Why Jeff Monken thinks playing a road game at K-State will be ‘awesome’ for Army
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Army football visits Kansas State during Fort Riley Day for a unique road game.
- Coach Jeff Monken expects crowd support due to military ties and local soldiers.
- K-State plans pregame military tributes, flyover and veteran-focused festivities.
The Army football team may not hear many boos from Kansas State football fans when it takes the field at 6 p.m. Saturday for a nonconference game against the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Believe it or not, the Black Knights may actually receive a friendly welcome that is filled with applause and salutes, even though they will be playing on the road.
Why? K-State and Manhattan both have a strong connection with the military. Fort Riley is located a short drive west of campus, and the Wildcats are always trying to come up with new ways to honor troops who live within the community. It’s not unusual for K-State teams to wear Big Red One stickers or patches on their uniforms.
To that end, K-State will host its annual Fort Riley Day on Saturday, which means plenty of soldiers will be on hand to watch the cadets go toe-to-toe with the Wildcats.
“It’s awesome to be traveling to a place where we know there are going to be American soldiers in attendance,” Army football coach Jeff Monken said this week, “and that there’s a pride that comes with the Army team coming to town. That means a lot to us. It’s the team we play for and the team we represent. We are the Army team.”
Monken went on to say that it will be a thrill for his players to see soldiers in attendance, because “all our players are excited about the opportunity to serve alongside those men and women.”
The last time K-State played a football game against a service academy, head coach Chris Klieman asked his team to remain on the field after the clock hit zero to pay tribute to Navy at the Liberty Bowl in 2019.
It wasn’t the easiest thing for the Wildcats to do after they lost a hard-fought game against the Midshipmen, but they did it because they wanted to show respect for a group of college athletes who would soon be serving their country.
K-State will honor the military in more ways than that on Saturday.
The school is asking fans to arrive early to check out a display of army vehicles and demonstrations on the west Bramlage sidewalk. Before kickoff, fans can witness a pregame salute that will feature a Fort Riley flyover and a professional skydiving team. There will also be cannons on hand to help K-State celebrate touchdowns.
It all sounds great to Army’s football coach.
“Maybe we’ll have a little bit of a hometown crowd in attendance,” Monken said, “among the huge crowd at Kansas State that will be cheering for them.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Why Jeff Monken thinks playing a road game at K-State will be ‘awesome’ for Army."