh K-State quarterback to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
• Johnson has averaged 5.07 yards on his 190 career rushes, which would rank eighth in school history if he had 10 more rushes to meet the minimum.
• When taking away sack yardage, Johnson has rushed for 1,108 yards on 173 true rushing attempts, good for a 6.40-yard clip.

FAVORITE TARGET
• Avery Johnson's favorite target to open the 2025 season has been wide receiver Jayce Brown, who has 25 receptions for 284 yards and two touchdowns over the first four games.
• Brown's 6.25 receptions per game this season rank 21st nationally and third in the Big 12.
• Brown hauled in 12 catches against North Dakota, which tied for the seventh-most catches in a single game in school history, doubled his previous career high of six (last year at Colorado) and were the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett had 13 in the final game of his career in the 2014 Alamo Bowl vs. UCLA.
• Brown tallied at least 100 scrimmage yards in the final two games of 2024 and in three of the first four games of 2025 after only one such performance in the first 21 games of his career.

CATCH STREAK
• Jayce Brown has recorded at least one reception in each of the last 25 games dating back to the 2023 Texas Tech contest.
• It is the 14th-longest active streak in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 behind Baylor's Kole Wilson (34 games), TCU's Joseph Manjack IV (30 games) and BYU's Chase Roberts (29 games).
• It is the longest streak by a Wildcat since Phillip Brooks went 25-straight games with a reception over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
• If he were to record a catch against UCF, Brown's streak would be the longest by a Wildcat since Deuce Vaughn held a 33-game streak that spanned from his first-career game in 2020 through the 10th game of 2022.
• A 26-game catch streak would be the longest by a K-State wide receiver since Curry Sexton also went 26-straight games, catching a pass in every game over the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Dalton Schoen had a catch in 31-straight games in which he played over the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, but he missed four games during that timeframe.

TO THE HOUSE
• Jayce Brown opened the second half at Arizona with a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to get the Wildcats back to within one score.
• His 75-yard run was the Wildcats' longest rush since Deuce Vaughn had an 88-yard score against Alabama in the 2022 Sugar Bowl.
• It was the longest rush by a K-State wide receiver since Malik Knowles had a 75-yard score on the first play from scrimmage of the 2022 season against South Dakota.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
CONTINUITY ON THE STAFF
• Each of the Wildcats' full-time coaches on the defensive side of the ball have been the same since 2020, as Kansas State and Iowa are the only two programs in the country to lay that claim.
• However, Iowa utilizes four positional coaches on defense, whereas K-State employs five.
• Safeties coach Joe Klanderman was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020, the same year that cornerbacks coach Van Malone was elevated to assistant head coach and Steve Stanard joined the staff to coach the linebackers. Defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo and defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt – along with Klanderman and Malone – were members of Chris Klieman's original staff at K-State in 2019.

LIMITED POINTS PER GAME
• Since the 2021 season (57 games), the Cats are allowing just 22.1 points per game, which ranks 27th nationally and third among current Big 12 teams.
• Additionally, the Cats have allowed 144 offensive touchdowns (2.5 per game) over that time to tie 18th among Power 4 schools (minimum 40 games).
• The Wildcats have finished each of the three previous seasons allowing less than 24.0 points per game, their longest streak since going 13-straight years from 1991 through 2003.
• Since head coach Chris Klieman's first year of 2019, the Wildcats have held 42 of their 54 Big 12 opponents under their season average at the time it faces the Wildcats (excluding 2025 season opener against Iowa State).

CREATING TURNOVERS
• Since the beginning of 2022, K-State has forced 67 turnovers, which is tied for the most among active Big 12 teams and 13th among Power 4 teams.
• Of the 66 turnovers, 40 have been via interception to tie for fourth among all active Big 12 programs and tie for 20th among Power 4 teams.

JUMPING ON THE BALL
• Although the Wildcats only have one interception through the first four games of 2025, K-State has had a propensity for falling on fumbles this season as it ranks seventh nationally and is tied for first in the Big 12 with four fumble recoveries.
• The four fumble recoveries this season are the most through the first four games of a season since 2017 when that squad also fell on four fumbles. Last year, the Wildcats only had five fumble recoveries in 13 games.
• K-State's four recoveries this season have come from four different players. Austin Romaine and Chiddi Obiazor each had one in the season opener against Iowa State, Tobi Osunsanmi recovered one against North Dakota, and long snapper Mason Olguin recovered a muffed punt at Arizona.

GETTING TO THE QUARTERBACK
• K-State finished the 2024 season ranked 25th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 2.69 sacks per game.
• It was the Wildcats' best national ranking since 2015 (No. 9) and highest sacks-per-game mark since 2020 (2.80).
• Kansas State's 35 sacks a year ago resulted in 249 lost yards, which ranked 11th in the Power 4 and first in the Big 12.
• It was the most sack yardage by the Wildcats since 2003 (345) and tied for the fifth most by any K-State team in the Big 12 era (since 1996).
• After starting out the 2025 season by recording seven sacks in its first two games, K-State has only recorded two in its two most recent games.

ROMAINE LEADING THE WAY
• After leading the Wildcats in tackles last season en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors, linebacker Austin Romaine is back at it again in 2025.
• A product of Hillsboro, Missouri, Romaine has a team-leading 37 tackles, ranking 22nd in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 with 9.3 tackles per game. The junior has collected 5.75 solo tackles per game through four contests to rank 11th nationally and first in the conference.
• Romaine has at least eight tackles in every game this season, including a pair of 10-tackle performances against North Dakota and Army.
• Last season, Romaine led the Wildcats and ranked ninth in the conference with 96 tackles (7.38 per game). He was the first Wildcat with at least 90 tackles in a season since Jayd Kirby had 99 in 2017.

SENIOR STANDOUT
• Ranking second in the tackle department is senior Des Purnell, who has totaled 28 stops this season, including 5.00 solo tackles per game to rank 26th in the country and third in the Big 12.
• A native of Topeka, Kansas, Purnell recorded a career-high 10 tackles against Army and topped that mark six days later with 11 stops at Arizona.

BREAKING UP THE PASS
• Sophomore cornerback Zashon Rich has five pass breakups in four games this season to tie for eighth in the country and first in the Big 12.
• His five pass breakups are already two shy of the top mark by a Wildcat last year. Jacob Parrish had seven pass deflections in 2024 before going on to be selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• The Wildcats continue to lead the nation in total kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005 with 63, which is 23 more than the next closest team in Alabama (40) and 29 more than the next closest Big 12 programs, Oklahoma State and TCU (34).
• Of the 63 total returns, a nation-leading 32 are on kickoff returns, and the next closest team is Houston with 21.

TO THE HOUSE
• Redshirt freshman Bryce Noernberg returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Army. It was Kansas State's first kickoff-return score since Malik Knowles went 93 yards against Oklahoma in 2021.
• Noernberg's return was the longest by a Wildcat since Knowles went 99 yards earlier in the 2021 season at Oklahoma State.
• A product of Olathe, Kansas, who was a quarterback at Olathe South High School, Noernberg recorded Kansas State's 12th kickoff return of at least 99 yards.
• Noernberg holds a 33.9-yard average on his 10 kickoff returns this season, which ranks 10th in the nation.

EIGHT STRAIGHT
• With Garrett Harstad's blocked punt at Arizona, K-State has now blocked a punt in eight-straight seasons, which is the longest streak in the nation.
• San Diego State is next on the list with seven-straight years, while Iowa State, Oregon State, Rutgers and South Carolina are tied for third with five-consecutive years.

RODRIGUEZ FROM DISTANCE
• Due to injuries at kicker late in the summer, the Wildcats scrambled to find a replacement for the 2025 season, and they landed community-college transfer Luis Rodriguez from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.
• After arriving in Manhattan just as preseason practices commenced, all Rodriguez has done over his first four games is connect on all four field goal and 11 extra-point attempts.
• At Arizona, Rodriguez opened the game's scoring by connecting on a season-long 51-yard field goal. It tied for the 25th-longest field goal in school history and was the longest in a road game since Ty Zentner was true on a 53-yarder at West Virginia in 2022.
• Rodriguez came to K-State after being named to the 2024 California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) All-America Team. In his lone season playing for the Cougars, he was true on 21-of-25 field goals with a long of 54 yards, while he connected on 31-of-34 extra points.

HIGH AVERAGE BY McCLANNAN
• Sophomore punter Simon McClannan has gotten off to a great start in 2025, ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a 43.5-yard average on 15 punts. His high average is due to five punts that have traveled at least 50 yards, which is tied for third in the Big 12. Last year, McClannan only had six punts of 50 or more yards over 13 games.
• A native of Omaha, Nebraska, McClannan recorded a career-best 50.8-yard average on five punts at Arizona, the eighth highest single-game average in the nation this season (minimum 4 punts).
• It was the first time a K-State punter averaged more than 50 yards per punt on at least four attempts since Ty Zentner had a 54.3-yard average against Missouri in 2022.
• McClannan enters his 20th-career game against UCF with a 42.61-yard average on 62 career punts, which would rank fifth in school history if he had 13 more punts to meet the minimum amount of attempts.

DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNS
• K-State has not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2013 season, going the last 155 games and 445 returns without allowing its opponent to find paydirt.
• The streak is the longest among the active Big 12 teams, 257 returns better than the next closest team (Arizona State – 188).
• Since K-State allowed its last kickoff-return touchdown, the Wildcats have scored 15 of their own.

– k-statesports.com –

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Players Mentioned

Jayce Brown

Dylan Edwards

Garrett Harstad

Sam Hecht

Damian Ilalio

Avery Johnson

Simon McClannan

Bryce Noernberg

Chiddi Obiazor

Mason Olguin

Tobi Osunsanmi

Jacob Parrish

Taylor Poitier

Zashon Rich

Luis Rodriguez

Austin Romaine

Cody Stufflebean

Kansas State University Athletics