Striving to Continue Being a Fast and Physical Team
Sep 18, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State seeks a little payback when it hosts Tulane on Saturday.
The Wildcats are 2-0 and seethe with momentum as the infancy of the Collin Klein era has featured a high-powered offense, a dominant defense, and a potent special teams effort in whipping Nicholls (71-3) and Washington State (34-7) the first two weeks of the 2026 season.
K-State leads the FBS in 11 different statistical categories and has the attention of Tulane first-year head coach Will Hall as the Green Wave, 1-1, visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff Saturday in Manhattan.
"Man, they dominated their first two games," Hall said. "Like, I mean, the games were not even close. They're good. It's a tremendous challenge for us."
K-State snared a 34-27 win at Tulane in 2024, but bitterness still lingers from a 17-10 loss to the Green Wave in Manhattan in 2022. K-State, the eventual 2022 Big 12 Champion, entered the game as a two-touchdown favorite, but Tulane picked up its first road victory over a Power-5 conference school since 2010.
Although four years have passed and K-State and Tulane have new coaches and embark upon new eras, K-State head coach Collin Klein, who served as offensive coordinator under Chris Klieman in 2022 and 2023, remembers the game in 2022 very well.
Asked in his weekly news conference if he had thought about the 2022 meeting against Tulane, Klein, short and to the point, replied, "No doubt."
![]()
Tulane has won 19 of its last 25 road games, a total that leads the FBS since the beginning of the 2022 season. The Green Wave also own the nation's longest streak in winning their last eight games that have been decided by eight points or less.
They assuredly have the attention of the Wildcats, who are 87-10 in regular-season non-conference home games since 1990, and who would like nothing more than to finish their non-conference season unblemished before opening their Big 12 Conference slate at Cincinnati.
"I know they're going to be a tough team, come here, and we're a tough team," K-State running back Joe Jackson said. "We're just going to come out and give it our best, keep it about us, and always know they're going to bring their best punch, and we have to bring our best punch."
Tulane opened its season by scoring its fewest points in a game since 2016 in a 17-3 loss at Duke that spoiled the debut for Hall, the former Southern Mississippi head coach who was elevated to head coach from the Green Wave's offensive staff after Jon Sumrall left for Florida. Tulane managed 258 total yards and converted 3-of-14 third downs, and it switched from starting quarterback Zeon Chriss-Gremillion to Kadin Semonza at halftime in search of a spark.
Tulane, which reached the College Football Playoff last year, posted just 54 yards rushing and committed 15 penalties for 104 yards with many of those negating quality gains.
However, Tulane rebounded last Saturday as Jaylin Lucas ran for a career-high 214 yards and Semonza connected with Destyn Hill on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter for a wild 28-24 win over South Alabama in which the lead changed hands on each of the last five touchdowns.
Hall, who was encouraged by his team's best Tuesday practice of the season this week, and who added that his defense had 20% fewer missed tackles against South Alabama than it did against Duke, still knows there's more improvement to be made for the Green Wave's tough test in Manhattan.
"We have to play better and have to play really well," Hall said. "We know that. We had the best Tuesday practice we've had this season, which was great to see. Our young men are starting to realize who we are in all three phases and what we have to do to improve.
"We have to get better at tackling and must be more consistent offensively, and we've got to be better on special teams. We've had some good moments, but not a consistent game yet. In all the phases, we have to put it all together. You're either growing or you're dying. We have to understand that every day is an opportunity to grow."
Lucas, a transfer from Florida State who also played at Indiana, had 11 carries that included a 54-yard run and an 80-yard touchdown after getting just three carries in the season opener at Duke. Lucas' average of 19.5 yards per carry against South Alabama set a new American Conference record in a game with a minimum of 10 carries.
Tulane has won 37 of its last 40 games when outrushing its opponent.
"The offensive line has to play well, the tight ends have to play well, and the quarterback has to make the right checks," Hall said. "It's a credit to the young men around Jaylin that gave him a little space, and that's all Jaylin needs — is space. All those backs are really good. It was Jaylin's night and he took advantage of that opportunity."
Now Tulane braces for one of the nation's top defenses in this early season.
K-State ranks second in the FBS in allowing just 144.5 total yards, third in surrendering just 5.0 points per game, first in allowing just 47.5 passing yards, and 48th in giving up 96.5 rushing yards per contest.
Tulane ranks 108th in total yards (341.0), 130th in scoring offense (15.5), 88th in passing offense (208.0), and 103rd in rushing offense (133.0).
"They're extremely sound," Hall said. "They know what they're doing all the time, and they know where they are. They have a dynamic pass rusher in No. 1 (Wendell Gregory) and No. 6 (Darien Whitaker) is good as well. They complement each other well and play hard. They've played well, kept it in front of them, have tackled well, and have generated the pass rush in known passing situations. They've gotten a lead, and when you get a lead, it allows you to play more aggressively defensively, and it allows you to pin your ears back a little more."
There's a sense of pride among K-State players that the defense has allowed just three points in two games. K-State also has held consecutive opponents to fewer than 200 yards of total offense for the first time since 2011.
"We're going out there playing fast, physical, and everybody is doing their job," K-State linebacker Rex Van Wyhe said. "That's the biggest thing, you do your job, play fast, get guys going after the ball, and that's how you give up three points in two games."
Meanwhile, K-State has had little trouble putting points on the scoreboard.
K-State's 16th-ranked offense that racks up 523.0 total yards and that ranks 10th with 52.5 points per game will face Tulane's 120th-ranked defense that allows 429.5 yards and that ranks 68th in giving up 20.5 points per game.
Senior Avery Johnson leads the way with the second-most consecutive starts by a quarterback (28) in school history and he needs just 33 passing yards to become just the seventh active player in the FBS to reach 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Johnson has led K-State to 18 victories, which ranks sixth among K-State quarterbacks since 1990.
Johnson is completing a career-high 67.3% of his passes for 391 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while enjoying a 155.7 passing efficiency rating that's the best of his career, and he has 12 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
He has completed passes to nine different targets so far with senior Missouri transfer Josh Manning leading the way with 13 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
"The first read is the deep ball, but if it's not there, it really opens up a lot of stuff, open passes, and if they're going to key in on taking the deep ball, we're going to take what the defense gives us 10 out of 10 times," said K-State wide receiver Jaron Tibbs, who has six catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. "Coach Klein does a really good job of scheming defenses and their weak spots, and if linebackers and safeties get nosy, he knows where to direct their eyes to have guys wide open."
Hall, a self-proclaimed fan of Bill Snyder, and who credited the former Hall-of-Fame head coach with being one of the first to utilize the running quarterback with Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson, and later Klein, has much respect for Johnson's dual-threat abilities.
"Oh man. He's very experienced, very dynamic and explosive," Hall said. "He's won a lot of games there. He's unbelievable outside the pocket, he's unbelievable in the run game. We have to have our eyes right, be assignment sound, and we have to wrap and squeeze."
As if Tulane didn't have its hands full with pass-catching targets, the Green Wave must try to slow down one of the best rushing attacks in the FBS.
Keyed by junior Oklahoma State transfer Rodney Fields Jr. and Jackson, K-State ranks eighth in the nation while racking up 303.5 yards on the ground per game.
Tulane ranks 131st against the run in giving up 216.0 rushing yards.
Fields went for 101 yards against Nicholls and 105 yards against Washington State and is one of two transfers in the nation to open the 2026 season with two 100-yard games. Fields ranks 13th nationally with 7.63 yards per carry and has six runs of 10 or more yards, which is tied for fifth in the country.
Jackson, a senior who was so explosive down the stretch last season with a school-record 293-yard rushing effort at No. 12 Utah, is shining as both a rusher and a receiver to begin 2026. He followed up a 7-carry, 38-yard, 1-touchdown game against Nicholls with a 10-carry, 68-yard performance against Washington State. Jackson, who ranks seventh in school history with 5.37 yards per carry, is one of just seven running backs in the FBS with multiple touchdown catches this season. He had a 43-yard touchdown reception against Nicholls and a 21-yard score through the air against Washington State.
For all of K-State's early success, Jackson contends that there's more "meat on the bones."
"We can't get tired of doing the small things and can never get comfortable or relaxed," Jackson said. "These last two weeks that's something we've gotten to the point of doing. I don't know when exactly in the game, but sometimes in the game we've gotten to the point of getting relaxed at times and end up leaving a lot of meat on the bones when we get to that point.
"That's something we can't do if we're going to be the football team that we preached we're going to be."
On Saturday against Tulane, Klein and the Wildcats would like to leave no doubt.
Kansas State seeks a little payback when it hosts Tulane on Saturday.
The Wildcats are 2-0 and seethe with momentum as the infancy of the Collin Klein era has featured a high-powered offense, a dominant defense, and a potent special teams effort in whipping Nicholls (71-3) and Washington State (34-7) the first two weeks of the 2026 season.
K-State leads the FBS in 11 different statistical categories and has the attention of Tulane first-year head coach Will Hall as the Green Wave, 1-1, visit Bill Snyder Family Stadium for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff Saturday in Manhattan.
"Man, they dominated their first two games," Hall said. "Like, I mean, the games were not even close. They're good. It's a tremendous challenge for us."
K-State snared a 34-27 win at Tulane in 2024, but bitterness still lingers from a 17-10 loss to the Green Wave in Manhattan in 2022. K-State, the eventual 2022 Big 12 Champion, entered the game as a two-touchdown favorite, but Tulane picked up its first road victory over a Power-5 conference school since 2010.
Although four years have passed and K-State and Tulane have new coaches and embark upon new eras, K-State head coach Collin Klein, who served as offensive coordinator under Chris Klieman in 2022 and 2023, remembers the game in 2022 very well.
Asked in his weekly news conference if he had thought about the 2022 meeting against Tulane, Klein, short and to the point, replied, "No doubt."
Tulane has won 19 of its last 25 road games, a total that leads the FBS since the beginning of the 2022 season. The Green Wave also own the nation's longest streak in winning their last eight games that have been decided by eight points or less.
They assuredly have the attention of the Wildcats, who are 87-10 in regular-season non-conference home games since 1990, and who would like nothing more than to finish their non-conference season unblemished before opening their Big 12 Conference slate at Cincinnati.
"I know they're going to be a tough team, come here, and we're a tough team," K-State running back Joe Jackson said. "We're just going to come out and give it our best, keep it about us, and always know they're going to bring their best punch, and we have to bring our best punch."
Tulane opened its season by scoring its fewest points in a game since 2016 in a 17-3 loss at Duke that spoiled the debut for Hall, the former Southern Mississippi head coach who was elevated to head coach from the Green Wave's offensive staff after Jon Sumrall left for Florida. Tulane managed 258 total yards and converted 3-of-14 third downs, and it switched from starting quarterback Zeon Chriss-Gremillion to Kadin Semonza at halftime in search of a spark.
Tulane, which reached the College Football Playoff last year, posted just 54 yards rushing and committed 15 penalties for 104 yards with many of those negating quality gains.
However, Tulane rebounded last Saturday as Jaylin Lucas ran for a career-high 214 yards and Semonza connected with Destyn Hill on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter for a wild 28-24 win over South Alabama in which the lead changed hands on each of the last five touchdowns.
Hall, who was encouraged by his team's best Tuesday practice of the season this week, and who added that his defense had 20% fewer missed tackles against South Alabama than it did against Duke, still knows there's more improvement to be made for the Green Wave's tough test in Manhattan.
"We have to play better and have to play really well," Hall said. "We know that. We had the best Tuesday practice we've had this season, which was great to see. Our young men are starting to realize who we are in all three phases and what we have to do to improve.
"We have to get better at tackling and must be more consistent offensively, and we've got to be better on special teams. We've had some good moments, but not a consistent game yet. In all the phases, we have to put it all together. You're either growing or you're dying. We have to understand that every day is an opportunity to grow."
Lucas, a transfer from Florida State who also played at Indiana, had 11 carries that included a 54-yard run and an 80-yard touchdown after getting just three carries in the season opener at Duke. Lucas' average of 19.5 yards per carry against South Alabama set a new American Conference record in a game with a minimum of 10 carries.
Tulane has won 37 of its last 40 games when outrushing its opponent.
"The offensive line has to play well, the tight ends have to play well, and the quarterback has to make the right checks," Hall said. "It's a credit to the young men around Jaylin that gave him a little space, and that's all Jaylin needs — is space. All those backs are really good. It was Jaylin's night and he took advantage of that opportunity."
Now Tulane braces for one of the nation's top defenses in this early season.
K-State ranks second in the FBS in allowing just 144.5 total yards, third in surrendering just 5.0 points per game, first in allowing just 47.5 passing yards, and 48th in giving up 96.5 rushing yards per contest.
Tulane ranks 108th in total yards (341.0), 130th in scoring offense (15.5), 88th in passing offense (208.0), and 103rd in rushing offense (133.0).
"They're extremely sound," Hall said. "They know what they're doing all the time, and they know where they are. They have a dynamic pass rusher in No. 1 (Wendell Gregory) and No. 6 (Darien Whitaker) is good as well. They complement each other well and play hard. They've played well, kept it in front of them, have tackled well, and have generated the pass rush in known passing situations. They've gotten a lead, and when you get a lead, it allows you to play more aggressively defensively, and it allows you to pin your ears back a little more."
There's a sense of pride among K-State players that the defense has allowed just three points in two games. K-State also has held consecutive opponents to fewer than 200 yards of total offense for the first time since 2011.
"We're going out there playing fast, physical, and everybody is doing their job," K-State linebacker Rex Van Wyhe said. "That's the biggest thing, you do your job, play fast, get guys going after the ball, and that's how you give up three points in two games."
Meanwhile, K-State has had little trouble putting points on the scoreboard.
K-State's 16th-ranked offense that racks up 523.0 total yards and that ranks 10th with 52.5 points per game will face Tulane's 120th-ranked defense that allows 429.5 yards and that ranks 68th in giving up 20.5 points per game.
Senior Avery Johnson leads the way with the second-most consecutive starts by a quarterback (28) in school history and he needs just 33 passing yards to become just the seventh active player in the FBS to reach 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career. Johnson has led K-State to 18 victories, which ranks sixth among K-State quarterbacks since 1990.
Johnson is completing a career-high 67.3% of his passes for 391 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while enjoying a 155.7 passing efficiency rating that's the best of his career, and he has 12 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
He has completed passes to nine different targets so far with senior Missouri transfer Josh Manning leading the way with 13 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
"The first read is the deep ball, but if it's not there, it really opens up a lot of stuff, open passes, and if they're going to key in on taking the deep ball, we're going to take what the defense gives us 10 out of 10 times," said K-State wide receiver Jaron Tibbs, who has six catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. "Coach Klein does a really good job of scheming defenses and their weak spots, and if linebackers and safeties get nosy, he knows where to direct their eyes to have guys wide open."
Hall, a self-proclaimed fan of Bill Snyder, and who credited the former Hall-of-Fame head coach with being one of the first to utilize the running quarterback with Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson, and later Klein, has much respect for Johnson's dual-threat abilities.
"Oh man. He's very experienced, very dynamic and explosive," Hall said. "He's won a lot of games there. He's unbelievable outside the pocket, he's unbelievable in the run game. We have to have our eyes right, be assignment sound, and we have to wrap and squeeze."
As if Tulane didn't have its hands full with pass-catching targets, the Green Wave must try to slow down one of the best rushing attacks in the FBS.
Keyed by junior Oklahoma State transfer Rodney Fields Jr. and Jackson, K-State ranks eighth in the nation while racking up 303.5 yards on the ground per game.
Tulane ranks 131st against the run in giving up 216.0 rushing yards.
Fields went for 101 yards against Nicholls and 105 yards against Washington State and is one of two transfers in the nation to open the 2026 season with two 100-yard games. Fields ranks 13th nationally with 7.63 yards per carry and has six runs of 10 or more yards, which is tied for fifth in the country.
Jackson, a senior who was so explosive down the stretch last season with a school-record 293-yard rushing effort at No. 12 Utah, is shining as both a rusher and a receiver to begin 2026. He followed up a 7-carry, 38-yard, 1-touchdown game against Nicholls with a 10-carry, 68-yard performance against Washington State. Jackson, who ranks seventh in school history with 5.37 yards per carry, is one of just seven running backs in the FBS with multiple touchdown catches this season. He had a 43-yard touchdown reception against Nicholls and a 21-yard score through the air against Washington State.
For all of K-State's early success, Jackson contends that there's more "meat on the bones."
"We can't get tired of doing the small things and can never get comfortable or relaxed," Jackson said. "These last two weeks that's something we've gotten to the point of doing. I don't know when exactly in the game, but sometimes in the game we've gotten to the point of getting relaxed at times and end up leaving a lot of meat on the bones when we get to that point.
"That's something we can't do if we're going to be the football team that we preached we're going to be."
On Saturday against Tulane, Klein and the Wildcats would like to leave no doubt.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballThursday, September 17
Thursday, September 17
Thursday, September 17
Wednesday, September 16
