Why K-State players exude confidence heading into Big 12 championship rematch vs. TCU
Kansas State football players have been careful not to provide bulletin-board material for TCU when they have been asked about their upcoming rematch with the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 championship game.
They don’t want to give an opponent that defeated them 38-28 earlier this season any extra motivation before kickoff on Saturday, especially now that the Horned Frogs are fighting for a playoff berth.
Still, it is clear the Wildcats like their chances of pulling off an upset.
“For me, that first game was tough,” K-State cornerback Julius Brents said. “I feel like I was performing pretty well and I went out with an injury. I would just say I’m real fired up for this game. A lot of my boys are, as well. The way we went out in that game, man, it was something that lit a fire in this building for the rest of the season. We knew that we wanted to take it week by week, but in the back of our minds we actually had TCU circled, for sure. I am really looking forward to this.”
Some might say TCU was fortunate to defeat K-State when they met last month at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 28-10 lead and seemed in control of the game, despite quarterback Adrian Martinez going down with an injury after one series. But then Will Howard also suffered an injury and so did a half-dozen other major K-State contributors. The Horned Frogs took advantage and scored the final 28 points of the night with Kendre Miller bulldozing his way to 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Would things have gone differently had the Wildcats been healthier that evening in Fort Worth?
“They have got a lot of talented players and they’re very explosive, but we gave them some freebies,” K-State defensive back Drake Cheatum said. “We know we’re going to fix those this week before we go down there and play them again.”
The Wildcats are glad they will get another shot at the Horned Frogs.
“A rematch is better for us,” Cheatum said. “We’re definitely not going to do the same thing as we did last time. I’m not sure if they want to see us again.”
The Horned Frogs clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game several weeks ago. Their opponent was unknown until late Saturday night, when K-State defeated KU 47-27 in the Sunflower Showdown.
TCU had to split its attention between Texas and K-State whenever it looked ahead. That was not the case for the Wildcats.
They have been working toward this rematch for a while now.
“I remember walking off the field after that TCU game. I forget who I told, but I told somebody, ‘We’re going to get a chance to these guys again,’” Howard said. “Here we are. It’s happening, and I’m really excited. I feel like we’ve got some unfinished business against these guys. They’re a really good team, and they’re undefeated. It’s about as big of an opportunity as you can want at this level.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Why K-State players exude confidence heading into Big 12 championship rematch vs. TCU."