Kansas State University Athletics
Bowl Tradition
K-State's bowl history is virtually unmatched in the ranks of college football. In an era of college football in which more than 80 teams play in bowl games each year, K-State is one of just 16 Power 5 schools to advance to a bowl in 13 of the last 15 years.
Since 1993, K-State has played in 11 different bowls in nine different states and has averaged nearly 30,000 fans at a majority of its bowl games played in the Continental U.S. The Wildcats had an estimated 45,000 fans travel to Dallas for the 1997 Cotton Bowl, while the largest crowd ever to cross state lines to watch a college football game went with the Wildcats to Tempe, Arizona, for the Wildcats' 1997 Fiesta Bowl victory over Syracuse. Wildcat fans were again out in force at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl as an estimated crowd of just under 40,000 K-State faithful traveled to Arizona.
2024 RATE BOWL
Kansas State 44, Rutgers 41
December 26, 2024
Chase Field • Phoenix, Ariz.
Attendance: 21,659
There was no quit in these Cats.
Kansas State saw Rutgers score its most points in a first half this season at the Rate Bowl on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights led by double digits most of the game and momentum appeared devastatingly on their side. In the third quarter, ESPN Analytics gave Rutgers a 95% chance of victory.
Then the Wildcats flipped the script.
K-State bounced back from a 34-17 deficit midway through the third quarter and used a bowl record-setting night from running back Dylan Edwards to pull off the greatest bowl comeback win in school history in a 44-41 victory, using proverbial home-run hitters in Chase Field to smack away any doubt and clawing to nine wins behind a group of coaches and players that simply wouldn't give up in their final meeting together.
"I'm just so proud of the guys and their resolve and continuing to fight," said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team finished with a 9-4 record. "We're so thrilled with finding a way to get stops on defense and then capitalizing with some big-time plays offensively."
2023 POP-TARTS BOWL
Kansas State 28, [19] NC State 19
December 28, 2023
Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 31,111
No. 25 Kansas State ate up nearly eight minutes while putting together its final scoring drive in a 28-19 win over No. 18 NC State. Afterward, the Wildcats enjoyed some Pop-Tarts while looking toward the future.
Avery Johnson, in his first collegiate start, threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, and DJ Giddens had 152 rushing yards and one score as well, as the Wildcats, 9-4, capped off their 2023 season in style in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Johnson, a 19-year-old phenom from Wichita, Kansas, arrived at K-State prior to this season as the No. 1-rated dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He replaced Will Howard, who threw a school-record 48 career touchdown passes before entering the transfer portal.
He showed that maturity throughout the bowl game in throwing the ball away when he couldn’t find an open receiver and going 31 pass attempts without suffering a single sack. His maturity perhaps most notably rose in helping author a drive that will be talked about into the offseason. With K-State leading by just 21-19 after three quarters, the Wildcats needed to widen the gap to put away the game.
Johnson led a 15-play, 72-yard charge that consumed 7 minutes, 24 seconds, featured a fourth-down conversion to creep inside the red zone, and ended when Johnson checked into a play and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Brown with 2:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.
On the very next play from scrimmage, NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw an interception to K-State cornerback Jacob Parrish, sending the offense back onto the field to run out the final minutes.
The K-State Marching Band blared “Happy Trails” from its stadium section, K-State fans chanted, “We want Pop-Tarts,” and the stadium sound system played, “Final Countdown.” Indeed, it was a happy final countdown for K-State seniors in their final game.
2022 ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
[5] Alabama 45, [11] Kansas State 20
December 31, 2022
Caesars Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 60,437
No. 9 Kansas State found itself trailing No. 5 Alabama, 21-10, at halftime, and badly in need of points to mount a furious comeback in the Sugar Bowl. It had been 56 days since K-State tasted the bitter tang of defeat. Since then, the Wildcats had always answered the call.
Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide instead answered any questions about where they stand in the hierarchy of college football.
Will Howard threw for 210 yards and two interceptions, and Deuce Vaughn had 22 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown, but the Big 12 Champions saw their season come to an end in a 45-20 loss in their first New Year's Six bowl game at Caesars Superdome.
The first-ever meeting between K-State and Alabama appeared to be evenly matched over the first 20 minutes before Bryce Young & Co. turned on the juice against the Wildcats in front of 60,437, which included an estimated 30,000 purple-clad loyalists who never seemed to lose their passion.
"We're obviously disappointed in how this ended and our performance, but don't be defined by a moment, be defined by a body of work," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "This body of work will be remembered in Kansas State history forever because these guys were Big 12 Champs and earned the right to represent our conference in the Sugar Bowl.
"We didn't play our best football today. Give credit to Alabama."
Purple filled the streets of New Orleans ahead of the highly-anticipated contest coming off K-State's first league title in 10 years. The Wildcats sought to tie the school record with 11 wins. But Crimson swarmed the field and finished their season at 11-2 in their 17th appearance in the Sugar Bowl.
K-State finished its memorable season at 10-4.
"I'm forever grateful," said sixth-year senior wide receiver Kade Warner, who had a team-high five catches for 48 yards in his final game. "The guys before us started this and they're the ones that got this culture to where it is today. It was our job to make it better. Shout out to this team. Culture might not seem like a whole lot, but I promise you that culture means so much, and I couldn't be more grateful that I'm on a team with such great culture."
K-State had beaten three top-10 opponents in a single season for the first time in history — No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 9 Oklahoma State and No 3 TCU.
2021 TAXACT TEXAS BOWL
Kansas State 42, LSU 20
January 4, 2022
NRG Stadium • Houston, Texas
Attendance: 52,207
It was a purple party at the TaxAct Texas Bowl, but by the start of the fourth quarter, the purple and white overtook NRG Stadium as Kansas State headed toward its first bowl victory under Chris Klieman by handing LSU a 42-20 whipping, marking one of the most dominant bowl victories in school history.
As Klieman and sixth-year senior Skylar Thompson took the victor's podium, the head coach and quarterback lifted the 135-pound Texas Bowl trophy above their heads, as cheers rang out from coaches, teammates, families, friends, and the purple sea of fans, many who journeyed through snowy conditions to bask in that glow that accompanies made-for-TV moments, and that will no doubt turn into cherished memories that K-Staters share long past the melting snow in the Flint Hills.
Fans chanted:
"KKKKKKKK…"
"SSSSSSSS…"
"UUUUUUUU…"
As K-State scored the first 21 points and then took a 42-7 lead late into the fourth quarter, the K-State Marching Band began their familiar tradition and serenaded a yellow-and-purple mass exodus to "Happy Trails" with 10 minutes and 15 seconds still remaining in the game, and the countdown to donning bowl championship T-shirts began. Shortly after, Thompson ambled to the sideline one final time to ardent applause and adoring chants, and any pregame nervousness of Wildcat Nation dissolved into hands gripping each moment as the final climatic sights and sounds of the 2021 season began to slowly slip into that fuzzy dream from which folks never want to awake.
But, alas, shortly after 11:20 p.m., the game clock read all zeros, the band played Wildcat Victory, and Klieman and Thompson stood on stage 10 minutes later, looking out over their football family, and then 25 minutes later, Klieman sported a black bowl championship hat and matching T-shirt, and tried to put into words the excitement felt during the game and afterward inside the locker room, a mission complete, and so much still left to absorb.
"It's fun to win a bowl game," Klieman said. "First time I've won a bowl game. Won a few (FCS) national championships and been on that stage, but this was pretty special. My hat's off to K-State nation for coming out. What an electric crowd and our fans were in it from the start."
K-State dominated this from the start behind an aggressive offense that rolled to 442 total yards, engineered the longest drive in Texas Bowl history — an 18-play, 71-yard jaunt that took 9 minutes and 16 seconds — and in front of a crowd of 52,207 methodically dismantled an SEC opponent short on a few players yet just two years removed from winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.
K-State scored touchdowns on 6 of its 9 possessions.
"I fully expected us to win the game," LSU interim head coach Brad Davis said. "I thought we had a plan that we put together as a coaching staff that would lend to allowing our players to go out and make plays. That plan was obviously not executed well."
When Thompson wasn't slinging touchdown passes against the Tigers (the bowl MVP completed 21 of 28 passes for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns), Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn was leaving defenders puzzled (21 carries for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with 1 receiving touchdown), and an energized defense stiffened against the Tigers until all that was left was the postgame celebration.
2019 LIBERTY BOWL
[21] Navy 20, Kansas State 17
December 31, 2019
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tenn.
Attendance: 50,515
After K-State tied the game at 17 with 5:14 left, Navy started to make those plays. They converted two third downs before the Wildcats stonewalled a Midshipmen third-and-3 attempt at K-State's 46-yard line with less than a minute left in regulation.
On fourth down, Navy running back CJ Williams took a pitch to the right side of the field on what looked like a normal sweep play. That was until he pulled up and hit Chance Warren down the sideline for a 41-yard completion.
Bijan Nichols, who finished the game 2-for-3 on field goals, nailed the game winner two plays later after K-State called its final three timeouts.
The halfback pass marked the second successful trick play from Navy. Coming out of halftime in a 10-all tie, the Midshipmen capped their first drive of the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run on a reverse to Warren.
The Wildcats got going on offense just in time to keep their chances of winning alive. Their game-tying drive in the fourth quarter of seven plays, 79 yards nearly doubled the team's total offense up to that point (83 yards).
Thompson went 3-for-3 through the air for 66 yards on the drive, highlighted by a 42-yard strike down the middle of the field to Wykeen Gill, who had a 15-yard catch the play before. Thompson scored two plays later on a sneak up the middle, giving life to a K-State team that spent most of the night defending Navy's potent triple-option offense.
The Midshipmen possessed the ball for 36:31 of the game, thanks in large part to their 323 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Malcom Perry accounted for 213 of those rushing yards on 28 carries. Perry, named the Liberty Bowl's Most Valuable Player, also went 5-of-7 through the air for 57 yards and a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
K-State missed a few opportunities to score on its opening drive, as an underthrown pass and a drop on consecutive plays ended it. The Wildcats first found the end zone on a 66-yard punt return from Phillip Brooks to take a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. Blake Lynch nailed a 39-yard field goal late in the half to even the game going into the locker room.
The Wildcats only got one possession in the third quarter, however, and it went backwards 11 yards after an errant snap derailed the drive.
2017 CACTUS BOWL
Kansas State 35, UCLA 17
December 26, 2017
Chase Field • Phoenix, Ariz.
Attendance: 32,859
Nine different Wildcats logged rushes with Alex Barnes joining Delton over the century mark with 117 yards, 41 of which came on a fourth quarter, fourth-down conversion to help put the game away. K-State tallied 344 total rushing yards to surpass the 329 yards rushed against Tennessee in the 2001 Cotton Bowl against Tennessee. Delton’s total topped Josh Scobey’s mark of 150 in the same game and was the sixth-highest rushing total by a K-State quarterback in any contest.
The Cats trailed 17-7 at the half but used Delton’s shortest run – a fourth-and-inches push – to open scoring in the third quarter. Denzel Goolsby locked up Cactus Bowl Defensive MVP honors with a strip and fumble recovery on the ensuing possession, then used the short field to surge ahead 21-14 when Dominique Heath juked a defender and took a Delton pass in for an eight-yard score. Barnes made it a 21-0 run when he cut back on another fourth down conversion and scampered 41 yards less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Delton keyed a 15-play, 98-yard drive that chewed up 8:06 of game clock, then punched it in from three yards out for the final tally. In all, K-State possessed the ball for 35:07 in the contest.
2016 TEXAS BOWL
Kansas State 33, Texas A&M 28
December 28, 2016
NRG Stadium • Houston, Texas
Attendance: 68,412
Jesse Ertz threw for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores in Kansas State’s 33-28 victory over Texas A&M.
Ertz had a 79-yard touchdown pass and scoring runs of 1 and 5 yards to help give Kansas State its fourth-straight win and first bowl victory since the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
The Wildcats led 33-21 after Ertz bulled into the end zone on a 1-yard run with nine minutes left. The Aggies cut it to 33-28 on Josh Reynolds’ 15-yard TD reception about a minute later.
Texas A&M attempted to convert a fourth-and-8 with about two minutes left, but Trevor Knight’s pass was short, to give Kansas State the ball back and allow the Wildcats to run out the clock.
Texas A&M got to 23-21 when Reynolds made a 4-yard touchdown catch with about seven minutes left in the third quarter. A 25-yard field goal by Ian Patterson extended Kansas State’s lead to 26-21 with about three minutes remaining in the quarter. A highlight of that drive came on a 36-yard run by Justin Silmon.
Kansas State tied the game at 7-7 when Ertz connected with Byron Pringle and he dashed down the field for a 79-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter.
The Cats took the lead on an Ertz 5-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
A 3-yard reception by Ricky Seals-Jones put A&M back on top 14-13 soon after that. But Kansas State regained the lead with a 40-yard field goal before pushing the lead to 23-14 on a 52-yard run by Dominique Heath just before halftime.
2016 LIBERTY BOWL
Arkansas 45, Kansas State 23
January 2, 2016
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tenn.
Attendance: 61,136
Alex Collins ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns and Arkansas capped its late-season surge with a 45-23 victory over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
Collins overwhelmed Kansas State’s defense, as the Wildcats finished a season below .500 for the first time since 2008.
Arkansas’ Brandon Allen was 20-of-26 for 315 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Kansas State’s Kody Cook, starting at quarterback for the first time, went 12-of-24 for 163 yards with a touchdown.
Cook had been Kansas State’s second-leading receiver during the regular season while also backing up quarterback Joe Hubener. He played well enough to keep Kansas State relatively close. But he couldn’t do anything about the defense’s inability to slow down Collins, who was largely responsible for helping Arkansas reach the end zone on three straight first-half drives.
Collins had touchdown runs of 22 yards and 13 yards in the first 17 minutes. He also had a 68-yard burst on his first kickoff return of the season, which set up Jared Cornelius’ 13-yard touchdown on an end around.
2015 ALAMO BOWL
[14] UCLA 40, [11] Kansas State 35
January 2, 2015
Alamodome • San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 60,517
Kansas State faught back from a 31-6 halftime deficit by holding UCLA to just nine second-half points, but it wasn’t enough as 14th-ranked Bruins held on for a 40-35 loss in the Alamo Bowl.
K-State scored 22 of the first 25 points in the second half, cutting it to 34-28 on quarterback Jake Waters’ 1-yard run with 4:54 left.
Paul Perkins countered for UCLA with a 67-yard run with 2:20 to go. Waters threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett with 1:21 left, but UCLA recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Perkins ran for 194 yards on 20 carries, while Lockett had 13 catches for 164 yards for Kansas State.
Waters was 31-of-48 for 338 yards, but was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions.
K-State opened the second half with a 17-play drive, capped by Waters’ 3-yard pass to Lockett and a successful 2-point conversion. After forcing a fumble by Perkins, K-State took over at UCLA’s 21 and scored on DeMarcus Robinson’s 2-yard run.
2013 BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL
Kansas State 31, Michigan 14
December 28, 2013
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Ariz.
Attendance: 53,284
Jake Waters threw for 271 yards and connected with Tyler Lockett on three touchdowns, leading Kansas State to its first bowl victory in 11 years, 31-14, over Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
K-State scored on its first three possessions, all passes from Waters to Lockett, and its defense dominated Michigan to end a five-game bowl losing streak. The Wildcats to their first bowl victory since the 2002 Holiday Bowl.
Michigan’s defense had trouble stopping Kansas State most of the night, giving up 420 total yards.
Kansas State finished the season strong after some early difficulties by winning five of its final six games while scoring at least 31 points in each.
The Wildcats set the tone on their opening drive, grinding out 75 yards in 15 plays and 7:51 off the clock. Lockett capped it with a 6-yard touchdown catch after the Wildcats’ line gave Waters just enough time to get the throw off against Michigan’s blitz. Lockett set up the next drive with a 40-yard kickoff return and capped with a 29-yard touchdown catch, set up by Waters’ pump fake that gave him separation behind Michigan’s defense.
Kansas State raced down the field again on its next drive, setting up Lockett’s third touchdown, an 8-yarder from Waters that put the Wildcats up 21-6 at halftime.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Ian Patterson connected on a 22-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter and running back John Hubert capped his career with a 1-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining.
2013 FIESTA BOWL
[5] Oregon 35, [7] Kansas State 17
January 3, 2013
University of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, Ariz.
Attendance: 70,242
Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for the first of his two touchdowns, Marcus Mariota accounted for three scores, and No. 5 Oregon raced past No. 7 Kansas State 35-17 at the Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon jumped out to a 15-0 lead behind Thomas’ opening return and 23-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
Kansas State tried to bull its way behind Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, only to get overwhelmed by the speedy Ducks, who got some help with an obscure 1-point safety on a blocked extra-point kick.
Mariota added a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kenjon Barner in the second quarter and ran for a 2-yard score in the third to give Oregon its second straight BCS bowl win after beating Wisconsin in last year’s Rose Bowl.
Klein threw two interceptions and had 30 yards rushing on 13 carries.
K-State averaged more than 22,000 fans at four-consecutive bowl pregame pep rallies. The pep rally at the 20113 Fiesta Bowl (above) was estimated at nearly 30,000 people.
2012 COTTON BOWL
[6] Arkansas 29, [8] Kansas State 16
January 6, 2012
Cowboys Stadium • Arlington, Texas
Attendance: 80,956
Kansas State junior quarterback Collin Klein tied the Big 12 single-season for rushing touchdowns and the NCAA single season record by a quarterback but the No. 8 Wildcats came up short in the 2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in a 29-16 loss to No. 6 Arkansas.
Kansas State was trying to match its school record with 11 victories, but still finished a surprising season in Snyder’s second Wildcats turnaround. K-State won 11 games six times during a seven-year span in Snyder’s first tenure before his three-year retirement, and almost reached that mark again in his third season back.
After being held to 15 yards on 12 carries in the first half, Klein finished the opening drive of the third quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run that got the Wildcats to 19-16. That came after Klein had a 15-yard run on the previous play.
That matched the Big 12 record for rushing touchdowns held by 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams of Texas. The only other FBS quarterback with 27 rushing touchdowns in a season was Ricky Dobbs for Navy in 2009.
The Cotton Bowl was the only non-BCS game with both teams in the top 10 of the Bowl Championship Series standings -- Arkansas came in sixth, Kansas State eighth. It also is the only bowl featuring the SEC vs. the Big 12, the top two conferences in the BCS computer rankings.
2010 PINSTRIPE BOWL
Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34
December 30, 2010
Yankee Stadium • Bronx, N.Y.
Attendance: 38,274
The first Pinstripe Bowl turned into a home run derby.
Delone Carter ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns, Marcus Sales caught three long touchdown passes and Syracuse got some help from a celebration penalty on Kansas State to beat the Wildcats 36-34 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Adrian Hilburn slipped a tackle and raced to a 30-yard touchdown catch with 1:13 remaining to pull Kansas State within two. Hilburn saluted the crowd behind the visitor’s dugout and was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, which pushed the 2-point conversion attempt back to the 17-yard line.
Carson Coffman overthrew Aubrey Quarles in the end zone, and when Kansas State couldn’t come up with the onside kick, Syracuse only had to take a knee to win a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
Daniel Thomas ran for three touchdowns for Kansas State, which was making its first bowl appearance since 2006.
In a bowl season filled with blowouts, the first bowl game in New York in 48 years turned out to be a hit.
2006 TEXAS BOWL
[16] Rutgers 37, Kansas State 10
December 28, 2006
Reliant Stadium • Houston, Texas
Attendance: 52,210
Kansas State hung with No. 16 Rutgers for 30 minutes, but the Scarlet Knights scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to hand the Wildcats a 37-10 loss in the inagural Texas Bowl before 52,210 fans at Reliant Stadium.
Ray Rice, the Texas Bowl MVP, rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown and Tim Brown caught two touchdown passes, for the Scarlet Knights, who claimed their first bowl victory in 137 seasons of intercollegiate football.
Brown’s two TD catches came in the opening period and staked Rutgers to a quick 14-0 lead.
Kansas State answered with a 44-yard field goal by Jeff Snodgrass and a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Yamon Figurs that was the longest in K-State bowl history to close the gap to 14-10 midway through the second quarter.
But Jeremy Ito connected on a 37-yard field goal to close the half and linebacker Quintero Frierson returned an interception 27 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage of the second half to put RU ahead 24-10.
Rice sprinted 46 yards for his lone touchdown of the game on the Scarlet Knights’ next posssession before Ito closed out the scoring with a pair of fourth-quarter field goals for the final margin.
2004 FIESTA BOWL
[7] Ohio State 35, [8] Kansas State 28
January 2, 2004
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Ariz.
Attendance: 73,425
Kansas State started slowly but finished with a fury in the 33rd Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. But it wasn’t enough to overcome a 21-point third-quarter deficit as the Wildcats lost a hard fought 35-28 decision to Ohio State in their first ever BCS bowl game at Sun Devil Stadium.
Trailing 35-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Ayo Saba scored from three yards out and closed the game to 14 points. Ell Roberson’s second rushing touchdown with just 2:47 to go then pulled K-State within a touchdown.
After recovering the ensuing onside kick, the Wildcats were flagged for being offside, forcing a re-kick. This time the Buckeyes recovered at the K-State 36.
But the Wildcats held and got the ball back at their own 10-yard line with 1:12 to play. A 21-yard completion to Davin Dennis moved the ball to the K-State 26. On the next play Roberson connected with Jermaine Moreira for 26 yards to the OSU 48 to get Kansas State within striking distance.
However, Roberson’s desperation pass from midfield was batted down at the 2, allowing Ohio State to escape with its second straight Fiesta Bowl victory.
2002 HOLIDAY BOWL
[6] Kansas State 34, Arizona State 27
December 27, 2002
Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Attendance: 58,717
Derrick Evans caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Ell Roberson with 1:15 left in the game to lift Kansas State to its first and only lead as the Wildcats defeated Arizona State, 34-27, in the 2002 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.
Evans’ catch completed a K-State comeback from deficits of 10-0, 20-7 and 27-20. Roberson, voted the Offensive MVP of the game, rushed for 63 yards, including touchdowns of 32, 3 and 1 yards, and totaled 215 yards through the air on 11-for-28 passing.
Roberson’s 32-yard sprint came with just 54 seconds left in the second half and pulled the Wildcats within 20-14. Just 31 seconds earlier, Mike Barth converted on a 39-yard field goal to give ASU its largest lead of the game at 20-7.
K-State tied the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter when Roberson went in from three yards out. But Sun Devil quarterback Andrew Walter, who threw for 293 yards on 28-for-57 passing, found Mike Williams for a 10-yard score to put ASU back ahead on its next possession.
The Wildcats responded with an 80-yard drive on its next opportunity, setting up Roberson’s 1-yard touchdown dive that tied the game again at 27-27 with 6:41 left, then forced a Sun Devil punt that Terence Newman returned 27 yards. From there, K-State needed just seven plays to cover 59 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
2001 INSIGHT.COM BOWL
[18] Syracuse 26, Kansas State 3
December 29, 2001
Bank One Ballpark • Phoenix, Ariz.
Attendance: 40,028
Syracuse running back James Mungro rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns to lead Syracuse to a 26-3 victory over Kansas State in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl at Phoenix’s Bank One Ballpark.
Mungro scored on runs of 65, 1 and 1 yard to pace the Orange offense. SU added touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard pass from Robin Anderson to Johnnie Morant.
Junior Marc Dunn led the Wildcats with 151 yards passing in relief of starter Ell Roberson. Dunn completed 12-of-25 passes with one interception. Roberson was 2-for-15 for 70 yards for the Wildcats, who were sacked five times.
Mungro opened the scoring on his 65-yard run midway through the first quarter.
Kansas State responded just two minutes later with a 29-yard field goal by freshman Joe Rheem. The drive was sparked by a 47-yard pass from Roberson to Aaron Lockett and a 27-yard carry by Scobey.
Syracuse took advantage of a fumble deep in Wildcat territory early in the second quarter. Mungro scored from the 1-yard line to convert the turnover, but the extra-point was blocked by Josh Buhl.
On the next play from scrimmage, Willie Ford got the first of his two interceptions to set up the Orangemen again. Two plays later, Mungro went over from the 1-yard line again, but Buhl again blocked the extra-point.
2001 COTTON BOWL
[11] Kansas State 35, [21] Tennessee 21
January 1, 2001
The Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 63,465
Jonathan Beasley threw two touchdowns and rushed for another as Kansas State rolled to a 35-21 win over Tennessee in the 65th annual Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic.
Beasley, the game’s Offensive MVP, had touchdown passes of 56 and 10 yards to Quincy Morgan to key a rally in the second quarter. The touchdown throws, which came three minutes apart, turned a 7-7 tie into a 21-7 Wildcat lead.
Tennessee pulled within seven points before halftime when Jabari Greer scored on a 78-yard interception return.
But Kansas State got two touchdown runs from Josh Scobey in the third quarter to regain its cushion. Scobey finished with 147 yards on a career-high 28 carries, the most yards ever by a Wildcat in a bowl game.
Travis Henry’s 81-yard run late in the game was the final Volunteers score. Henry finished with 180 yards on 17 carries.
Beasley totaled 210 yards on a 13-for-27 passing. He also rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries and put the Wildcats on the scoreboard first with a 14-yard run late in the first quarter.
Senior defensive end Chris Johnson was the Defensive MVP after leading the Wildcats with four tackles, including two sacks of Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen, who completed just seven passes while tossing three interceptions.
1999 HOLIDAY BOWL
[7] Kansas State 24, Washington 20
December 29, 1999
Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Attendance: 57,118
Kansas State used a stiff defense and three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Jonathan Beasley to defeat Washington, 24-20, in the 1999 Holiday Bowl.
Trailing 20-17 late in the third quarter, the Wildcats embarked on a 20-play, 92-yard drive that took 9 minutes, 54 seconds off the clock to score the eventual game-winning touchdown. The drive was set up after senior Lamar Chapman picked off Marques Tuiasosopo.
K-State took a 17-13 lead on its first possession of the second half, scoring on an 11-yard run by Beasley, the game’s Offensive MVP. UW struck back with Maurice Shaw scoring on a 5-yard run to cap a 73-yard drive.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Huskies take a 13-10 lead into the locker room.
Washington got on the board first when John Anderson booted his first of two first-half field goals just 3:32 into the contests. K-State quickly responded as Beasley drove the Cats 47 yards on the ensuing possession, calling his own number from one yard out to cap the eight-play drive.
A 41-yard Jamie Rheem field goal pushed K-State’s lead to 10-6, but the Huskies would put the half’s final points on the board on a Pat Conniff 3-yard touchdown run.
1998 ALAMO BOWL
Purdue 37, [4] Kansas State 34
December 29, 1998
Alamodome • San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 60,780
With more than 30,000 purple-clad fans cheering the Wildcats on, unranked Purdue shocked No. 4 K-State, 37-34, in the sixth annual Builders Square Alamo Bowl.
After a scoreless first quarter, the teams exploded for 71 points over the final three periods. Purdue was the first to get things going, taking a 17-7 halftime lead courtesy of a pair of Drew Brees TD passes and a 25-yard Travis Dorsch field goal.
Fumble recoveries in the end zone by both squads and another Dorsch field goal with four seconds to go in the third staked Purdue to a 27-13 lead heading into the final stanza.
But the Wildcats put together a furious rally over the final 15 minutes. David Allen scored from three yards out to get things going before Michael Bishop hit Darnell McDonald for an Alamo Bowl record 88-yard touchdown strike that pulled the Cats within a field goal at 30-27. Then, with just 1:24 left in the game, Bishop connected with Justin Swift for a 2-yard touchdown and a 34-30 K-State lead.
Brees then engineered an 80-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard pass to Isaac Jones to put the Boilermakers ahead for good at 37-34 with 30 seconds remaining.
1997 FIESTA BOWL
[9] Kansas State 35, [14] Syracuse 18
December 31, 1997
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Ariz.
Attendance: 69,369
Kansas State capped one of its best seasons in school history with a 35-18 win over No. 14 Syracuse in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl.
Michael Bishop stole the show by throwing for four TDs on 14-of-23 passing for 317 yards.
Darnell McDonald was on the receiving end of seven Bishop passes and turned them into a school-record 206 yards and three scores. His 77-yard reception in the fourth quarter was the longest in Fiesta Bowl history.
After allowing Syracuse to jump out to a 3-0 lead on the first of Nate Trout’s three field goals, Bishop led the Wildcats to three consecutive touchdown in the second quarter.
The first came following a failed fake field goal attempt by Syracuse, culminating in a 19-yard pass to McDonald. Bishop followed with a 12-yard TD dash on K-State’s next possession, and wrapped up the first-half scoring with a 28-yard completion to Justin Swift on a tight end screen.
SU scored 12 points in the final 2:18 to close within 21-15 at the half. Following a scoreless third quarter, Bishop and the Wildcats put away the Orangemen behind 77-yard and 41-yard touchdowns to McDonald.
Bishop was named the Offensive Player of the Game, while Travis Ochs was Defensive Player of the Game.
1997 COTTON BOWL
[5] BYU 19, [14] Kansas State 15
January 1, 1997
The Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 71,928
An estimated 45,000 K-State fans descended on Dallas to watch the Wildcats in their first-ever New Year’s Day Bowl and were witness to one of the most exciting games of the bowl season.
After taking a 15-5 lead following a 72-yard TD pass from Brian Kavanagh to Kevin Lockett, BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian tossed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead No. 5 BYU to a 19-15 Cotton Bowl victory.
Following Sarkisian’s 28-yard scoring strike to K.O. Kealaluhi with 3:39 remaining in the game, Kavanagh drove the Wildcats to the BYU 12-yard line with about one minute remaining. But Kavanagh’s pass to Jimmy Dean was picked off at the 3-yard line by Omarr Morgan to preserve BYU’s win.
The game’s first score came when Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP Shay Muirbrook tackled Kavanagh in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter. After the free kick, BYU scored again on an Ethan Pochman 39-yard field goal.
K-State had a hard time getting on track until the final play of the first half when Kavanagh heaved a Hail Mary into the end zone, where, after the ball was deflected by a BYU defender, K-State’s Andre Anderson scooped the ball in for a touchdown.
Following the PAT that gave K-State a 7-5 lead, a penalty on BYU forced the teams to return from the locker room, giving Wildcats a shot for two points. Mike Lawrence made it pay off giving K-State an 8-5 halftime lead.
1995 HOLIDAY BOWL
[10] Kansas State 54, [25] Colorado State 21
December 29, 1995
Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Attendance: 51,051
For the second time in three years, Kansas State ran roughshod over the Western Athletic Conference’s best as the Wildcats outran, outplayed and outscored Colorado State for a 54-21 win in front of 51,051 fans in the 1995 Plymouth Holiday Bowl at Jack Murphy Stadium.
K-State began the scoring on an Eric Hickson 4-yard run with 11:21 left in the first quarter. After CSU responded with a touchdown to knot the score at 7-7, it was all K-State.
The Wildcats outscored the Rams, 19-0, in the second quarter by virtue of an interception return by safety Mario Smith and a blocked punt. Brian Kavanagh, who would earn the game’s Offensive MVP award, came in for the injured Matt Miller in the second quarter and immediately put the ball in the end zone.
Kavanagh completed 18-of-24 passes for 242 yards and a Holiday Bowl-record tying four touchdowns. The junior signal-caller tossed scoring strikes to Brian Lojka, Tyson Schwieger, Kevin Lockett and Mitch Running.
On the defensive side of the ball, Smith’s pair of interceptions earned him MVP honors.
1994 ALOHA BOWL
Boston College 12, [11] Kansas State 7
December 25, 1994
Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, Hawai'i
Attendance: 44,862
Kansas State played Boston College to a defensive standoff in the 1994 Aloha Bowl, but the Wildcat offense never got on track and fell 12-7 before 44,862 at Aloha Stadium.
The Eagles sacked K-State quarterback Chad May eight times, including a four-hit effort by end Mike Mamula, who was named the game’s most valuable player.
BC couldn’t distance itself from the Wildcats despite a 51-yard bolt by David Green on the game’s second play. That carry led to an early 7-0 cushion for the Eagles but would be their only TD of the day.
K-State’s lone score came with eight seconds left in the first quarter when Joe Gordon crashed the middle of BC’s line and blocked a punt by Jeff Beckley. Chris Sublette recovered the ball on the first hop in the end zone and the game was tied, 7-7.
However, BC would answer with its own end zone patrol later in the half when Mamula applied the biggest of his hits on May for a safety with 2:37 left.
The Wildcats reached the BC 19 on their ensuing drive, but Eric Shorter intercepted a dropped pass in the flat on third-and-15 with 19 seconds left in the half.
Still, a defense that featured punter Eric Hardy, Gordon and a pair of 10-tackle performances from Chuck Marlowe and Mario Smith kept the Wildcats within striking distance until the end.
BC could only tack on a 35-yard field goal by David Gordon with 1:18 remaining in the second half.
1993 COPPER BOWL
[20] Kansas State 52, Wyoming 17
December 29, 1993
Arizona Stadium • Tucson, Ariz.
Attendance: 49,075
Kansas State put the finishing touches on one of the finest football seasons in school history with a 52-17 domination of Wyoming before 49,075 in the 1993 Copper Bowl.
Wyoming took a quick 3-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal, but K-State put its high-powered offense into overdrive and scored on its first three possessions. J.J. Smith put K-State on the board with a two-yard TD run and Tate Wright added a 22-yard field goal before K-State drove 76 yards on its third possession to take a 16-3 edge on a Chad May TD plunge.
All-American Andre Coleman closed out the first half with a 68-yard punt return to put K-State ahead 24-10 at the break then blew things open with a 61-yard touchdown catch just 54 seconds into the third quarter.
Freshman All-American Kevin Lockett put K-State ahead 38-10 midway through the third quarter with a 30-yard touchdown reception before reserve running back Leon Edwards added a 13-yard touchdown run and cornerback Kenny McEntyre provided the game’s crowning moment with a 37-yard interception return for a score.
1982 INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Wisconsin 14, Kansas State 3
December 11, 1982
Independence Stadium • Shreveport, La.
Attendance: 49,523
Wisconsin quarterback Randy Wright tossed two touchdown passes and the Badgers overcame an early Kansas State lead for a hard-earned 14-3 victory over the Wildcats in the seventh annual Independence Bowl before an announced crowd of 49,523.
The low-scoring game was played in cold and wet conditions as a 23 mile-per-hour wind dropped temperatures to 10 below zero and made things difficult for both offenses.
After a scoreless first quarter, K-State took the game’s first lead with 7:10 left in the second period when Steve Willis booted a 29-yard field goal after defensive end Bob Daniels recovered a fumble at the Badger 18-yard line.
The Wildcats’ lead was short-lived, however. On Wisconsin’s ensuing drive, the Badgers marched 79 yards in eight plays, scoring a touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Wright to Michael Jones for a 7-3 halftime lead.
Wisconsin struck again midway through the third quarter, when game offensive MVP Wright connected with Tim Stracka on an 87-yard pass for a 14-3 Badger advantage.
K-State drove deep into Wisconsin territory on its next two possessions, but was unable to score. One opportunity ended when a Wildcat pass was intercepted in the Badger end zone while the other was stymied at the Wisconsin 26-yard line when K-State could not convert on fourth down.
Darrell Ray Dickey completed just 13 of 35 passes for 127 yards and one interception on the game for 1982 Big Eight Coach of the Year Jim Dickey’s Wildcat squad.
8
K-State has played in bowl games in eight different states,
including Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii and Louisiana
11
The Wildcats advanced to 11-straight bowl games from 1993 to 2004
25
K-State has played in 25 bowl games over the last 31 years
BOWL HISTORY
- 2024 Rate Bowl Champions
- 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl Champions
- 2022 Sugar Bowl
- 2021 Texas Bowl Champions
- 2019 Liberty Bowl
- 2017 Cactus Bowl Champions
- 2016 Texas Bowl Champions
- 2016 Liberty Bowl
- 2015 Alamo Bowl
- 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Champions
- 2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
- 2012 Cotton Bowl
- 2010 Pinstripe Bowl
- 2006 Texas Bowl
- 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
- 2002 Holiday Bowl Champions
- 2001 Insight.com Bowl
- 2001 Cotton Bowl Champions
- 1999 Holiday Bowl Champions
- 1998 Alamo Bowl
- 1997 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Champions
- 1997 Cotton Bowl
- 1995 Holiday Bowl Champions
- 1994 Aloha Bowl
- 1993 Copper Bowl Champions
- 1982 Independence Bowl