Ready to Take the Next Step
Sep 15, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State is off to a flying start as it sails into its non-conference finale against Tulane. The Wildcats outscored their first two opponents 105-10 and rank 16th in the FBS in total offense and No. 2 nationally in total defense. In fact, they rank No. 1 in the FBS in 11 different statistical categories heading toward Saturday's 11:00 a.m. kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The "New-Old School" definitely carries an old-school flavor in the infant stages of the Collin Klein era, but the first-year head coach, a process-driven 36-year-old cut from the same cloth as Chris Klieman and Bill Snyder before him, continues to learn along the way despite the early lights-out success.
"There's definitely a model of, 'What's the framework we want to work from?'" Klein said at his weekly news conference on Monday. "I even talked to Coach Klieman a couple days before about kick range, wind, weather, timing of the game, analytics and possession time, and I said, 'Coach, how'd you work through all of this forever?' He said, 'I'm just going to tell you this: You have to trust your gut.' That's a big part of it.
"There's a framework that we're going to work from and that I believe in that's going to be very, very advantageous for sustained success and production, but there are going to be moments where we have to go with what we believe is right in that moment, and the factors we believe in."
So far, so — almost perfect.
Playing with 58 newcomers this season — the seventh most newcomers on any K-State team in history — the Wildcats posted the fourth-most points by a FBS team this season in a 71-3 rout of Nicholls and followed that with a 34-7 win over Washington State last Saturday. The Wildcats rank No. 2 in the FBS in going 19-of-27 on third down.
The Wildcats, traditionally physical and disciplined, rank No. 1 in the FBS in fewest penalties (three) and penalty yards (35) after two games.
Defensively, K-State in its first year under defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson, is garnering some old-school type of numbers, as the Wildcats haven't allowed an offensive touchdown in two games, and rank No. 1 in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game (47.5), No. 2 in total defense (144.0), No. 3 in scoring defense (5.0) and 12th in third-down defense (21.4%).
For the first time in 11 years, K-State hasn't allowed an offensive touchdown through the first two weeks of the season, and the Wildcats have allowed fewer than 200 yards of total offense to consecutive opponents for the first time since 2011. They are reaping such success in part by holding two-straight foes to less than 100 passing yards for the first time since 2000.
Washington State managed just 166 total yards, 10 first downs, went 2-for-12 on third down, and didn't score a point on offense against the Wildcats.
"Defensively, there was a really, really good effort there," Klein said. "There were some key tackles in some tough situations that got a really athletic quarterback on the ground and kept points off the board. I really enjoyed and it was a really good thing we had a lot of different guys producing. We had a lot of producers up front. Once you dive in, you see there's room for improvement.
"Their mindset coming out of the half was to finish the deal and they were motivated to do that. That mindset coming out of the half was really, really good on defense."
One player in particular who has keyed the defensive prowess has been linebacker Gabe Powers, a fifth-year player who transferred from Ohio State prior to last season, and who has a team-high nine tackles this season, including four against the Cougars. Powers also has two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries, and he most glaringly made a statement when he stuffed Washington State on a fourth-and-1 play inside K-State territory.
"There's a mentality," Klein said. "His football IQ is elite, and his processing speed is elite and his communication is elite. It's not even him making plays and getting himself into position to make plays, but he gets everybody else and makes a lot of things right around him as well, and his mentality, I mean, he went up and stuck that thing right at the line of scrimmage (on fourth-and-1), and it didn't get an inch. I couldn't be more proud of him.
"I don't know him as well having him transferred in when I wasn't here, and I've really enjoyed and respected how hard he works and cares about our program. To see that translate on the field isn't surprising."
Offensively, what K-State is getting out of junior running back Joe Jackson isn't surprising to Klein, either. Sophomore Rodney Fields Jr. is one of two transfers in the FBS with a pair of 100-yard rushing performances this season, but Klein bristles at the notion that Jackson has taken a step back after starting in a majority of the games last season and absolutely sizzling down the stretch.
In two games, Jackson has 17 carries for 106 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and one touchdown on the ground and six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns as well. He had 10 carries for 68 yards to go along with four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown against the Cougars. The 6-foot, 212-pounder is one of just seven running backs in the FBS with multiple touchdown catches this season, and he is also the first K-State running back to have touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons since Deuce Vaughn in 2022.
"I don't know what you mean by take a step back," Klein told a reporter. "He's absolutely crushing it, and he's a vital, vital main role on our team and on our offense. He didn't take the first snap, but that's the only thing. He's been extremely productive in the run game and passing game, and he's running with a ton of violence, and I love every second of it, because there's an edge to him and a mentality that even continues to grow, which is absolutely outstanding.
"He makes sure the guys are ready to play. They're all hungry and they carry the football with violence and hunger. He's an integral, main, main role to what we're doing."
On a team seemingly stacked with individual feel-good stories, fifth-year transfer wide receiver Brandon White, while listed at 5-foot-7 and 168 pounds, stands tall with a riveting tale of determination. White, who hadn't returned a punt since high school entering this season, currently ranks No. 5 in the FBS in punt-return touchdowns, No. 12 in punt-return average and 18th in combined kick returns. After posting K-State's first punt-return touchdown since 2024 with a 65-yarder against Nicholls, White took one return 62 yards against Washington State.
There were admittedly a couple anxious moments for White, as well, as he suffered a couple miscues while fielding punts against the Cougars.
"We have great confidence in him, or we wouldn't put him back there," Klein said. "On one, the wind was swirling really good and it carried on him a little bit. We understand and he understands that we cannot put the ball on the ground, and those are costly plays if heaven forbid, we don't recover those. That could be very, very painful. We believe in him to make the play and he's working incredibly hard to keep improving and working that skill, but he's a weapon and we believe in him."
One of the biggest weapons in K-State history continues to work with Klein to put together what could ultimately become one of the finest seasons ever by a K-State quarterback.
Avery Johnson in 28 starts is the fastest in K-State history to reach 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career — yardage milestones shared only by Ell Roberson and Skylar Thompson. This season, Johnson is 37-of-55 (67.3%) passing for 391 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has 12 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
He comes off a 22-of-34 passing performance for 192 yards in which he threw three touchdowns and suffered two interceptions, including one that resulted in a pick-six to end the first half against the Cougars.
"I've been really pleased with Avery," Klein said. "No one is going to be harder on him than me and nobody is going to see how high his ceiling is more than us in this building. He's really, really growing and has done some really, really nice things. We're not in that game in the position we were at in the end of the first half without Avery Johnson and the plays that he made to keep us in that game on third down with getting the ball out of his hands and extending plays with his legs and how he was competing and leading on the sideline — all of those things.
"It's the life of a quarterback, you know, and a couple plays can really put a tainting on a really good effort of almost 300 yards of production and 67% completions and three touchdowns and great leadership and competitive stamina through the ups and downs. I was really proud of him. All that being said, the exciting part is that while that's all really, really true and there are good things, there are things out there for him, and he knows that and we know that."
Johnson and K-State, 2-0, can take another step with a win over Tulane, 1-1, to wrap up the non-conference season on Saturday.
"What I've been most proud of and excited about is Avery's hunger to learn and get better," Klein said. "From a guy who's going to have a chance to probably break every record this place has ever had and competing and making the plays that he's making, to be able to have that type of hunger and mindset is really, really exciting for his future — and our future."
Kansas State is off to a flying start as it sails into its non-conference finale against Tulane. The Wildcats outscored their first two opponents 105-10 and rank 16th in the FBS in total offense and No. 2 nationally in total defense. In fact, they rank No. 1 in the FBS in 11 different statistical categories heading toward Saturday's 11:00 a.m. kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The "New-Old School" definitely carries an old-school flavor in the infant stages of the Collin Klein era, but the first-year head coach, a process-driven 36-year-old cut from the same cloth as Chris Klieman and Bill Snyder before him, continues to learn along the way despite the early lights-out success.
"There's definitely a model of, 'What's the framework we want to work from?'" Klein said at his weekly news conference on Monday. "I even talked to Coach Klieman a couple days before about kick range, wind, weather, timing of the game, analytics and possession time, and I said, 'Coach, how'd you work through all of this forever?' He said, 'I'm just going to tell you this: You have to trust your gut.' That's a big part of it.
"There's a framework that we're going to work from and that I believe in that's going to be very, very advantageous for sustained success and production, but there are going to be moments where we have to go with what we believe is right in that moment, and the factors we believe in."
So far, so — almost perfect.
Playing with 58 newcomers this season — the seventh most newcomers on any K-State team in history — the Wildcats posted the fourth-most points by a FBS team this season in a 71-3 rout of Nicholls and followed that with a 34-7 win over Washington State last Saturday. The Wildcats rank No. 2 in the FBS in going 19-of-27 on third down.
The Wildcats, traditionally physical and disciplined, rank No. 1 in the FBS in fewest penalties (three) and penalty yards (35) after two games.
Defensively, K-State in its first year under defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson, is garnering some old-school type of numbers, as the Wildcats haven't allowed an offensive touchdown in two games, and rank No. 1 in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game (47.5), No. 2 in total defense (144.0), No. 3 in scoring defense (5.0) and 12th in third-down defense (21.4%).
For the first time in 11 years, K-State hasn't allowed an offensive touchdown through the first two weeks of the season, and the Wildcats have allowed fewer than 200 yards of total offense to consecutive opponents for the first time since 2011. They are reaping such success in part by holding two-straight foes to less than 100 passing yards for the first time since 2000.
Washington State managed just 166 total yards, 10 first downs, went 2-for-12 on third down, and didn't score a point on offense against the Wildcats.
"Defensively, there was a really, really good effort there," Klein said. "There were some key tackles in some tough situations that got a really athletic quarterback on the ground and kept points off the board. I really enjoyed and it was a really good thing we had a lot of different guys producing. We had a lot of producers up front. Once you dive in, you see there's room for improvement.
"Their mindset coming out of the half was to finish the deal and they were motivated to do that. That mindset coming out of the half was really, really good on defense."
One player in particular who has keyed the defensive prowess has been linebacker Gabe Powers, a fifth-year player who transferred from Ohio State prior to last season, and who has a team-high nine tackles this season, including four against the Cougars. Powers also has two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries, and he most glaringly made a statement when he stuffed Washington State on a fourth-and-1 play inside K-State territory.
"There's a mentality," Klein said. "His football IQ is elite, and his processing speed is elite and his communication is elite. It's not even him making plays and getting himself into position to make plays, but he gets everybody else and makes a lot of things right around him as well, and his mentality, I mean, he went up and stuck that thing right at the line of scrimmage (on fourth-and-1), and it didn't get an inch. I couldn't be more proud of him.
"I don't know him as well having him transferred in when I wasn't here, and I've really enjoyed and respected how hard he works and cares about our program. To see that translate on the field isn't surprising."
Offensively, what K-State is getting out of junior running back Joe Jackson isn't surprising to Klein, either. Sophomore Rodney Fields Jr. is one of two transfers in the FBS with a pair of 100-yard rushing performances this season, but Klein bristles at the notion that Jackson has taken a step back after starting in a majority of the games last season and absolutely sizzling down the stretch.
In two games, Jackson has 17 carries for 106 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and one touchdown on the ground and six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns as well. He had 10 carries for 68 yards to go along with four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown against the Cougars. The 6-foot, 212-pounder is one of just seven running backs in the FBS with multiple touchdown catches this season, and he is also the first K-State running back to have touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons since Deuce Vaughn in 2022.
"I don't know what you mean by take a step back," Klein told a reporter. "He's absolutely crushing it, and he's a vital, vital main role on our team and on our offense. He didn't take the first snap, but that's the only thing. He's been extremely productive in the run game and passing game, and he's running with a ton of violence, and I love every second of it, because there's an edge to him and a mentality that even continues to grow, which is absolutely outstanding.
"He makes sure the guys are ready to play. They're all hungry and they carry the football with violence and hunger. He's an integral, main, main role to what we're doing."
On a team seemingly stacked with individual feel-good stories, fifth-year transfer wide receiver Brandon White, while listed at 5-foot-7 and 168 pounds, stands tall with a riveting tale of determination. White, who hadn't returned a punt since high school entering this season, currently ranks No. 5 in the FBS in punt-return touchdowns, No. 12 in punt-return average and 18th in combined kick returns. After posting K-State's first punt-return touchdown since 2024 with a 65-yarder against Nicholls, White took one return 62 yards against Washington State.
There were admittedly a couple anxious moments for White, as well, as he suffered a couple miscues while fielding punts against the Cougars.
"We have great confidence in him, or we wouldn't put him back there," Klein said. "On one, the wind was swirling really good and it carried on him a little bit. We understand and he understands that we cannot put the ball on the ground, and those are costly plays if heaven forbid, we don't recover those. That could be very, very painful. We believe in him to make the play and he's working incredibly hard to keep improving and working that skill, but he's a weapon and we believe in him."
One of the biggest weapons in K-State history continues to work with Klein to put together what could ultimately become one of the finest seasons ever by a K-State quarterback.
Avery Johnson in 28 starts is the fastest in K-State history to reach 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career — yardage milestones shared only by Ell Roberson and Skylar Thompson. This season, Johnson is 37-of-55 (67.3%) passing for 391 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has 12 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
He comes off a 22-of-34 passing performance for 192 yards in which he threw three touchdowns and suffered two interceptions, including one that resulted in a pick-six to end the first half against the Cougars.
"I've been really pleased with Avery," Klein said. "No one is going to be harder on him than me and nobody is going to see how high his ceiling is more than us in this building. He's really, really growing and has done some really, really nice things. We're not in that game in the position we were at in the end of the first half without Avery Johnson and the plays that he made to keep us in that game on third down with getting the ball out of his hands and extending plays with his legs and how he was competing and leading on the sideline — all of those things.
"It's the life of a quarterback, you know, and a couple plays can really put a tainting on a really good effort of almost 300 yards of production and 67% completions and three touchdowns and great leadership and competitive stamina through the ups and downs. I was really proud of him. All that being said, the exciting part is that while that's all really, really true and there are good things, there are things out there for him, and he knows that and we know that."
Johnson and K-State, 2-0, can take another step with a win over Tulane, 1-1, to wrap up the non-conference season on Saturday.
"What I've been most proud of and excited about is Avery's hunger to learn and get better," Klein said. "From a guy who's going to have a chance to probably break every record this place has ever had and competing and making the plays that he's making, to be able to have that type of hunger and mindset is really, really exciting for his future — and our future."
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