K-State Travels to Take on Baylor

Game 6
K-State at Baylor
Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Location: Waco, Texas
Stadium: McLane Stadium (45,140)
Series: K-State Leads, 11-10
TV: ESPN+ (Watch)
            Pete Sousa (Play-by-Play)
            Legar Douzable (Analyst)
            Tori Petry (Sidelines)
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. 382, and on the SiriusXM App
Big 12 Radio on TuneIn
X Updates: @KStateFB and @KStateStatsInfo

THE TOP 5
1) Coming off a big 34-20 home win over UCF, Kansas State will head back on the road when the Wildcats travel to take on Baylor on Saturday inside McLane Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 a.m., and will be shown on ESPN+ with Pete Sousa (play-by-play), Legar Douzable (analyst) and Tori Petry (sidelines) on the call.

2) Each of Kansas State's first four games this season were 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 20th-career start under center having thrown for 1,019 yards and eight touchdowns through the first five games. His favorite target has been wide receiver Jayce Brown, who has 25 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Brown ranks sixth in the Big 12 in receptions per game (5.00), while he has a catch in 25 of his last 26 games dating back to 2023.

4) Linebackers Austin Romaine and Des Purnell lead the Wildcats in tackles with 41 and 29, respectively. Romaine ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 8.2 tackles per game, while his average of 5.20 solo tackles per game ranks 21st in the nation and third in the Big 12. Cornerback Zashon Rich is tied for the Big 12 lead with six pass breakups, and the Wildcats rank seventh in the country with five 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 6-for-6 on field goal attempts and 15-for-15 on extra points. Punter Simon McClannan ranks third in the Big 12 with a 45.1-yard average. Bryce Noernberg returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score against Army, and Garrett Harstad blocked a punt at Arizona.

STATISTICAL SPOTLIGHTS
266 – Rushing yards vs. UCF, the most in a game this season. The Wildcats had over 200 rushing yards eight times last year.
8 – Consecutive years K-State has blocked at least one punt, the longest streak in the nation.
5 – Quarterbacks in school history to passing for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards, the newest one being Avery Johnson.
2 – Players that reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in their careers vs. UCF – Dylan Edwards and Avery Johnson.
1.46 – Sacks per game allowed by K-State since the beginning of 2019, tied for the sixth-best mark among Power 4 teams.

TEAM NOTES
RECENT RECAP
• Kansas State took advantage of the first of three bye weeks in the 2025 season, improving to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play with a 34-20 win over UCF last Saturday.
• It was a solid all-around performance as the offense rushed for 266 yards – including 166 yards from Dylan Edwards – Avery Johnson threw for two scores, and the defense forced three UCF turnovers en route to the win.
• Four of K-State's five 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 ON THE ROAD IN BIG 12
• K-State will hit the road in Big 12 play for the first time this week. The Wildcats are 2-4 under head coach Chris Klieman in their first league road game with both wins being victories over ranked Oklahoma teams in 2020 (No. 3) and 2022 (No. 6).

ANOTHER MORNING CONTEST
• Saturday's game against Baylor is the second-straight 11 a.m. contest, but prior to that, it had been almost exactly one year to the day since the Cats played in the early window.
• The last time the Wildcats had played a game that kicked off at 11 a.m., was a 42-20 home victory over Oklahoma State on September 28, 2024.
• 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 18 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 among Power 4 teams. Second on the list is Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, NC State and Ole Miss with three apiece.

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 first among current Big 12 programs with 30 total wins since the beginning of 2022.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
• K-State has a total of 233 victories since 1996, which ranks 22nd nationally.
• Among active Big 12 teams, the Wildcats rank fourth behind BYU (243), TCU (241) and Utah (237).

A WINNING TRADITION
• Kansas State has totaled 145 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 59.4% (76-52), trailing only Oklahoma State (60.6%; 77-50).
• During that stretch, the Wildcats are 43-21 (67.2%) 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 122-44 career record, as his 73.5% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches that have completed at least 10 seasons. He is also one of just 16 current Power 4 full-time head coaches with at least 100 career victories.
• Klieman, who is 50-31 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 Baylor ranked fourth nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.00) and 11th in fewest penalty yards per game (30.80).
• Since 2022, the Wildcats have averaged 42.60 penalty yards per game (46 games) to rank seventh 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 35 of the last 45 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season.
• The 35 games with at least 375 yards are tied for seventh among Power 4 programs and ranks second among Big 12 schools.
• Georgia and USC lead the way with 39, followed by Oregon (38), Ole Miss (37), TCU (37) and Texas (36).
• During that stretch, K-State holds a 28-7 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 a 90.1% (281-of-312) success rate in the red zone since 2019, just ahead of Texas Tech (88.1%) and Oklahoma State (87.6%).
• K-State also ranks first in the league in touchdown success rate at 67.0% (209-of-312), ahead of Utah (65.8%) and Kansas (65.7%).

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 among Power 4 teams and second in the Big 12 by allowing only 1.46 sacks per game over the last six-plus seasons, a span of 81 games.

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

4,000/1,000
• Quarterback Avery Johnson became the fifth quarterback in program history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career as he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark against UCF.

AVERY 1K
• Avery Johnson achieved a career milestone against UCF by eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark, becoming the seventh quarterback in school history to hit that mark.
• A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson needs 50 yards to move into fifth place in school history in career rushing yards among quarterbacks.
• Johnson has averaged 5.14 yards on his 202 career rushes, ranking eighth in school history among all players in yards per attempt, while he is second among quarterbacks (Jesse Ertz, 2014-17 – 5.46).
• When taking away sack yardage, Johnson has rushed for 1,190 yards on 184 true rushing attempts, good for a 6.47-yard clip.

VERY RESPONSIBLE
• Avery Johnson has been responsible for 54 total touchdowns in his 26 career games played to rank ninth in school history.
• His career total is tied for 28th nationally among active players but ranks sixth among non-seniors.
• A native of Wichita, Kansas, Johnson has 38 career passing touchdowns to rank fifth in school history, while his 16 career rushing touchdowns rank ninth in program history among quarterbacks.

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 5.00 receptions per game this season rank sixth in the Big 12.
• Brown hauled in 12 catches against North Dakota, which tied for the seventh-most 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 five games of 2025 after only one such performance in the first 21 games of his career.

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.

THE RETURN OF EDWARDS
• Kansas State received a boost against UCF as running back Dylan Edwards played in his first full game of the season, rushing for 166 yards and one touchdown.
• It was the second-most rushing yards of his career, just behind a 196-yard output against Rutgers in the 2024 Rate Bowl.
• His rushing output against the Knights was highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the longest rush of his career. His previous long rush was a 65-yard touchdown in last year's Rate Bowl.
• Paired with Jayce Brown's 75-yard run in the previous contest at Arizona, it marked the first time in school history that the Wildcats had a rush of at least 75 yards in consecutive games.

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 (58 games), the Cats are allowing just 22.4 points per game, which ranks third among current Big 12 teams.
• Additionally, the Cats have allowed 146 offensive touchdowns (2.5 per game) over that time to tie for 19th among Power 4 schools (minimum 40 games).
• The Wildcats have finished each of the previous three 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 43 of their 55 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 70 turnovers, which is tied for the most among active Big 12 teams and 11th among Power 4 teams.
• Of the 70 turnovers, 42 have been via interception to rank fourth among all active Big 12 programs and 22nd among Power 4 teams.

JUMPING ON THE BALL
• The Wildcats have three interceptions through the first five games of 2025, but K-State has done the most damage in the turnover department by falling on fumbles as it ranks seventh nationally and is tied for first in the Big 12 with five recoveries.
• The five fumble recoveries this season are the most through the first five games of a season since the 2017 team also had five recoveries to open the season. Last year, the Wildcats only had five fumble recoveries in 13 games.
• K-State's five recoveries this season have come from five different players. Austin Romaine and Chiddi Obiazor each had one in the season opener against Iowa State, Tobi Osunsanmi recovered one against North Dakota, long snapper Mason Olguin recovered a muffed punt at Arizona and Justice Clemons had one against UCF.

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).
• K-State recorded seven sacks in its first two games before being shut out against Army. The Wildcats came back with two sacks at Arizona and three more against UCF.

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 41 tackles, ranking fifth in the Big 12 with 8.2 tackles per game. The junior has collected 5.20 solo tackles per game through five contests to rank 21st nationally and third in the conference.
• Romaine has at least eight tackles in four of five games 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 29 stops this season.
• 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.

FROM LB TO DE
• Junior Tobi Osunsanmi has made the most of his transition from linebacker to defensive end earlier in his career as he leads the Wildcats and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 4.0 sacks this season (0.80 per game).
• A native of Wichita, Kansas, Osunsanmi began the year with a pair of sacks against Iowa State and added one apiece against North Dakota and UCF.
• Osunsanmi entered the 2025 season with 4.5 career sacks, including 3.5 last season.

BREAKING UP THE PASS
• Sophomore cornerback Zashon Rich has six pass breakups in four games this season to tie for sixth in the country and first in the Big 12.
• His six pass breakups are already one 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.
• A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rich added to his repertoire last week against UCF when he had a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss, including his first-career sack.

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 32.3-yard average on his 12 kickoff returns this season, which ranks seventh in the nation and seventh in school history.

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, South Carolina and Toledo 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, and they landed community-college transfer Luis Rodriguez from College of the Canyons.
• After arriving in Manhattan just as preseason practices commenced, all Rodriguez has done over his first four games is connect on all six field goal and 15 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 third in the Big 12 with a 45.1-yard average on 19 punts. His high average is due to seven punts that have traveled at least 50 yards, which is tied for second 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 and came back with a 51.0-yard average on four punts against UCF.
• He is one of four punters in the nation with an average of at least 50.0 yards (minimum 4 attempts) in multiple games, joining Western Kentucky's Cole Maynard, Oklahoma's Grayson Miller and Eastern Michigan's Mitchell Tomasek.
• It is the first time in the Big 12 era that Kansas State had a punter average at least 50.0 yards on at least four punts in consecutive games.
• McClannan enters his 21st-career game at Baylor with a 43.12-yard average on 66 career punts, which would rank fourth in school history if he had nine more punts to meet the minimum amount of attempts. His 45.05-yard average this season would rank second if he had six more punts to reach the minimum.

DEFENSE ON KICK RETURNS
• K-State has not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2013 season, going the last 156 games and 448 returns without allowing its opponent to find paydirt.
• The streak is the longest among the active Big 12 teams, 259 returns better than the next closest team (Arizona State – 189).
• 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

Justice Clemons

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