Kansas State Wildcats will finish football season at Texas Bowl. Here are the details
The Kansas State football team is headed back to Houston this bowl season.
For the third time since 2006, the Texas Bowl has selected the Wildcats to play in their postseason game on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at NRG Stadium. Kickoff time is 8 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN.
K-State will play against LSU in a Big 12-SEC matchup.
The Tigers finished 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC, upsetting Texas A&M in the regular season finale in Ed Orgeron’s last game as coach after he was fired midway through the season. Brian Kelly was hired last week from Notre Dame but will not coach in the bowl game. Offensive line coach Brad Davis will serve as interim.
David Fletcher, who selected both teams as the CEO of the Texas Bowl, said he was excited at the possibility of hosting K-State again earlier this week.
“We have really enjoyed our relationship with Kansas State,” Fletcher said during a phone interview. “It’s been great to see Chris Klieman making some progress and winning in his third year. They looked good all season long and had some great performances. Obviously things didn’t finish the way they wanted, but their fan base is phenomenal. They always travel great to Houston.”
The Texas Bowl will be the penultimate game of the college football season, with only the national championship game being played after Jan. 4. Without any other viewing competition, that could mean good TV ratings for the game.
K-State played in the inaugural Texas Bowl in 2006, losing 37-10 to Rutgers. It returned to Houston in 2016 and had a much better experience, beating Texas A&M 33-28.
Former K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz celebrated the victory by wearing a Texas Bowl cowboy hat after he was named MVP of the game.
“We are pleased to accept an invitation to play in the Texas Bowl,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “I am really proud of our team, especially our seniors, and our staff for their dedication throughout the season and display of our four core values — Discipline, Commitment, Toughness and Be Selfless. The story of the 2021 Wildcats still has one chapter to write, and we look forward to kick off the new year in Houston and prepare for what will be an exciting Texas Bowl.”
K-State (7-5, 4-5 Big 12) heads to the postseason looking to end things on a high note. The Wildcats were in contention for more prestigious bowls until they lost their final two games of the regular season against Baylor and Texas.
Skylar Thompson missed K-State’s final game against the Longhorns with an injury to his left ankle, but he is expected to command the offense one final time before his college eligibility expires later this month.
This will be K-State’s second bowl trip under coach Chris Klieman. The Wildcats last played in a bowl game in 2019 and lost to Navy at the Liberty Bowl.
The Wildcats have previously played in 22 bowls. They have a record of 9-13 in those games.
Tickets can be purchased through K-State on its athletic website or directly from the bowl.
This story was originally published December 5, 2021 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Kansas State Wildcats will finish football season at Texas Bowl. Here are the details."