Kansas State enters the Big 12 Conference season unscathed and rides ample momentum as the Wildcats embark upon their first road test of the Collin Klein era at unbeaten Cincinnati on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium.
Five days before Avery Johnson did the feat, Kansas State head coach Collin Klein, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in school history, currently a 37-year-old offensive dynamo whose achievements during his playing days are mentioned alongside Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson, stands at a podium during his weekly news conference at the Vanier Family Football Complex. Visions of the young man he recruited to K-State years ago, who was regarded as the No. 1 high school dual-threat quarterback in America, that smiling young man with gold locks down the road at Maize High School, come into focus — along with snapshots of his many exploits during his development in purple and white.
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.
Darien Whitaker, standing in his white practice jersey bearing a purple No. 6, and with a purple Powercat emblazoned upon the front of his gray hat, and sporting dark gray shorts and black football cleats following Kansas State practice on Monday morning, hits with violence and makes his presence felt, as evidenced by his impact as a 6-foot-3, 246-pound sophomore edge rusher who never stands still on the football field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Newsletter
Love K-State?
Join the K-State newsletter to receive Sports Extra stories, updates, ticket information, special offers and more!