Five key storylines as Kansas State Wildcats open football season against UT-Martin
Football season will soon be in full swing.
Kansas State will play its first game on Saturday when the Wildcats play host to Tennessee-Martin at 6 p.m. Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State enters the 2024 campaign with high expectations. Chris Klieman’s team is expected to contend for both a Big 12 championship and a berth in the expanded playoff this season, with sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson taking command of the offense and several veteran leaders returning on defense.
First up is a home game against the Skyhawks.
Here is everything you need to know to start preparing for this week’s game.
UT-Martin at Kansas State: Game details
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan
TV: None
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 36 with an O/U of 56.5
Five things to know
1. The Skyhawks were a top 25 FCS team last season. First, let’s spend some time on the opponent. UT-Martin is a quality FCS team that won eight games last year. That was enough to earn them a national ranking, but not enough to earn a spot in the FCS playoffs. Most of its games were played against fellow FCS opponents, but it did play one FBS foe when it traveled to Georgia. The Bulldogs won that game 48-7. Kinkead Dent, who began his college football career at Mississippi, plays quarterback for the Skyhawks. He threw for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
2. It’s time to let Avery Johnson cook. K-State fans have seen Johnson start games and score touchdowns before. Heck, he closed out the 2023 campaign by winning MVP at the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Still, this game will still be a new experience for the sophomore quarterback. This is his team now. What kind of highlights and stats can he deliver at home against an overmatched opponent? A sellout crowd will be eagerly watching to find out the answer to those questions.
3. How many players will K-State rotate in on defense? Joe Klanderman has said that this might be the deepest group of K-State defenders that he has coached as a coordinator. With that in mind, we could see a lot of names on the field on Saturday. The Wildcats could potentially play seven different edge-rushers as well as multiple linebackers and defensive backs behind the starters. K-State fans know the big names on defense like Keenan Garber, Austin Moore and Marques Sigle. They might get a look at more players against UT-Martin, especially if the Wildcats build an early lead.
4. Dylan Edwards is ready for his purple debut. This will be a much-anticipated debut. K-State fans have been following Edwards since he was playing running back at Derby. Now that he has transferred in from Colorado he gets a chance to show off his skill for the Wildcats. It will be fun to see how the Wildcats deploy him in the backfield alongside DJ Giddens. Coaches say he can do a little bit of anything, so nothing should be off limits for his role within the offense.
5. Chris Klieman has lots of wins against FCS competition. Few, if any, active coaches own a more dominant record against FCS teams than Klieman. He has gone 71-6 against them dating back to his time as the head coach at North Dakota State. He is 4-0 against FCS teams at K-State.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Five key storylines as Kansas State Wildcats open football season against UT-Martin."